EBay - New "Military Items Policy"

As I recently sold some parts on ebay that were entered under 'militaria' I have received an email from EBay informing me of their new "Military Items Policy"

I quote :
Prohibited Military Items in terms of this policy are articles or services specifically designed, developed, configured, adapted or modified for a military application

I therefore assume that a No4 butt, or a No5 rear sight will now be banned.
They are both 'specifically designed' for use on a military weapon. (Well it was a military weapon when these parts were made)

:surrender::surrender::surrender::surrender:

Although - a Butt or a sight for an Enforcer would be allowed - its a non-military rifle !!!

:dancingbanana: :super: :dancingbanana: :super:

That would be a bit of a catastrophe if rigidly adhered to. Us enthusiasts won't be able to get hold of bits we need (and whatever you think of it, ebay's useful for that).
The anti gun people will be putting in complaints about almost anything and it seems like it's now ebay's policy to remove anything 'military'. Why even have a militaria section then - how can you sell 'militaria' which isn't designed for a 'military application'?

of course, we all know that buying on Ebay is and will become more supporting of the antigun crowd, llok at what is happening now.

Time to start gunbay...for the military history enthusiast....

I haven't read the new policy on eBay, so I'm assuming for now that this is legit.

eBay needs to get bombarded with emails, letters, and phone calls from VETERANS groups, demanding to know why eBay has a problem with anything "military." After all, it was the MILITARY that defended our freedoms from Iwo Jima to Korea to all the places that our boys (and girls) in uniform continue to put their lives at risk in the service of their country.

When it comes to the military category, eBay cannot hide behind the excuse of being cautious about gun laws, etc. They need to be called out on this. Memorial Day, Veteran's Day and such occasions are good opportunities to get the mainstream media to notice a story like this.

It's not simply about some crusty old bayonet collectors who can no longer sell their stuff....this policy is equating "military" with something inherently bad. Most people in the general public would find that offensive, if it was brought to wider attention.

....
I did a quick check, but cannot find anything on eBay regarding a blanket ban on anything military. Alan, can you please quote the whole email, or point us to the policy at an eBay URL? Maybe eBay US and eBay UK have different policies?

Thanks!

So...it would be a violation of Ebay policy for me to sell some of my old Israeli Army underwear???

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jonnyc

So...it would be a violation of Ebay policy for me to sell some of my old Israeli Army underwear???

---

That would probably violate the "militaria" policy and the "dangerous substances" policy :P

sorry - could not resist...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by spinecracker

That would probably violate the "militaria" policy and the "dangerous substances" policy :P

---

So would MREs.....

The message was from Ebay.com (not ebay.co.uk), If you put "military policy" into ebay "help" it will bring it up.
It is here that its states :
"Prohibited Military Items in terms of this policy are articles or services specifically designed, developed, configured, adapted or modified for a military application"


Here is a cut and paste of their message to me :

We would like to inform you we have changed our policy for military items. You may be affected by this since you recently listed in a military item related category.

Due to the change, the sale of items regulated by the US International Trade in Arms Regulations is now prohibited.

Please read our military items policy before you list such an item again.

You can also find more information on which items fall under the US International Trade in Arms in the US Munitions List.

Please ensure your listings for military items follow these guidelines. If they don't, they will be removed. You may then be subject to other actions, such as a limitation on your buying and selling privileges, suspension of your account, and/or referral of the matter to the police.

Thank you for your attention to this issue.

Yours sincerely,

eBay

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

The message was from Ebay.com (not ebay.co.uk), If you put "military policy" into ebay "help" it will bring it up.
It is here that its states :
"Prohibited Military Items in terms of this policy are articles or services specifically designed, developed, configured, adapted or modified for a military application"


Here is a cut and paste of their message to me :

We would like to inform you we have changed our policy for military items. You may be affected by this since you recently listed in a military item related category.

Due to the change, the sale of items regulated by the US International Trade in Arms Regulations is now prohibited.

Please read our military items policy before you list such an item again.

You can also find more information on which items fall under the US International Trade in Arms in the US Munitions List.

Please ensure your listings for military items follow these guidelines. If they don't, they will be removed. You may then be subject to other actions, such as a limitation on your buying and selling privileges, suspension of your account, and/or referral of the matter to the police.

Thank you for your attention to this issue.

Yours sincerely,

eBay

---

Why don't you tell them to put that one where the monkey put the nut? US LAW is US law and does NOT apply OUTSIDE the USA.You are in the UNITED KINGDOM not the United STATES of America last I heard.Tell these A$$holes as much.What a crock !

