Forbidden on eBay

I think it's the result of a suit by the German gov't. The swastika & other Nazi memorabilia is illegal in Germany. Because German citizens can access "U.S." eBay they tried to censor eBay through their courts. IIRC their courts upheld the suit but our courts threw it out as a violation of free speech. Since eBay is about making $$, I'm assuming they figured it made financial sense to trample your rights so they wouldn't have to keep doing legal battle or face sanctions in Germany.

Fascism has many faces.

You can get around Ebay's policy by providing links inside the main body of the advert to photos stored away from Ebay's servers - Ebay can't touch you or the advert if you do this.

Jimi

It was actually the French who brought the action against ebay. I presume ebay's restriction on Swastikas affects domestic US sales as well as those which are available for export to France? Cheers, Bill.

Items bearing swastika cannot be sold on eBay in US, as well as to other countries. Exceptions are stamps & coins. I think I read medals with swastika are verboten.

EBay specifically mentions it is also forbidden to sell item where swastika is "removed" in photo editing program.

They allow Mein Kampf to be sold in English, but not in German or other languages.

I wonder how they would know that a swastika has been removed? I heard of the restriction a few years ago, and when I offered a few books that had the mark, I removed it in the auction photo. In the text description I mentioned the W.W.II German symbol had been removed, but was on the book itself. I think I even removed the swastika from a box illustration from a kit. I know some come already with it removed, but do include the decals. How would eBay know?

Cheers,

Bob Boudreau Canada

The short answer is that they probably don't know unless someone complains. The volume of material on eBay is too vast for them to vet it all before posting it. They may screen automatically for auctions involving body parts, indentured servitude, heroin and (even) swastikas in text, but there's no way they can be expected to scan images for the same data.

Mark Schynert

hehe, i bought a leather bound, signed by goring copy from an ex-ss guy in 56. the cops had told him to burn it.

most of the old german kits i've gotten have the decals. is that allowed or unseen?

This is a policy dating at least from the year 2000. An online seller had this happen to numerous auctions. He was selling several decal sets from Archer Dry Transfers if I remember correctly. Anyway they yanked the "offending" auctions, and he asked some of his customers via email to contact eBay about it. I sent an email asking the "What gives?" question. About two weeks later most, but not all, of his auctions were allowed to go through.

You can buy a book on how to make a bomb through there, even buy a Kilo Class submarine, but you can't buy a swastika decal....go figure...

I don't know. How about some Finnish decals? Or some Lithuanian decals? Feh. Never mind that half the models of German aircraft from Europe these days come with fragmented swastikas right in the box, nor that dozens of aviation history books are filled with pictures of these self-same symbols of evil. If you want to play along, position the decal sheet so the instructions or the box covers the swastikas, before you take your pix. Or take your chances instead.

Mark Schynert

What rights?

I don't agree with what E-Bay did, I think it was a stupid decision, but eBay is a private business, they can set any rules they want to. When you list something with eBay, you agree to THEIR rules.

To me, this is no different from Wal-Mart not carrying albums that have the "Parental Advisory" sticker, the artist can edit the album in order for Wal-Mart to stock it. Wal-Mart also refuses to carry "Unrated" DVD's, so it's not censorship, it's the decision of a private business.

Ken

---------------- Ken Lilly snipped-for-privacy@technologist.NOSPAM.com

Mark Schynert wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news03.west.earthlink.net:

Finnish? With the light blue reversed swastika? You'll have a hard time with those to, I'll bet. I've already seen kits of Finnish aircraft without the markings. Modelcraft sold a double Blenhein Mk IV kit thta was supposed to have a finnish version in the kit, included the ski landing fear. Even had it on the instructions. Alas no finish markings on the decal street despite the blurt markings for 3 aircraft, just a Yugo bird and a Brit. I even contacted them and told them the decals for the Finns were missing - they sent me a new set - of the same decals.

What I don't get is why noone is exercised about th Soviet Red star or the Japanese Hinomaru. They both oversaw much cruelty and abuse. Hell, the Japanese still use the same matkings on thier modern aircraft!

I think sometimes that mankind suffers from the mass, common delusion that it is sentient.

Frank

It may be a 'private' business but both examples exert tremendous gravitational pull in their markets, allowing them to control what the public gets its hands on.

Bill Banaszak

I sell german a/c on ebay with the ?swazsticker on the tail, but you are right it has to be covered or left out of the pic. I really can't see how a part of history can offend anyone, but this is a strange world. ever notice how you can't really buy a kit with swastickers on the cover or on the decal sheet. just cover the insignis over & there will be no peoblem. cheers, Bob K. bob k.

ModelBuilder546 wrote: : I sell german a/c on ebay with the ?swazsticker on the tail, but you are right : it has to be covered or left out of the pic. I really can't see how a part of : history can offend anyone, but this is a strange world. ever notice how you : can't really buy a kit with swastickers on the cover or on the decal sheet. : I really don't understand how people can get so worked up over bare breasts, either (okay, Roseanne Barr I draw the line at), but IPMS/USA banned them.

Intolerance knows no bounds.

Bruce

Uhh in what way?

Re: the WalMart example, I've got a couple of places in town that sell CD's and DVD's that WalMart won't, so them controlling the marke is a non-issue.

Re: eBay, I's not as if eBay issued a statement stating that no Nazi merchanidise will be sold anwhere in the world from now on. IIRC you can still get the stuff from dealers that specialize in it.

Ken

---------------- Ken Lilly snipped-for-privacy@technologist.NOSPAM.com

While eBay didn't exactly issue a statement regarding sale of Nazi marked items they do cover the subject in their section on banned items which covers a wide range of items; throwing stars to human body parts and beyond.

They don't always explain reasons an item is banned from their site but in at least some cases they do. Example: they use California law regarding weapons and anything banned in California (i.e. throwing stars) is also banned from their site.

They ban food (I think), animals, human body parts and a wide range of items so basis for bans likely goes beyond the letter of the law. . And, because an item happens to be listed on eBay isn't a sign that it is "legal", just that it hasn't been caught.

Tolerance is a tool of the left used to control society in America. Do you think the IPMS would be "allowed" to not tolerate gays, blacks, women or "name your difference here"? I can't believe you brought this up on a Sunday.........besides, Roseanne Barr's breasts are fine......it's here mouth I can't stand........:)

Bravo

Darwin is alive and well.

True, but I didn't say "totally control". They have more control than, say the firefighters in California right now have and they can exert that influence. There are other auction sites out there but do they get the traffic? Re: Walmart; keep buying your CDs and DVDs at those places so they stay in business. :)

Bill Banaszak, MFE