eBay: The Underage Drinker's Paradise? Bryan Le - The Fix
go to original September 21, 2012

According to a 2012 study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, underage drinkers can procure alcohol from the Internet with ease.

In the Internet age, life remains easy for teens who want to get their drink on without waiting to turn 21. They can just go online, order it and get it delivered right to their doorstep.

It's so easy, even a 13-year-old can do it, as shown on ABC's 20/20: just barely a teenager, Xander hit eBay to score some liquor. One seller refused to deal with him when he couldn't produce any ID—but two other vendors hawked their high-proof goods with no qualms. "All I had to do was type in 'vodka' on the search bar, click one button and it can send it to my house," Xander says. Five bottles were delivered to his doorstep, no questions asked.

Ebay says it's taken action against the irresponsible vendors: "Sellers are required to take all appropriate steps to ensure that the buyer is of lawful age," the company states. "We prohibit the general sale of alcohol and we have zero tolerance for anyone who violates our policies. When violations occur, we take appropriate action as we have done in this case."

A few months ago, eight underage volunteers found they could buy booze online with a 45% success rate in a study conducted by the University of North Carolina — it seems little has changed since then.

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