I Do Not Sell Swords

[Guy Farrish]

I had an email this morning from Amazon Seller Central informing me that one of my listings had been suspended.

I haven’t listed on Amazon since I retired from selling military books a few years ago and closed all my listings.

This was about an unspecified item that fell foul of their: ‘Categories and Products Requiring Approval’ regulations. Fahrenheit 451 in action? I didn’t press any of the links in the email in case it was a fishing scam.

I eventually logged in to my old seller account and tracked the SKU on my inactive listings and found the offending item. Not for sale, just in a dormant list.

A call back from a very pleasant generic European voiced (Dutch?) assistant told me I needed approval to sell edged weapons.

I explained I wasn’t selling it. And it wasn’t an edged weapon. It was; ‘Wellington: The Years of the Sword’ by Antonia Fraser Elizabeth Longford.

But their algorithm had identified it as a sword. I could put in an appeal if I wanted but they were cracking down on knives and swords.

I don’t sell on Amazon anymore so I saved myself the angst, thanked them for their help and declined the appeal. I had an email saying this will not ‘impact my account health’.

It worries me a little their algorithm passed as okay: The Washing of the Spears, Stuka pilot and Centurion v T-55.  You can still presumably buy spears, dive bombers and MBTs on Amazon. Good to know.

[Mike]

I had something like that with eBay, some plastic Dark Elves which I described as a few models having broken swords. Had to get approval for it.

[Guy Farrish]

Well done for getting approval.

I gave up on negotiating with Amazon years ago.

It does sort of reassure me that AI remains artificial,  but not intelligent, at the moment. But then I think; ‘do I want it making decisions on what constitutes a nuclear launch against us?’

Swings and roundabouts: Can’t differentiate a book from a sword but will launch Armageddon on an oil refinery fire. Hey ho.

[Mike]

Guy Farrish wrote:

Well done for getting approval.

I suspect the actual people that look into these things are mostly as worried/concerned/amused/frustrated as those affected by the ban.

One quick e-mail was all it took and someone must have been shaking their head as they clicked approve…

 

 

[Orm Embar]

Played this game with paypal, changed the name of Achamenid Persian figures because that word triggered them into an investigation every time. I suspect antiquities dealing crackdown was the culprit there.

[Mr. Average]

And yet, “A Storm of Swords,” by George “Railroad” Martin is still available. Really what’s most stupid about this is “Our system is clearly making a mistake, but we won’t question the system.”

[Patrice]

Um, not internet but with real re-enactment replica “weapons“, about 20 years ago I went back from a re-enactors market in the UK (it was near Oxford then I think) and at the ferry harbour in Portsmouth a young female officer asked me “did you pack everything yourself?“ (or something like that) I didn’t understand at first (but obviously it meant that if I answered “yes“ I was responsible for everything in the car). I said yes and she asked more questions so I told her I had a bow (bought for a friend) she looked very surprised. And then I added I had a sword, blunt. It was a great moment when I took the sword from the car and followed her, with the bare sword in my hand, to meet her chief who was standing at some distance amongst all the cars queuing. He looked at it and just said “thank you for declaring it“. 😉

Another time I had a replica matchlock musket, I was asked to show it to the superior-superior chief, after inspecting it he looked at the legal papers I had for it and he said “I’m happy with this“. The other officers looked relieved they knew it was not dangerous but were probably fearing they should have to arrest me and to do paperwork. 😉 😉

OOoops, slightly off-topic, sorry. 🙂

http://www.argad-bzh.fr/argad/en.html
https://www.anargader.net/

[John Treadaway]

Yep: we are living in a nanny state controled by iodiots and robots

John Treadaway

www.hammers-slammers.com
http://www.hammers-slammers.com

"They don't have to like us, snake, they just have t' make the payment schedule" Lt Cooter - Hammer's Slammers

[OotKust]

Nice Patrice!
I knew the Napoleonic Assn guys had equal disdain taking their firing muskets INTO France (had to show ownership with ‘Shotgun’ Arms certs I think).

Amazun,ebyy and all the others are just word quoting idiots. Do they also panic over the Sabre car, or Sabre Tooth tigers etc?
They are factories to churn money and avoid criticism, so devolved outsourcing to …. getting $1 an hour and gawd knows how many others (they reduce taxes by claiming overseas costs etc.) while claiming they make a ‘worthwhile’ contribution to society.
It pathetic! I dont have the answer, but I also dont have to like it___

Swinging from left to right no matter where the hobby goes!

