Reader Robert sends the following:

Hi,
I tried to post an ad for a Magpul magazine and got this back after the listing was online for 15 minutes:

———

Unfortunately, we had to remove your listing because of the following: . . .

You listed a magazine for an assault weapon. We’ve implemented our policy due to the complex and varied regulations governing the sale of firearms. Something that is legal in one jurisdiction may be illegal in another. To prevent members from inadvertently violating a firearms law, we have banned listings for all parts and accessories related to assault weapons. Also, we do not allow magazines with a round capacity greater than 10 to be listed. I realize that you may not have been aware of this policy and we ask that you not relist this item.

Because of various laws and regulations on the sale of assault weapons and parts and accessories for assault weapons, we don’t allow selling these items on eBay.

But you can list accessories that would fit a variety of different weapons, such as scopes, sites, and shoulder straps. If you do sell these items, you can’t mention assault weapons in your listing.

Keep in mind that any listing for an item that’s described as a part or an accessory for an assault weapon will be removed. Even if an item doesn’t attach to an assault weapon, you still can’t list it on eBay.

Here’s more information on our policy:

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/policy/firearms/assault_weapons.html

All fees related to this listing have been credited to your account. We also notified members who placed bids on the item that the listing has been canceled.

Please note: violation of this or other eBay policies may result in forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings, limits on account privileges and account suspension.

You can review our list of prohibited and restricted items here:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/items-ov.html

If you have any more questions, contact our policy experts. Get started by clicking the link below.

http://contact.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ContactCS&Query=1338&Domain=Homer_EOA&From=163954

We appreciate your understanding.

Thanks,
eBay
————————–

I also did a search, and sure enough – only 10 round magazines are available now….

Best regards,

Robert

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

91 COMMENTS

  2. WHOA. How can it be an “assault weapon” with a smaller-than-possibly-mandated five-round magazine?

    I wish this guy would try something else. Can someone manufacture a ONE-ROUND “MAGAZINE” (I know, I KNOW!) for an AR-15, as a test? I bet the result will be the same.

    Then try and sell a ZERO-ROUND mag. TOTALLY and IRREDEEMABLY blocked up. WILL NOT ACCEPT EVEN ONE ROUND.

    • Even better would be to try to place an ad for a standard size sheet of printer paper with the words ‘ASSAULT WEAPON’ printed in all caps in the largest available font size on both sides, a poster size sheet with just the words ‘HIGH CAPACITY MAGAZINE’ on both sides, and several business cards that read ‘ACCESSORY FOR AN ASSAULT WEAPON’ on both sides. The description would make it abundantly clear that the items are just paper and will be sent directly to the buyer’s home with no background checks or FFL transfers.

    • Believe it or not, DPMS used to make a ZERO-ROUND lower for their AR-pattern rifles. The magazine well does not exist – just a smooth sweep of solid metal. This was designed to be a California-legal lower, for those unfortunate residents of the PRCa who just happen to have an upper that used to fit on an eeevil assault weapon lower (which was NOT buried in a plastic pipe in the organic garden).

      The lower made your “not a firearm even if it had a bayonet lug and a flash hider” AR upper into a single shot rifle, suitable for legal use at your local PRCa range. They are no longer on the DPMS web site, probably because the “bullet button” lowers became popular.

  3. It is becoming more and more difficult to remember the names of all the companies that I will never do business with again.

      • For the Love of God, us gun people are worse than the environmentalists when it comes to boycotting companies. One of you boycott callers need to just give me the shorter list of who I’m allowed to patronize.

    • I don’t want to defend Ebay here, because in some respect they don’t know what they’re talking about, BUT to be fair to them, no business wants to get sued because one user bought something that might be illegal in his state from a seller who obeyed all laws in his own state. So if something is mishandled or goes wrong, a publicly traded company like Ebay wants to avoid any and all negative press and/or consequences. I can understand that, even if I don’t agree with their policy (why implement that now, after Newtown, and not before?). I don’t think Ebay makes that much money on gun-related items, so they can afford to prohibit them.

      Wasn’t there somebody suing Arms List for something like that not long ago?

