Amazon.com banned foreign sales of seeds in U.S. amid mystery packages

Amazon.com Inc stated it has banned foreign sales of seeds in the United States after hundreds of Americans acquired unsolicited packages of seeds in their mailboxes, commonly postmarked from China.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in July recognized extra than a dozen plant species starting from morning glories to mustard in the baggage of unsolicited seeds. It warned Americans not to plant the seeds.

According to plant professionals, seeds from different components of the sector could be non-native varieties that damage commodity crops.

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“Moving forward, we’re only allowing the sale of seeds by dealers who are based in the U.S.,” Amazon stated in an emailed statement on Saturday.

The organization modified its policy on seed sales on Wednesday. The policy change was first mentioned by the Wall Street Journal.

The organization introduced that dealers who do not comply with its guidelines will be subject to action, which includes potential elimination of their accounts.

According to Amazon’s policy web page, the ban extends to vegetation and plant products.

The USDA in July stated the packages have been most probably a part of a “brushing” scam, wherein humans obtain unsolicited items from a dealer who then posts false positive customer reviews to enhance income.

In an replace on Aug. 11, Osama El-Lissy, a deputy administrator for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), stated the professionals analyzing a number of the seeds from China observed only a few problems. El-Lissy introduced that the 2 nations have been operating mutually on the investigation.