Amazon.com Inc said it has banned overseas sales of seeds in america after tens of thousands of Americans received unsolicited packages of seeds in their mailboxes, largely postmarked from China.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in July identified over a dozen plant species which range from morning glories to mustard in the bags of unsolicited seeds.
Based on plant experts, seeds from different areas of the world could be non-native types that damage commodity crops.
"Moving forward, we're only allowing the sale of seeds by vendors that are located in the U.S.," Amazon said in an emailed statement on Saturday.
The organization changed its policy on seed sales on Wednesday.
The organization added that sellers who don't follow its guidelines will be subject to actions, including possible removal of the accounts.
Based on Amazon's policy web page, the ban extends to plants and plant products.
The USDA in July said the packages were probably part of a"brushing" scam, where individuals receive unsolicited items from a vendor who then places false positive client testimonials to boost sales.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in July identified over a dozen plant species which range from morning glories to mustard in the bags of unsolicited seeds.
Based on plant experts, seeds from different areas of the world could be non-native types that damage commodity crops.
"Moving forward, we're only allowing the sale of seeds by vendors that are located in the U.S.," Amazon said in an emailed statement on Saturday.
The organization changed its policy on seed sales on Wednesday.
The organization added that sellers who don't follow its guidelines will be subject to actions, including possible removal of the accounts.
Based on Amazon's policy web page, the ban extends to plants and plant products.
The USDA in July said the packages were probably part of a"brushing" scam, where individuals receive unsolicited items from a vendor who then places false positive client testimonials to boost sales.