Ebay Removal of Kubotan & Yawara Stick Listings Under: "Firearms, Weapons, and Knives Policy" ?

[tirodtactical]

Re: Ebay Removal of Listings Under: "Firearms, Weapons, and Knives Policy" ???

  A little backround,...I've been a Buyer and Seller on Ebay since 2000, under my username: joe-jeweler   I'm currently rated as a top Ebay seller, and try VERY hard to ship all hand made items the SAME DAY of the orders. My customers are important to me!

   About 1-1/2 years ago I began manufacturing and selling several of my Patent Pending designs of what are commonly found on Ebay and other sites as "Kubotan" and "Yawaya" Sticks. Mine are made in tough Grade 5 Titanium, and have a fantastic Fist-Lock™ Grip which have found favor with many of my Law Enforcement, Martial Art Instructor, and Civilian Customers alike.

   I've been adding new designs regularly, and back in October of 2016 I had two Listings Removed on Ebay stating they violated Ebay's "Firearms, Weapons, and Knives Policy". I called the Customer Service number and talked with someone at length, and explained I was a bit confused WHY two of my listings were pulled when literally more than a THOUSAND similar hand held self defense sticks are and have been listed on Ebay for as long as I can remember! Just search under "Kubotan" or "Yawara Stick" (with description box checked), and you'll see what I mean!

   I also pointed out that the Ebay Policy restricts such specific things (as shown below), BUT that Kubotan and Yawara Sticks are NOT any of those things. The fact that there are always SO MANY similar items available on Ebay at all times seems to be a STRONG indication that such things are indeed allowed. I ALSO made it quite clear that I had many other similar sticks listed on Ebay, in various diameter's of Titanium rod and in various shapes and configuations.  I was concerned that those other items might also be removed, but fortunately that never materialized., and most have been listed for about 1-1/2 years.

"Not allowed:
Brass knuckles, including those made from other materials
Knives with raised knuckle guards or knuckle dusters
Items in the shape of a brass knuckle if the item appears to be usable as a brass knuckle
Leaded canes, crutches, staffs, or sticks
Nightsticks, billy clubs, war clubs, batons, PR 24s, Monadnock batons, ASPs, tonfas, truncheons, and similar items
Nunchakus (also called nunchucks or numchuks), chain sticks, or two-section staffs
Throwing weapons such an Ninja stars and throwing cards
Sansetsukon or three-section staffs
Saps, sand clubs, sandbags, slung shots, or blackjacks"

   The person I spoke with looked into the items that were removed, and came back on the phone several minutes later and said he didn't know why they were removed, and said he would see what he could do to have them reinstated as they appeared to him to not be in any violation of Ebay's Policies.

  Shortly thereafter (a few days I think?), on Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 12:04 AM and also on Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 12:05 AM, I received the following Listing Reinstatement notices, (only one shown for brevity)

"eBay
eBay Notice - Listing Reinstatement

Hello joe-jeweler,
We have reviewed this case and restored your listing(s). The list of the reinstated items can be viewed at the end of this message.

To relist these items, go to My eBay.

Here's a list of the item(s) that we restored:
222258696105 - Ti Rod Tactical™ 1/2" Dia. Titanium 6-1/8" Defensive Yawara Stick W/ Fist Lock™

We're sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.

Thanks,

eBay"

   I went on to relist the previously removed Yawara Sticks as instructed, and all was well,... until TONIGHT, 1-21-17 ,...where AGAIN I received TWO emails that involved the removal of THREE of my Titanium Yawara Sticks. All were made in .50" diameter rod, and were 5-1/2", 6-1/8", and 6-1/2" Lengths respectively. Here is just ONE of the emails (again for brevity)

"eBay
Your listing has been removed: Firearms, Weapons, and Knives

Hello joe-jeweler,
After reviewing your eBay account, it looks like you haven’t followed our Firearms, Weapons, and Knives policy. We understand that you may not have been aware of this policy or that this may have been an oversight, so we're including some policy information to help you with your future listings. We also had to take the following actions:
- Listings that didn't follow eBay guidelines have been removed. A list of removed items is available further down in this email.
- We have credited all associated fees except for the final value fee for your listing(s).

Due to numerous laws and regulations, the sale of most weapons isn’t allowed on eBay. For example, the following items cannot be listed on eBay:
- Throwing stars
- Ninja stars
- Throwing cards
- Batman symbols (when listed as weapons)
- Cyclone knives
- Knives with knuckle dusters
- Brass, metal, or plastic knuckles

To learn more about our weapons policy, go to:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/firearms-weapons-knives.html

You listed a hand weapon that is not permitted for sale on eBay. While we appreciate that you chose to utilize our site, we must ask that you please not relist in this case.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this information and be sure that your current and future listings follow these guidelines. If they don’t, they'll be removed and we may, at our sole discretion, decide not to refund your fees. It could also result in additional actions, including loss of buying and selling privileges on eBay.

If you have any more questions, contact our policy experts. http://ocsnext.ebay.com/ocs/cusr?query=508&domain=email1384

Here are the listings that were removed:
222283207592 - Ti Rod Tactical™ Titanium 6-1/8" X .50" Self Defense Yawara Stick W/ Fist-Lock™!
222290375090 - Ti Rod Tactical™ Titanium 5-1/2" X .50" Self Defense Yawara Stick W/ Fist-Lock™!

Thanks,

eBay"

NOTE: the listing number in the 3rd item removed in a separate email was Ebay listing #222299540546 - Ti Rod Tactical™ Titanium 6-1/2" X .50" Self Defense Yawara Stick W/ Fist-Lock™

   I AGAIN call the customer service number, and this time spoke to a women for about 15 or 20 minutes (she informed me when I asked later that she was answering my call from Asia). She looked into my account for several minutes, came back to the phone and said in her opinion the items DID violate Ebay's policy on hand weapons, despite the fact there are still more than a thousand similar sticks currently listed!

   Her answer to me was that it takes time for Ebay to catch up and remove other offending listings. It made NO difference to her that I pointed out I have seen similar Kubotan & Yawara sticks listed for well over a decade, at least! After giving me a grand headache, she suggested I use this link to see if I can get any help to get my items relisted and AVOID this from happening again and again!

    Since ebay removed the listing with all my pictures, I'll add a few photos to give you a better idea of what they are.

  Any help would be most appreciated in getting these relisted. I'll be 61 years old in July of 2017, and while I enjoy working with my hands, ...the fact is I live off of my stick sales as my sole income right now. It's not much at this point, but it's been growing over the last year and am hopeful I can build it much bigger before I "move on" 🙂

Thanks for your consideration,
Joe T ( joe-jeweler on Ebay)
Ti Rod Tactical

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