Image copyright pyrite
Washington State Department of Agriculture / Reuters
It seems that unknown seeds have been planted at US addresses from China
Amazon says that after thousands of Americans received unsolicited packets of seeds in the mail, it returned to the U.S. Has banned foreign sales of seeds, mostly in China.
The retail giant told the BBC it would now only allow seeds to be sold by US-based vendors.
U.S. officials said gardeners should not plant seeds of unknown origin.
It is believed that these packages are part of a global “brushing” scam to get positive reviews for selling online sales sites.
Amazon’s new guidelines, effective September, also ban the sale of seeds within the United States by non-US residents. It added that sellers could be banned if they do not follow the new guidelines.
But the retailer has not confirmed whether its ban will be extended to other countries.
News of the policy change was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
At least 14 plant species have been identified in the Mystery Packages, including mint, lavender and rose.
Image copyright pyrite
Reuters
Amazon says it’s only available in the U.S. Will allow domestic sale of seeds
Unplanned seed packages have also been reported in other countries, including the UK. Last month Scottish officials advised people not to handle the seeds, fearing they could harm local ecosystems.
In an update on 11 August Gust, U.S. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) said experts analyzing the seeds found some problems with them, and China is helping with the investigation.
But the USDA has warned people against planting seeds, saying they could be non-native species or carry pests and diseases.
So-called “brushing” scams involve sellers sending low-value items, such as seeds or rings. Each fake “sale” then creates a review online review that appears to accelerate the seller’s legitimacy.
