Ebay bans magic, psychic readings... and prayers

[cbayer]

http://www.examiner.com/article/ebay-bans-magic-psychic-readings-and-prayers

AUGUST 18, 2012BY: HUGH KRAMER




You can buy a lot of crazy things on eBay, the popular online auction site, but as of August 30th, these will not include magic, psychic readings or prayers. Some of the other newly prohibited items are advice; spells; curses; hexing; conjuring; blessing services; magic potions and healing sessions.

Ah, but why? Don't these things work as advertised?

"Due to a large number of misclassified items and eBay policy violations, some categories will no longer be available on eBay starting the first week of September. Starting on August 30, 2012, attempts to list items in these categories will be blocked," their announcement page says. A further statement by eBay elaborates: “EBay regularly reviews categories and updates our policies based on customer feedback. We are discontinuing a small number of categories within the larger metaphysical subcategory, as buyers and sellers have told us that transactions in these categories often result in issues that can be difficult to resolve.”

I can't imagine what those issues might be. After all, if you buy a magical demon destroyer potion, it can be practically guaranteed there won't be a trace of one around after use. And how can you tell if the haunted, magical rosary beads that this seller is offering, won't increase the power of your prayers as he or she claims? As for the monetization of prayers, why should that be an issue for eBay when it isn't almost everywhere else and has a history as old as religion? Hey, thank God (or pay someone to do it for you) that most people never even think about arguing with tradition!

more at link

[BlueStreak]

1. But we can still sell navel lint on eBay, can't we?

Thank God.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. I guess this includes Jesus Toast?

[cbayer]

3. It absolutely does not include Jesus Toast.

[MineralMan]

4. Good for eBay.

Selling worthless woo is wrong, on all counts. I salute the site for putting a stop to it.

[pokerfan]

5. Yep

[MineralMan]

6. Now, if we could get them to prohibit homeopathetic remedies, too.

Maybe that's next, I hope.

Woo is a ripoff! Don't buy woo!

[eqfan592]

11. THIS!

Homeopathic "remedies" only remedy the problem of having too much cash in your wallet and not enough useless garbage in your house.

[trotsky]

8. One of the best XKCDs ever. n/t

[EvolveOrConvolve]

7. I thought eBay already didn't allow fraudulent items to be sold?

I guess it's not fraud if the person being defrauded is a True Believer.

[cbayer]

9. That's pretty much the gist of the article. They are cleaning it up.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

10. It's been a long time since I've shopped on eBay

But I remember there being a lot of weird stuff that seemed like a scam to me. The homeopathic medications are a good example, as are the things listed in the OP.