Listing removed - **bleep**

[pjb-73]

I am sick and tired of eBay removing my listing selectively claiming my listing has violated their policy.  I was selling bark from a mammoth tusk and they claim this is from an ivory producing animal and they don't allow this. Here is what they sent me:

"Ivory or bones from ivory-producing animals are prohibited on eBay globally. Ivory-producing animals include dugong, elephant, hippopotamus, mammoth, narwhal, walrus, whale, and warthog.

The following animal products are not allowed to be listed on eBay, regardless of the age of the item or whether it has been transformed into a handicraft item:
- Ivory
- Marine mammal ivory 
- Bone from ivory-producing marine mammals 
- Baleen
- Scrimshaw"

I can assure you all and eBay that an animal that has been extinct for over 10,000 years no longer produces ivory and is in no danger!  Further more the hypocrites have more than 60 listingings of mammoth teeth, hair, bones, and yes tusk bark!!!!  Mine is the only one removed from posting.  What is the story eBay?  Why me????

[ebooksdiva]

How would you know yours is the only one pulled? 

If ebay said you can't list it then don't list it. Mammoth bark forms the outer layer of mammoth tusks and therefore is a prohibited item. 
If you see other listings with this item. It only means they haven't been caught yet. Feel free to report those listing violating eBay policy. 

[tex-421]

The policy is what it is.  Here's the reality, there are a lot of prohibited categories that eBay doesn't actively police.  They only act when someone reports the listing.  Who knows there might be some 20 something intern working for US Customs whose job is to search eBay for mammoth teeth and report the listings.  Seriously stranger things have happened.

[12345jamesstamps]

Item is being removed due to key word(s)..."Mammoth" could be possible in the title. Not sure what was in the title but I suggest not using any such words in any titles.

[deltilogical]

I tried to sell a Dont Do Drugs sticker put out by a local police dept and it got pulled by the pullers - kind of like the warnings when you list something from Indian River Florida as if you smeared the native americans. 

But I've always heard ebay is strict about ivory and its analogues because they can be tough to tell apart. 

[12345jamesstamps]

Might be the key word " Drugs" in the title is why it got pulled.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

The term “mammoth ivory” encompasses what is often referred to as “mammoth bark”. Mammoth bark forms the outer layer of a mammoth tusk, while mammoth ivory is the inner core of a tusk (for analogy think trees). Mammoth bark has fascinating patina textures and unique natural colourations while mammoth ivory has a uniform texture and typical “ivory” colourations (usually white or creamy-white).

It is unlikely that in any particular enforcement run, all of the listings on the site are scanned by the bot. The site would come to a halt until the scan completed.

If they don't get caught this time, they might be the next, or the time after that.

It looks like they got you, and you are unlikely to reverse that gotcha. If you did, you might find you are on the list of past offenders and have priority in getting scanned next time, If you are shown to exceed the repeat offender threshold, your account could be restricted.

Even little old Ebay is too big for exceptions for some sellers.

[knifeaholic]

I sometimes sell knives that have fossil mammoth ivory handles - usually if I describe it as "fossil tooth" it escapes the sensors while getting the point across to a knowledgable buyer.

[ci1000]

eBay has had this policy in place for several years.  Mammoth, Mastodon and fossilized walrus ivory should not be in the category of endangered species since the Mammoth and Mastodon are extinct.

 I believe ingenious Northwest tribes and/ or their representatives are allowed to sell a variety of items on eBay that others cannot which include Mammoth, Mastodon, walrus and whale ivory, including scrimshaw.  Not sure what the rules are.

eBay did a blanket regulation possibly to simplify it for them.... basically a very poor excuse.  There is one other thing that needs to be taken into consideration which is the production of ivory products by the Chinese that use modern elephant ivory.  They dye and modify elephant ivory to look aged and sell it as Mammoth or Mastodon ivory.

[maxine*j]

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@pjb-73 wrote:

... I can assure you all and eBay that an animal that has been extinct for over 10,000 years no longer produces ivory and is in no danger!...

---

True.  However, if you study the literature, you will find considerable evidence that the mammoth ivory trade is contributing to the illegal trade in elephant ivory and elephant poaching.    That is, what is actually elephant ivory is passed off as mammoth ivory to get it across borders and through customs and into the hands of people who know exactly what it is they are buying.

For example, CITES deals only with endangered animal and plant species, but even CITES is concerned about the mammoth ivory trade because of its impact on elephants.  In November of last year, CITES invited submissions from researchers and other stakeholders to the CITES Secretariat.

Many mammoths are being discovered these days, due to climate changes bringing such things as a thawing of Siberian permafrost.

Just some observations and food for thought.

-

[bashort]

It took ebay the longest time to figure out that Ivory colored switch and outlet covers were not actually made out of elephant tusks.