      • Laws are written though that the buyer is responsible for being within compliance of the law in their state. All gun accessory seller but a disclaimer reminding of such at the bottom of the page for every product (not sure if the disclaimer is required or they do that out of the kindness of their own heart).

        eBay either needs to hire better lawyers or they are doing this for PR sake, which they’ll regret when they realize the pro2A community is much more likely to boycott than the otherwise would be if they continued to sell legal merchandise.

        • This is probably more about personal injury lawsuits than the assault weapon laws as stated. Ebay is deep pockets. Imagine if there were Ebay parts on the Sandy rifle, what? 200 300 million in exposure? Ebay has lots of gun parts on it that I probably wouldn’t have if I owned it, Randy

        • Like Randy said, Ebay has a lot of money so they want to minimize their exposure to lawsuits. We live in a litigious society, so I can’t really blame them.

        • I can. They are an American company making money in and from this country. If the don’t like it they can bugger off and go to some third world craphole.

  4. Not that I was buying anything from ebay anyway, but I will add them to the do not buy list with many others (Dicks Sporting Goods). Thanks for keeping us up to date on all the Anti-American businesses. Speaking of which, can we shift our language in arguments to Anti-American or Anti-Constitution instead of just Anti-2a? Seems to better representative and make a stronger convincing argument??? Just my two cents.

      • Stopped using the bay a while ago. Too muck fake Chinese crap, scams, and over priced items. Just cause it’s on the bay doesn’t mean it’s the lowest price. I check it out to see the stupid prices people pay for precious metals, just to establish the line I want to stay under. I’d rather go to my LGS and have their profits and taxes stay closer to home.

        • not to mention it is biased in favor of buyers. sellers can, and often, do get the shaft.

          The Ebay horror stories send chills down my spine. that is why i moved away from them and paypal because i refuse to do business with California.

  6. “If we don’t (won’t*) take care of our customers someone else surely will.” Henry Ford, I believe.

    * my insertion.

    • I’m sure Edsel said that and his rotten father took credit for it when it turned out to be true

  7. I had notice that ebay had stop selling 20 and 30 round mags about 2 weeks ago. A friend of my try to buy a PMAG and they pulled the list.

  8. Because of Jacqui Smith former Home Secretary of the British Government little England’s nationals cannot purchase Folding pocket knives, Swords or Machetes, Cut-throat razor blades or I suspect Axes via eBay due to the “Reduction in violent crime act” and strict Internet sales regulation.

    Of course guns and gun components are considered extreme contraband for eBay.UK users, never mind the fact that I am still quite able to purchase a few tones of self propelled steel (vehicles) from the same web-site that and a vast selection of power tools both electric cell and petrol fueled.

  9. I don’t really blame eBay, easier for them to do a blanket nonsense ban than have to do rsearch to ensure that sellers don’t violate stupid laws that they could then be held liable for since they facilitated the transaction.

    But yes, another reason, among many non-related issues, to not do business with them.

    • The liability and responsibility to endure proper laws is followed is on the buyer though. That’s how these laws have always worked. In NJ it falls on me and me alone that I am abiding by the laws in my state. I don’t believe there would be any liability on EBAy’s part except for maybe providing a disclaimer at the bottom saying it is places squarely on the buyer just like other sites do.

      So I don’t see why this is anything but a PR move, that or they are just so crazy stupid and ignorant about the law that they would rather just do a blanket policy than risk being wrong. If that’s the case they should hire new lawyers.

      • I’m essentially neutral in this issue. I don’t see this as a political move, but rather an attempt to cover their and their user’s asses. With the confusing and ever-changing legal status of standard capacity magazines, I understand the change.

      • “blanket nonsense ban than have to do rsearch to ensure that sellers don’t violate stupid laws that they could then be held liable for since they facilitated the transaction.”

        Agreed.. I think they A0 dont support firearms, they just made that pretty clear” and B) Dont want to deal with the hassle that could ensue.

  10. Flash Hider:
    http://www.ebay.com/sch/Hunting-/7301/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=flash+hider

    Pistol Grip:
    http://www.ebay.com/sch/Hunting-/7301/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=m16+grip

    Barrel Shroud:
    http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=m16+grip&_osacat=7301&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313&_nkw=barrel+shroud&_sacat=7301

    Knuckle dusters and various other self defense implements:
    http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=knuckle+duster&_osacat=0&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313&_nkw=self+defense&_sacat=0&_from=R40

  11. They’ve had a blanket restriction on normal capacity mags for a while now. I’d give up on Ebay, but I’m currently selling a crapton of old toys and using the proceeds to buy more guns and ammo.