I gave up on fleabay the moment they started screwing with what you COULD or COULDN'T flog on their site.When they awarded themselves EXTRA profits by ONLY ALLOWING PAYPAL especially after my banker VP pal told me a few HORROR stories about PAYPAL atrocities I killed the fleabay site on my "favourites" list and haven't been back since.
They are control freak pot smoking LIEBERAL DWEEBS who HATE GUNS AND GUN OWNERS anyway so up their's.I DO get a larf out of ONE factor in this tale though.ALL the GREEDY goofs and con artists and fraudsters like LIAKOS and a few others are going to be declaring bankruptcy pretty quick HOPEFULLY.
I'll never forget my calling a guy in England about a LE part and was told"I HAVE to put it on EBay"dipstick was SO WORRIED that he might lose a farthing the greedy SOB.I told him what I thought of him and the whole eBay crew with their gallopping GREED syndrome and rang off.
THREE WEEKS LATER he calls ME wanting a BRIT hinged front band for a No4 since he knew I had a few as well as the early front sight protectors to boot.
I took GREAT PLEASURE in telling him that"Ooooh,I MUST SELL IT ON EBay as I would lose SLEEP if I couldn't squeeze the LAST FARTHING out of it".Then I told him that I would CRUSH it flat before I sold it to him OR anyone I figured he might know and slammed down the phone.Greedy SOBs like that I can live happily without .

You are probably better off WITHOUT eBay anyway.I sure as hell don't miss it OR the greedy buggers who MUST "auction" every widget they own in case they miss a penny.JR

I also got one of these emails but military items policy the link is dead.There is also no mention of it under Ebay news.Not sure whats going on.

ATB Kevin

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jonnyc

So...it would be a violation of Ebay policy for me to sell some of my old Israeli Army underwear???

---

Sell it in the adult section, as "worn not washed" and some perv'll buy it.... :madsmile:

Remember that Meg Whitman, former President and Chief Executive Officer of eBay, is a Republican and is running for Governor of California. Let's ask her this: Since when is it the policy of the Republican Party that military collectibles are "evil" and pornography of all sorts (easily and freely bought and sold on eBay) is not?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by John R.

US LAW is US law and does NOT apply OUTSIDE the USA.You are in the UNITED KINGDOM not the United STATES of America

---

I am afraid that is not the case. The United States Government have a policy of applying such laws, extraterritorially to US owned companies.

I used to work for a US company in the UK and I can assure that we applied US Laws, for example the Sherman anti Trust Acts.

Interesting. Over 500 "Enfield" related listing right now in militaria. I haven't seen much change and I check every day.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gew8805

Remember that Meg Whitman, former President and Chief Executive Officer of eBay, is a Republican and is running for Governor of California.

---

Ebay and Paypal have been antigun for years, Meg included is anti gun.

Dimitri

Where does Pierre Omidayar stand? After all, he still holds a controlling interest does he not?

...well, I guess we know where he stands.

Funny thing is, eBay is now headquartered in Switzerland, so are they in fact still a US company?

That has been e-bay policy here in Germany for longer than I can remember. Anything Enfield just gets a text message that it´s prohibited. I can sometimes find the item by looking up a seller´s "other items" and putting in a private offer. The sellers never realized that they had been blanked out on the Continent. Any ideas how I can get around their restriction (pretending to come in from somewhere else)?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by villiers

Any ideas how I can get around their restriction (pretending to come in from somewhere else)?

---

Bayonets are banned on ebay.uk.
I have tried to bid on bayonets on ebay.com (where the seller has said he will ship worldwide) but the 'system' will not allow me to bid as I am a UK resident.
Maybe I should set up an Ebay.com account with a USA address.

This is under their firearms policy, a separate statement from the above one of Alan's, you can find it by typing in firearms into the help on their front page.

These are restricted, but they don't explain what that means. Prohibited is a separate list below where I found this;
*
Accessories and parts for guns such as butt plates, cases, cleaning supplies, dies, grips, holsters, molds, racks, pistol grips, scopes, slings, stocks, storage cases, or trigger guards. The listing must include a description of the type of firearm the accessory or part it is and what it's used for. If it doesn't, the listing may be removed.
*

Muzzle loader or black powder gun parts or accessories, as long as each item is offered in one listing at a time. (However, having separate listings for items that can be used to build a gun is prohibited.)

(I marked out the more pathetic items, I'm sure a cleaning kit or a sling for a gun is pure evil incarnate designed to undermine society and needs to be restricted to those who have a permit)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

Bayonets are banned on ebay.uk.
I have tried to bid on bayonets on ebay.com (where the seller has said he will ship worldwide) but the 'system' will not allow me to bid as I am a UK resident.
Maybe I should set up an Ebay.com account with a USA address.

---

Alan,

Had a similar problem when a bayonet was listed under knives, you can still bid but need to prove your age, I was bidding at the end and missed out on a nice Vickers made 1907 bayonet.

Have a look at the sticky in the Edged weapons forum.

Most uk sellers now register there items on the USA site, have seen one or two slip through the net in the UK, but they dont have any mention of bayonet, knive etc.

