Novelty bank notes, Ivory, laser pointers: Banned on eBay

October 21, 2008

eBay have announced this morning three new sets of products which are banned on eBay. In truth these products are not able to be sold legally in the UK so it’s not great loss.

It’s a criminal offence to produce novelty bank notes resembling British currency and from the 27th October these will be covered under the eBay Counterfeit Currency and Stamps policy. Ivory is a contentious issue as there are a few exceptions where it can be legally sold but eBay are prohibiting all sales of Ivory to prevent unscrupulous dealers from falsely claiming their items were legal antiques. There are already guidelines in force for the sale of laser pointers and eBay are merely mirroring these guideline on the site and they’ll now be covered by the Hazardous Materials policy

For most sellers it’s business as usual, for those whose products are affected it’s worth checking 30 day and Good-til-canceled listings to ensure they’re ended prior to the bans being enforced.

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under Site Changes, eBay.co.uk | 10 Comments 

High powered lasers to be banned on eBay & Amazon

October 5, 2008

Both eBay and Amazon are to ban sales of high powered green laser pens, according the BBC 5 Live, Donal MacIntyre programme.

There have been reports of lasers being used to blind both commercial airline pilots and police helicoptors. Laser under 1mW are considered safe for use and are ideal for use in presentation, but some laser pointers for sale on eBay are up to 240 times as powerful, one listing on eBay even offers a laser supplied with balloons for testing - the laser beam is so powerful it simply shining it at a balloon will burst it.

The Donal MacIntyre programme is due to be aired on Radio 5 Live at 7pm this evening.

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under News | 8 Comments