    • I thought that was the case. I’ve seen lots of Pmag 30 rounders labeled as 10rd mags on eBay in the past though. They are too stupid in San Francisco to know the difference though.

  13. Fixed it.

    We appreciate you understanding while we help to violate your rights and get as much of the president’s junk down our throats as possible.

    Thanks,
    eBay

  15. Sounds like something my kindergartner would write…”I do not like assault weapons. Assault weapons are bad. I do not like assualt Weapons.” WTF is going on?

  16. So, if they are saying “accessories” now, does that mean rail covers, grips, sling attachments, BAD levers, optic mounts, Eotechs, handguards, rail systems, etc? By reading the explicit statement under their rules, it seems as long as your listing doesn’t say “assault weapon” you might be fine, but I suspect that soon they will start looking for terms like AR-15, M4, M16, Ak, M14, etc. All it would take is someone listing their used Knight’s rail covers and a statement like “as issued with M16/M4” or something and suddenly we are back to paying Evilbay prices or hoping that guy on the forum isn’t scamming you.

  17. In the early years of the 21st Century, I was buying 30-round AR-15 magazines from sellers on eBay.

    eBay’s User Agreement was last updated August 21, 2012.

    Copying-and-pasting the text into MS Word and using Word’s word count tool ( Tools –> Word Count ), the agreement is

    Pages: 16
    Words: 6,240
    Characters (no spaces): 32,645
    Characters (with spaces): 39,119
    Paragraphs: 136
    Lines: 681

    long.

    The words “assault”, “weapon”, nor “firearm” appear in the user agreement.

    Of course, eBay reservers the right to amend its user agreement at any time, but most post the terms on their web site.

    We may amend this User Agreement at any time by posting the amended terms on http://www.ebay.com. Our right to amend the User Agreement includes the right to modify, add to, or remove terms in the User Agreement. Except as stated otherwise in this User Agreement or elsewhere, all amended terms shall automatically be effective 30 days after they are initially posted. Additionally, we will notify you through the eBay Message Center.

    If the writer wants to sue eBay for breach of contract, he cannot, because he waived his 7th Amendment rights in the “Legal Disputes” / “Agreement to Arbitrate” section of the user agreement.

    You and eBay each agree that any and all disputes or claims that have arisen or may arise between you and eBay shall be resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration, rather than in court, except that you may assert claims in small claims court, if your claims qualify. The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this Agreement to Arbitrate.

    As law professor Evan McKenzie observed back in “The Fine Print Society” (December 22, 2011):

    As I go over all the bills and statements and announcements and changes to this or that plan or arrangement or contract that have flooded into my mailbox recently, it occurs to me that this is a form of concerted action. Corporate managers have collectively determined to overwhelm us with fine print. We can’t possibly read all this crap, much less meditate like some 18th century aristocrat on the implications of the content. Yet we can’t do so much as download an update to Adobe Acrobat without “signing” a contract. We are conclusively presumed to have read, understood, and agreed to every lawyer-drafted word, and yet everybody knows that none of us reads this. Not even Ron Paul–so don’t start with me. And the more of these contracts we get, the less likely it is that we will read any of them. So corporations have an incentive to send more of them and make them longer and more verbose. This is a collective decision on their part, and it is working, and they know it.

    Nearly all of this stuff is enforceable, as many an HOA or condo unit owner has discovered, and it makes citizens relatively powerless. The private logic of contract law structures the relationship as individual consumer vs. big corporation with government as the enforcer of the contract, instead of citizens vs. powerful private organizations, with government as policy maker holding jurisdiction over the relationship.

    The law calls these boilerplate documents “contracts of adhesion,” but the days are long past when judges were willing to throw them out because they were drafted by one party and imposed on the other, there was gross inequality of bargaining power, and there was no real assent to the terms. Now they are deemed essential to the free flow of modern commerce.

    My view has always been that policy makers should be willing to step in and reform these relationships if they become predatory or destructive. But there is little stomach for that presently.

  18. Why do companies keep censoring the sale of legal merchandise?

    If it’s because they think it’s a good PR move they better wake up. The pro gun community is much more likely to boycott a company based on such actions than any antis would for the continued sale of such legal items. I’m looking forward to seeing some numbers on the sales decrease at CTD.