Use Gunbroker instead. I've refused to cut my own throat from from the start by using Ebay. They DO contribute to the antigun cause.

John, I recently encountered U.S. State Dept. policy in the form of a proviso on an approved export license controlling the resale or transfer of a 7.62 caliber firearm outside of the USA. I posted it here earlier. This crap is happening since our illustrious Secretary of State signed on to the UN small arms treaty back in October of last year. Very quietly I might add! The gun ban agenda is in full swing incrementally. People in this country don't know it because they are doing it on the sly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brian Dick

Use Gunbroker instead. I've refused to cut my own throat from from the start by using Ebay. They DO contribute to the antigun cause.

.

---

Easy for you to say when you are on that side of the pond - just try and get average Joe in the USA to ship a No5 butt pad or a No1 swivel to England.

"No Exports" is virtually always the response to my emails.

If they will ship - How do us Brits pay ?
By Paypal ?


Unfortunately ebay can set its own rules (its their bat & ball) and we have no choice but to abide by them. It doesnt make it any less frustrating tho'

When searching for a product / category on ebay you can specify 'worldwide' and it will bring up any seller who has said they will ship worldwide. Maybe Gunbroker could learn something here.

Its still the best place to find 'bits & pieces', albeit at top prices.

Just having a browse on ebay, (was looking for a Ducati 750 SS) thought i,d have look at Lee Enfield stuff, so typed it in the search, when i scrolled down to search wordwide this option has now gone, options now are:

UN, commonwealth, UK, Not specified.

Had a look under bayonets and we ( UK) still have the worldwide option.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bigduke6

Just having a browse on ebay, (was looking for a Ducati 750 SS) thought i,d have look at Lee Enfield stuff, so typed it in the search, when i scrolled down to search wordwide this option has now gone, options now are:

UN, commonwealth, UK, Not specified.

Had a look under bayonets and we ( UK) still have the worldwide option.

---

Strange !!!

Just tried it (22:00 hrs) and the 'location' options (under the Enfield search) are ;
1) UK Only
2) Worldwide

Re the bayonets - ebay is just teasing you - try to put a bid in and see what happens.
You'll get a message something to the effect "as a UK resident you are not allowed to bid on this item"

Alan, I can't speak for other sellers over here. They're either too lazy to do the minimal paperwork required at the post office or intimidated by the vast and confusing array of government regulations on this stuff. I do many exports of rifles and shotguns for people in the UK and elsewhere overseas but my export services don't come cheap. Neither does the licensing and effort involved in the process. I ship non-controlled items all over the world and have for years. I usually accept payment by credit card or international money order in USD. On rare occaision I'll accept bank transfers for large payments. I refuse to hold a PayPal account. Brian

For people I buy and sell with on a regular basis Paypal is a very good option.If you send funds as 'gift' no charge.
UK banks charge a fortune for IBAN payments and cashing cheques from US banks and it takes forever.

atb Kevin

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

Strange !!!

Just tried it (22:00 hrs) and the 'location' options (under the Enfield search) are ;
1) UK Only
2) Worldwide

Re the bayonets - ebay is just teasing you - try to put a bid in and see what happens.
You'll get a message something to the effect "as a UK resident you are not allowed to bid on this item"

---

Type in "Lee Enfield" and have a look at options.

Have only had one prob with the bayonets, i picked one up the other week with no probs (it was a vickers 1907 the same make i had the problem with), have bought over 10 so far on ebay.

I received the same message, after clicking on a line or box it diverted me to a page to confirm my age, think it wanted me to confirm some details on my account.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by spinecracker

Time to start gunbay...for the military history enthusiast....

---

We do have other avenues here in the U.S., Auction Arms and Gunbroker. The only problem is the general population doesn't know about these sites. What were the items that were trying to be sold on ebay.
LC44

There is http://www.gunpal.com for payments

See the enfield 'box'es [otherwise known as 303 magazines] put up on ebay - 75 on a multiple item auction at £75 a pop - I would have thought you'd have to stick an item like that (ie a completely prohibited item) on a very short auction or buy it now.

German site:

http://www.egun.de/market/browse.php

is getting to be very popular all over Europe (but you´ve got to be able to deal with basic German)

FWIW, it seems the policy specifically cites ITAR. This is a very specific Regulation in the states and affects the sale primarily of current US Military gear and stuff useable by unfriendly nations against US troops like night vision, nuclear proliferation items, etc.

It would also apply, for example, to an M14 Sage EBR stock or a Trijicon TA01-NSN gun site.

ITAR would not, for example, apply to M1 garand parts.

