I work for eBay. Businesses need Congress’s help to fight the scourge of retail crime
Shoplifting skyrocketed 93% from 2019 to 2023 and that cost gets passed on to consumers
By Christian Hardman, eBay’s North America Criminal and Regulatory Investigations Team Lead
April 25, 2025
...Hundreds of millions of dollars of inventory are lost to theft each year. To combat this growing problem, retailers are spending more on security, technology and insurance – costs that are all passed on to consumers.
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Retailers reported a 93% increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year in 2023 versus 2019 and a 90% increase in dollar loss due to shoplifting over the same time period, according to a December report from the National Retail Federation. More than 75% of those polled said that organized retail crime was more of a concern than in past years. The poll also found the increase in thefts has brought a surge in violence.
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At eBay, we’ve seen firsthand the unique challenges that come with fighting organized retail crime. For nearly 20 years, we’ve partnered with retailers, law enforcement and elected officials to identify and dismantle crime rings...
This experience has shown us that we cannot solve the problem alone. Successfully stopping organized retail crime requires collaboration between e-commerce companies, retailers, law enforcement and even Congress. Law enforcement and prosecutors need the tools to go after the sophisticated criminal syndicates behind organized retail crime. Fortunately, Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and Nevada Democrat Senator Catherine Cortez Masto introduced the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA), to address the escalation in theft, fraud and other property crimes against retail stores and elements of the supply chain.
CORCA strengthens legal tools for law enforcement and establishes the Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center – a center within the Department of Homeland Security to combat organized retail and supply chain crime – to coordinate response efforts at the federal, state and local levels. The center would also collaborate with private industry on information sharing and investigations.
Passing this bill is a crucial step in the fight to stop organized retail crime...
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