  19. I have not been using E-bay for a while, but may start again.

    Every single listing will contain the disclaimer – “The proceeds of this sale will be applied directly to firearms related activities and pursuits, including purchase of firarms, ammunition, firearms components (including but not limited to AR-15 and other semi-auto) and my contributions to various organizational support of Second Amendment rights.”

    Imagine turning used books, clothing, and other crap into firepower and 2A support.

    • That’s basically what I have been doing. Two shotguns and two .357s have been paid for through selling crap on Ebay.

  20. A running article listing traitorous businesses would be very useful, updated daily or at least once a week. I’m losing track of them already, and it’s time to rattle some cages.

    eBay
    CTD
    Some banks
    Anything connected to Cerberus
    Dick’s, etc.

  21. eBay is f-ing worthless anymore. Had a run-in with them over some 30-round mags and had a listing pulled even though others were arbitrarily allowed to sell theirs. Call it the “California Effect.” (Or possibly now the “New York Effect.”)

  22. banks giving gun companies the boot, ebay going gung-ho on listings related/affiliated with “assault weapons” ….drones in the sky, black helicopters, fema camps, politicians with armed security guards, whispers of civil war in the U.S. , Barack Hussein Obama, gun control gun control gun control gun control PEOPLE CONTROL gun control gun control.

    connecting the dots sends a chill up my red white and blue spine

  23. This is nothing new, I have sold meaning AR parts on EBaystards. If you list your item with ANYTHING hinting that it could go on an “evil” assault rifle they will remove your listing. Use the words “picatinny rail for flat-top rifle” and they will delete your post. Once you do sanitize your listing they make sure they collect their 10 percent.

  24. Hypocrites…similar to Dicks who pulled black rifles but has no problem with continuing to sell accessories for these evil guns.

  25. When I lived in New Jersey there was nothing stopping me from buying full-capacity AR mags from MidwayUSA or any other site. It was my responsibility to know that 30 rounds is over the 15-round limit in New Jersey. My responsibility.

  26. Not surprised since Ebay is a San Fransisco based company. Try online fire arms auction houses there safer anyway.

  27. Ebay has had this policy for some time. A couple of years ago, I listed an M7 bayonet with”AR-15″ in the auction title; it was pulled. I re-listed it with “M16” in the title, and that was permitted…because M16s aren’t “assault weapons” under California law.

  28. I just spent 20 minutes on hold, and 15 minutes talking to a nice lady @ eBay, to find out more about this. She checked their policy, and with her manager, and could find nothing which indicated that eBay had a new, more restrictive policy. He best guess was that there was something in the wording that their automated scan program didn’t like, and caused it to kick out.

    FWIW.

  29. this is how you get around that issue repost in same catorigies but instead of saying 10 round mag for sale you sell a wiggit…i.e bottle cap..rock..etc..and the winner gets at no charge this beautiful 10 round mag…good luck …it’s worked before

  30. The 10 round limit has been around for a long time…the assault weapons filter is new to me though.

    Just another example of the divide our country has now.

    • Hi,
      No, there was no limit until a few days ago – I was using ebay to check on a good deal for a magazine for a while now – but I haven’t seen *any* magazine over 10 rounds in the past days, so I think this one is new.
      Time to go to gunbroke…

  31. It isn’t just magazines. I had a claw mount for HK-94/MP5/SP89 & clones removed because copied the description from the manufactures website.

    RRages had the exact thing listed w/o all the scary weapon names. So I clicked sell similar and it stole their listing and sold w/o any problem. Serious case of “lalalala, I CANT HEAR YOU SELLING ASSAULT WEAPON PARTS”

  33. The list of reasons to boycott ebay is long and details, this is only one more nail in their already well tacked coffin.

  34. This is nothing new. eBay has had strict firearms-related parts regulations for a long time (including banning pictures of actual guns, which is why you’ll see blue plastic guns in all ads for things like holsters), as has PayPal (which is owned by eBay). If PP finds out you’re using them for anything gun-related, they are likely to block your account.

    There are plenty of restrictions on other things as well, such as automatic knives. I tried to sell a folding, automatic-opening Microtech on there and they took it down and pointed me to the policy prohibiting that sort of thing.

