Is it illegal for the people on Ebay (or really anywhere) to sell CD's of famous singers without the producer's permission?

I’m not 100% sure, but I think once you buy the CD, you own it to do whatever you want with it (except play it in a public place). This is a very good question. If it were illegal, there wouldn’t be thousands of people selling old CDs online right now. I do know though, that it’s illegal to download copyrighted songs (or movies) without paying for them, burning them onto a disk, and selling them that way (piracy).

Ah, that makes sense. I didn’t really think of the first part, where the producers make money anyway. Thanks.

The producer doesn’t eventually earn the money, he’s already earned it, because you bought the CD initially, sending the money their way. Now that you’re going to sell it, think of it this way: You make a thing, this awesome thing that everyone likes, and sell it for ten dollars. Someone buys it and decides to sell it. They can try to sell it for nine dollars, but that doesn’t matter to you, because you already have your ten dollars. They could try to sell it for twenty dollars, and it would suck for you if they managed it, because it’s your hard work that was put into it and they’re gaining more than you are from it. But no one would buy it from them anyway because you’re already selling “things” for ten dollars.

Only if they are pirated/copied.