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Obama: Let me spam 600,000 of your customers with a TPP sales pitch. eBay: Sure thing, Barry!

Trade deal will be great for online tat peddlers, promises Prez

President Obama is taking his case for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) online with a spammy pitch to eBay merchants on how the trade deal will benefit them.

The US Commander In Chief sent a letter to 600,000 eBay sellers outlining the virtues of the controversial international trade deal that, according to Obama, will make life easier for online merchants.

Obama pointed to provisions in the agreement – including open internet requirements and paperless trading rules – that are intended to help small businesses who sell products on eBay.

"Under this agreement, companies and consumers can access and move data freely without facing arbitrary blocking of websites," Obama wrote.

"Companies won’t have to build expensive and unnecessarily redundant data infrastructure in every market just because they want to sell there."

The President goes on to say that the TPP will also improve the process of international shipping and will eliminate taxes for eBay merchants who ship items overseas.

"Small business – the business you’re doing right here on this platform – is propelling the American economy and our global economy forward," Obama said in the letter.

"And the fact is that this deal can significantly impact the way you work and run your business."

eBay, for its part, has been a steadfast proponent of the TPP. The online auction site said in a statement by VP of geographic expansion JF Van Kerckhove that the deal will help its users expand their international operations.

"Internet access and ecommerce are growing quickly around the world, and the TPP is of top importance to the small- and medium-sized businesses that use eBay to reach global customers," Van Kerckhove told El Reg.

"We appreciate President Obama's letter to eBay's seller community, and are encouraged that policymakers at the highest levels of government understand the economic and social value of the cross-border trade that occurs on our platform." ®

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