As of December 31, 2008, eBay has no longer offered eBay Live Auctions. eBay says they have made "significant investments in Trust & Safety and customer support" and the Live Auctions platform falls outside their immediate focus.  The message continues:

Many members may not be aware of Live Auctions – these are differentiated listings linked to physical or virtual auction houses, and moderated by a live auctioneer. Furthermore, these listings are not subject to a specific end time; Live Auctions conclude when there are no further bids.

Before I continue, let's be clear: eBay will continue to offer auction-style listings which constitute the majority of items on eBay.com.

Over the years, eBay partnered with a very small number of service providers who in turn worked directly with the live auction houses to supply merchandise and auctioneers for eBay Live Auctions. In addition, several hundred sellers list their items directly using the Live Auction format.

This announcement will represent a significant change for the small number of partners, buyers, and sellers involved with Live Auctions, which is why we're giving eight months notice. We've been in touch with each of our service provider partners, and between now and the end of this year, we'll continue to work with our Live Auction partners and sellers to ensure a smooth and seamless termination of this aspect of our business.

Sincerely,

Jim Ambach

Vice President, Seller Experience