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Image source
Washington State Department of Agriculture / Reuters
Most of the foreign plant seeds Americans have received are from China, Amazon says.
Amazon banned the sale of foreign exotic plant seeds in the United States after thousands of Americans received packages of unwanted seeds in the mail, mostly from China.
The online retail giant said in a statement to the BBC that it would only allow the sale of seeds to US-based sellers.
US officials said farmers should not plant seeds of unknown origin.
These packages are believed to be part of a global “promotional” scam to garner positive reviews for online sales sites.
Amazon’s new guideline, effective September 3, prohibits the sale of plant seeds within the United States by non-residents. Amazon said it may prohibit doing business with sellers if they don’t follow its new guidelines.
But Amazon did not confirm whether the ban will be extended to other countries.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to publish news about Amazon’s sales policy change.
US authorities have identified at least 14 types of plant seeds in the mysterious packaging, including mint, lavender and roses.
Image source
Reuters
Amazon will only allow US-based sellers to sell seeds.
Unwanted seed packages have been reported in other countries, including Britain. Last month, Scottish authorities advised citizens not to deal with these seeds for fear of damaging local ecosystems.
The United States Department of Agriculture said in its latest report, dated Aug. 11, that experts who analyzed the seeds found few problems with the seeds and that China helped with these investigations.
But the ministry has warned people not to plant these seeds, saying they may not be original or that they can transmit pests and diseases.
So-called promotional fraud involves sellers sending low-value items, such as seeds or rings, for free to people. These products get positive reviews from people and the seller uses them to promote them online.
