Mystery seeds: Amazon bans foreign plant sales in US

Amazon says it has banned foreign sales of seeds in the US after 1000’s of People acquired unsolicited packets of seeds in the mail, most from China.

The net retail large advised the BBC that it’s going to now solely permit the sale of seeds by sellers based mostly in the US.

US officers stated gardeners shouldn’t plant seeds of unknown origin.

The packages are believed to be a part of a world “brushing” rip-off to achieve optimistic opinions for on-line promoting websites.

Amazon’s new pointers, in impact since three September, additionally prohibit the sale of seeds inside America by non-US residents. It added that sellers could also be banned if they don’t comply with the brand new pointers.

However the retailer has not confirmed if its ban will lengthen to different international locations.

Information of the coverage change was first reported by the Wall Road Journal.

At the very least 14 plant species have been recognized among the many thriller packages, together with mint, lavender and roses.

Unsolicited seed packages are additionally being reported in different international locations, together with the UK. Final month Scottish authorities suggested individuals to not deal with the seeds, for concern they may injury native ecosystems.

In an replace on 11 August, the US Division of Agriculture (USDA) stated consultants analysing the seeds discovered few issues with them, and that China was helping with investigations.

However the USDA has warned individuals in opposition to planting the seeds, saying they could possibly be non-native species or carry pests and ailments.

So-called “brushing” scams contain sellers sending out low worth objects corresponding to seeds or rings. Every pretend “sale” then generates a web-based assessment that seems to spice up the vendor’s legitimacy.