[Guy Farrish]

Thanks for the support everyone – regrettably you all failed the proofreading test.

(As did I – doh!)

Good job I’ve retired!  How poor Antonia Fraser got dragged into this mess I don’t know, but she didn’t write ‘Wellington: The Years of the Sword’.  That would be Elizabeth Longford.

 

[Arthur Harman]

I don’t think it appropriate to categorise people who work in overseas call or administrative centres as ‘dumb Philipinos’ [sic]. Yes, companies who outsource are taking advantage of the different economic conditions and exchange rates to reduce their wage bill, but you should not  blame the local workers for that. Another reason why such companies employ Filipinos is that they are well-educated, polite and speak better English than many inhabitants of the UK. Jobs in such call centres &c. are highly prized and the companies can select from high quality applicants. There’s no need to make cheap racist jibes.

[Mike]

Arthur Harman wrote:

There’s no need to make cheap racist jibes

Absolutely. That is not acceptable here.

[Guy Farrish]

I’d like to associate myself with Arthur’s words (Hi Arthur).

[Kitfox]

Beat me too it.  I fully agree with Arthur and would suggest that one or  of our members here could stand to consider their words more carefully and leave some of their views untyped.

Also, while I’m offering my opinion, I would suggest that taking action (however hamfisted) to reduce the likelihood of kids buying knives and swords online is a good thing and if a few wargamers are inconvenienced that’s a fairly small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

Death to all fanatics!

[Who Asked This Joker]

A T-55 would be cool.  Kind of a gas guzzler but a nice piece of Soviet memorabilia.  How much are you selling them for? 😀

John

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

--Abraham Lincoln

[Guy Farrish]

T-55? All gone mate.

Can let you have a used T-72, one careless owner, needs some work. 500K buyer collects?

[Not Connard Sage]

Guy Farrish wrote:

I’d like to associate myself with Arthur’s words (Hi Arthur).

 

So would I. Unnecessary.

There’s another forum for miniatures, politics and racism. Take it there.

Obvious contrarian and passive aggressive old prat, who is taken far too seriously by some and not seriously enough by others.

[Not Connard Sage]

Guy Farrish wrote:

T-55? All gone mate. Can let you have a used T-72, one careless owner, needs some work. 500K buyer collects?

 

The little fella here might be interested.

Obvious contrarian and passive aggressive old prat, who is taken far too seriously by some and not seriously enough by others.

[Darkest Star Games]

I had an ATF Agent show up at my door once many moons ago wanting to ask me about the 12 M-16s in 28mm I had delivered to my home from the UK, the import paper work discovered during an systems audit.  He was especially keen to see my class 3 license (for owning automatic weapons and buying/selling said, I did not have one) as well as to see the guns because he wasn’t even sure what caliber they could be.

He was simultaneously disappointed and intrigued with what he found!

"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

[Guy Farrish]

Thank goodness you weren’t doing WACO in miniature!

[OotKust]

Arthur Harman wrote:

I don’t think it appropriate to categorise people who work in overseas call or administrative centres as ‘dumb Philipinos’ [sic]. Yes, companies who outsource are taking advantage of the different economic conditions and exchange rates to reduce their wage bill, but you should not blame the local workers for that. Another reason why such companies employ Filipinos is that they are well-educated, polite and speak better English than many inhabitants of the UK. Jobs in such call centres &c. are highly prized and the companies can select from high quality applicants. There’s no need to make cheap racist jibes.

So you choose one word out of a malaise that overseas capitalists and ethnic malefactors taking advantage of ‘educated’, but otherwise unemployable local; abused in all sorts of way. I once worked for a guy who found out he could treble-quadruple his annual incomes by outsourcing there- us seniors were even to provide tele-guided training and inductions to our ‘projects’ (names for customers).

SO be it, such limited criteria… deleted as required…

Swinging from left to right no matter where the hobby goes!

[Who Asked This Joker]

Guy Farrish wrote:

T-55? All gone mate. Can let you have a used T-72, one careless owner, needs some work. 500K buyer collects?

 

Sorry man.  I am more of a classic(er) tank guy.  The T-55 is so much more roomy too.

John

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

--Abraham Lincoln

[Author]

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