Amazon said it has banned the overseas sale of seeds in the United States after thousands of Americans received unsolicited packages of seeds in their mailboxes, mostly postmarked from China.
U.S. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) identified more than a dozen plant species, ranging from morning glory to mustard, in July.
Residents of more than a dozen states recently reported receiving seed packets that they did not order that look like they were sent by mail from China.
The USDA warned Americans not to plant seeds.
According to botanical experts, seeds from other parts of the world may be non-indigenous varieties that damage crop crops.
“Going forward, we’re only allowing the sale of seeds by sellers in the U.S.,” Amazon said in an email statement on Saturday. The company on Wednesday changed its policy on seed sales. The policy change was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The company added that vendors who do not follow its guidelines will be subject to action, including possible deletion of their account.
According to Amazon’s policy web page, the ban extends to plants and plant products.
The USDA said in July that the packages were potentially part of a “brushing” scam, in which people get unreasonable items from sellers who post false positive customer reviews to sell.
In an August 11 update, Osama al-Lisi, deputy administrator of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), said experts analyzing some of China’s seeds have found few problems. Al-Lisi added that the two countries are working together on an investigation.
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