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Why won’t eBay remove a listing with a racial slur in the title?
Summary: cardsource00000 reported a concern about an eBay listing using a racial slur in its title, which eBay did not remove, stating it didn't violate their policies. cardsource00000 and others discussed the use of the term 'Jap,' noting it is considered offensive in the US and typically replaced with 'JPN.' Some suggested the abbreviation might not have been intended as a slur due to character limits for titles. cardsource00000 expressed frustration over eBay's response and sought advice on escalating the issue, while others shared similar past experiences with eBay's handling of such matters.
Pretty much just as the title says. An eBay listing uses a racial slur in the title. It was reported to eBay, but eBay said it didn’t violate any policies, so it stays up. So why aren’t racial slurs against eBay policy?
gosimus
Mentor2 weeks ago · Edited@cardsource00000
< why aren’t racial slurs against eBay policy >
Years ago, more years than I care to contemplate, I bought a trading card from a lady in Taiwan. She was a very kind lady, gentle and mild-mannered, and one of her earlier feedbacks referred to her as a "chìnk". I reported this, and nothing happened.
I reported it again and nothing happened again. I typed up a letter on expensive bond paper to eBay corporate, and the feedback remained. They didn't even acknowledge the letter.
By this time, it had become a mission. I was contemplating taking out an ad titled "eBay Condones Racial Slur" in the San José newspaper when another thought occurred to me.
In those days there used to be a Community Expert called Glenda, maybe some of you long-time members remember her. She won awards and everything, and, importantly, she had clout with management. I sent her a message, explaining what I was trying to do. Two days later, the feedback was gone . . . poof, like that.
I guess there's no moral to this little story, but I miss Glenda. She was very active on the boards, and so was her husband Bob Mill. He used to make creative and outrageous descriptions.
simply-the-best-for-you
Mentor2 weeks agoWe are not eBay, we are volunteer Mentors, who are buyers & sellers just like you. So we cannot tell you why eBay did or didn't do anything. That said, I had a look at the item in question & I don't read that as a slur, I read it as someone who only has 80 characters in a title & abbrreviated a word. The word is spelled out in the actual listing, giving more credence to the throught that it was simply abbreviated. The title consists of only 80 characters & sometimes sellers abbreviate a word when they're running out of space. That's my opinion of what's happening in that title.
You can always report a listing to eBay if you feel it is inappropriate & they will determine if a violation has occurred.
cardsource00000
OP2 weeks agoUnfortunately, I already reported it to eBay and nothing was done by the AI system. There doesn’t seem to be a way to reach a human at eBay, so I thought I would turn here for advice on reaching someone at eBay. Japan is most commonly abbreviated as JPN because of this issue.
It appears that people seem to be of the opinion that using it is okay since it’s an abbreviation. I disagree, since I believe it normalizes the use of the word and provides ways for people to use it maliciously and claim plausible deniability that it was an abbreviation. However, it seems I’m the only one who feels this way so I suppose there is nothing to be done about it.
simply-the-best-for-you
Mentor1 week agoI wasn't aware of that abbreviation. That makes sense. Unfortunately, if it has been reviewed by eBay I'm not sure what else you can do except report it again. Some of the decisions are AI, some go through a human. You could also use the Help & Contact on the top of each screen to to Chat with a human. I do not think it was meant as a slur, but I completely understand that it may still offend people.
momtoabeautifuldaughter
Mentor2 weeks agoSo where is the slur?
cardsource00000
OP2 weeks agoIt is in the listing title.
lady_madonna
Mentor2 weeks agoI have viewed the listing and read the title. Where is the racial slur?
cardsource00000
OP2 weeks ago“Jap” is a racial slur in the US.
lady_madonna
Mentor2 weeks agoI am in the US, so I am aware of that.
I was assuming that the seller just abbreviated the word Japanese in the title without maliciousness.
cardsource00000
OP2 weeks agoI assume that too. It shouldn’t be a pass for it to be used though, in my opinion.
momtoabeautifuldaughter
Mentor2 weeks agoWhy is that though? It's just shortening Japanese to fit the space given in title
cardsource00000
OP2 weeks ago · EditedJapan is typically abbreviated as JPN to avoid this issue. “Jap” was used extensively in the US in anti-Japanese propaganda in the 20th-century. I’ve seen it used in many hateful messages, unfortunately.
ten_o_nine
Mentor2 weeks agoWhere is the racial slur?
cardsource00000
OP2 weeks agoIt is in the listing title.
cardsource00000
OP2 weeks ago800537975400 - it’s not part of the item’s name or anything like that
@gosimus
gosimus
Mentor2 weeks ago · Edited@cardsource00000
< eBay listing uses a racial slur . . . eBay said it didn’t violate any policies >
Please provide the item number of that listing, so we can see what you're talking about. eBay may allow listings that the item itself contains offensive language, such as the title of a book. https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/threats-offensive-language-policy?id=4258