Claven, ITAR applies to all gun parts except woodwork here in the USA. It especially applies to U.S. military gun parts including M1 Garand parts. Certain telescopes like the Trijicon ACOG and others in current U.S. and NATO military use are not exportable at all unless they are going to a police or military end-user with the required documentation. Brian

It's just a game man

Not if you just can't get the last part you need to finish your restoration project - then it is one big pain in the bottom lol

It's an expensive game if you get caught. Look at the cases that have been prosecuted on the Dept. of Commerce website. Ask Thompson Center Arms and Smith & Wesson. They're just one case. Take a hard look at the fines imposed. Not much fun for a game. 'Nuff said.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Claven2

ITAR would not, for example, apply to M1 garand parts.

---

It applies to single shot 22LR rifles, the US State Department has not made it a restricted firearm needing paperwork no matter the value.

Hence part limits for firearms that are not on the list. For example the M16/M4 are restricted models due to they are fully automatic as is the M14. However the commercial AR-15 is listed as restricted but the M1A is not.

Dimitri

And yet, last week, I was on Ebay looking for a beater Krag rifle stock and found a listing for 'Krag rifle front sight with attached part'.

Yeah, it was a 'attached part' all right. A COMPLETE barrelled receiver was attached to the 'front sight' that the guy was selling. (An aftermarket ramped front sight, BTW).

The only thing more puzzling then Ebay's draconian 'gun parts' policy is their inconsistant enforcement of said policy.....

Well, I have just been put through the ringer trying to post an AJ Parker rear sight on Evilbay, and they would not allow me the option to sell the item to the UK, Australia or Canada. This is a civilian component that was never used for military purposes. And they charge way too blooming much for the hemorrhoids they are giving me :banghead: :bash: :bitch:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by spinecracker

And they charge way too blooming much for the hemorrhoids they are giving me :banghead: :bash: :bitch:

---

You've got the listing fee, then 10% of the end value fee, then 4% of the paypal payment.
So sell something for £200 and you actually end up with around £170

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CaptainFinn

And yet, last week, I was on Ebay looking for a beater Krag rifle stock and found a listing for 'Krag rifle front sight with attached part'.

Yeah, it was a 'attached part' all right. A COMPLETE barrelled receiver was attached to the 'front sight' that the guy was selling. (An aftermarket ramped front sight, BTW).

The only thing more puzzling then Ebay's draconian 'gun parts' policy is their inconsistant enforcement of said policy.....

---

This comes from the way their enforcement software works; it scans for keywords like magazine, bolt, trigger, trigger part etc, and alerts a human operator, who inspects the listing. Thats how a magazine can get away with being called an enfield box, it'll go under the radar until someone either dobs them in, or a random inspection by ebay staff spots it.
Likewise enfield boltheads are technically against the rules, as being a crucial part of the firing mechanism, but they don't know the word for it, and seeing the creatively correct phrase 'enfield clearance adjuster', recently from a seller, just might work for some time to come.
Chin up chaps, its all a good excuse to patronize the likes of gunbroker more, who have really stepped into the gaps left by ebay.

Across what country's does gunbroker work?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

You've got the listing fee, then 10% of the end value fee, then 4% of the paypal payment.
So sell something for £200 and you actually end up with around £170

---

That is why I put the sight on gunboards - why patronize a company that is out to %$%^^%$ me for every penny they can get, is anti-gun, and blocks the posting of legitimate items?

Wow, I guess that anything with your respective nation's emblem on it would be prohibited as well. After all, our nation's flags, are used as miltary banners as well. So an American company prohibits the sale of anything with an American logo as this represents un-American beliefs? I have a headache.

My latest from ebay, came today. The peculiar thing is the listing ran its week, didn't sell, closed last week, and hasn't been relisted by me. And three other items of mine in the same category are all OK.
HUH? Random enforcement...
Plus, they've missed the part where my listing says the parts are in NZ, not the USA, so that makes me not even under the umbrella of this rule of theres. Second time they've tried this to me.


Unfortunately, we had to remove your listing because the following information violates our policy:

Items that attatch to a gun can only be shipped domestically in the United States. Please do not relist this item with world wide shipping.

...and yes, items that attach to a gun include slings, scope lens caps, etc. evil people aren't we? ...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RJW NZ

My latest from ebay, came today. The peculiar thing is the listing ran its week, didn't sell, closed last week, and hasn't been relisted by me. And three other items of mine in the same category are all OK.
HUH? Random enforcement...
Plus, they've missed the part where my listing says the parts are in NZ, not the USA, so that makes me not even under the umbrella of this rule of theres. Second time they've tried this to me.


Unfortunately, we had to remove your listing because the following information violates our policy:

Items that attatch to a gun can only be shipped domestically in the United States. Please do not relist this item with world wide shipping.

...and yes, items that attach to a gun include slings, scope lens caps, etc. evil people aren't we? ...

---

What was the part in question ?

Aperture sight, listed under sights, lasers etc

Get really creative on listings, how on earth anybody gonna find it? Use GB.