  35. This has always been Ebay’s policy. They are in CA and follow CA laws for all listings. The writer of this article is being disengenuous by using a screenshot of a 10 round mag and the writer clearly states that he was selling a PMAG magazine, I’d bet 30 round. I tried to sell a slide fire stock and a monopod, wayy before any of this hoopla started and got the same cancellation notice. They have automated filters that key in on words such as “AR15”, “AK47”, “assault rifle”, etc… And they are auto-banned. If you also do a search on ebay, you will find parts that seemingly violate this policy. In those listings you will find all of the key words omitted.

  36. Because I was concerned that Ebay might be missing any other dangerous categories,
    I checked and found nearly 170,000 listings for hammers. At Ebay its better to be beaten to death?

  37. I tried listing a Colt Defense Rogers Super Stoc that i removed from my AR and had ebay remove it three times yesterday. I am selling the same thing this guy is selling http://www.ebay.com/itm/130841241203?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619 and was removed three times. I copied his wording exactly and can not figure out why mine was removed. I never once mentioned “assault weapon” or AR. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since they are a CA based company.

  38. Did anyone happen to think that since Ebay’s headquarters is in California that their website being the instrument used to sell an item, like a 30 round pmag, would make them in violation of California law? Other items under thier prohibited list read like a California statute list.

    Something tells me that if their headquarters were in another state they would not have this issue.

  39. I listed some Magpul Pmag dust covers and got banned for 3 days. You know there have been a lot of people killed with dust covers.

    BTW- this HAS NOT always been their policy. They changed after,…..you guessed it……., the Va Tech massacre.

  40. I don’t know why you’d try to sell gun parts on EBAY, when there are dedicated auction websites for firearms, and related things. I’d think that on something as public and well known as Ebay, you’d be more likely to fall prey to one of mayor Bloomberg’s roving teams of investigators, then to reach an actual gun person. (Not to mention the countless other government agencies from the state / federal government that may decide they want to run a sting operation)

    • cause on ebay you can get a lot more money for your used gun merchandise than any other website. i sold my old sks stock with 2 steel 10 rounder mags for $185. they buy know price that i had was $40!!

  41. >I don’t know why you’d try to sell gun parts on EBAY, when there are dedicated >auction websites for firearms, and related things.

    Because Ebay is full of noobs that will pay $80 for a part that will sell on Gunbroker for $25.

  43. Your one stop shop for all your gay porn needs. Filthy disgusting pornography is always availiable, but god forbid a 10 round mag.

  46. People still use eBaY?

    Just have a Yard Sale in the spring.
    Fresh air, no hassle, and people like to haggle which usually makes more money for the seller.

  48. 10 round magazine? i see no 10 round magazine.

    i see a 3 round socom 458 magazine. perfectly legal in all states!

  49. I realize that this is quite an old thread, but I stumbled across it after looking into something I recently got curious about after one genius at eBay couldn’t tell me which weapons were considered “assault weapons”. Most identification of any gun(s) as “assault weapons” are now based on having/not having certain characteristics, of course, but I felt it odd that the guy could not name one single specific weapon that even POSSIBLY could have had these options from the manufacturer … not even the big mean black evil Satan weapon, the A…… (uhhhhhn, is it OK if I say AR-15 here? ;)).

    Now, I realize that back in ’93 / ’94 our legislators probably used age K thru 2 “GUNS ARE VERY BAD!” coloring books with Sesame Street characters standing next to huge cartoonish letters/numbers while holding different long guns up on pages captioned with things like “The letter ‘B’ stands for black rifle” and “The number ‘8’ stands for 80% lower” to enlighten themselves of what these ‘assault weapons’ looked like. And yes, before you ask, there were sufficient persons available to read the captions to the legislators (there were numerous field trips to the legislature then, and every attendee that had completed the second grade volunteered to help).

    So, it occurred to me that this $hitmess drivel that makes up leftist semantic identification processes for such weapons creates highly ambiguous groups of firearms that are easily (and quite wrongly) twistable in whatever direction an individual chooses, and it was designed that way for two clear reasons:

    The first reason behind such legislation is, of course, far more about banning firearms than banning “assault weapons”, and since such weapons can conspire with ammo to think, act, attack and kill all on their own volition (which is of course what makes them mean, evil, bad, nasty, and inherently dangerous (and thusly in need of a good ol’ fashioned legal ban in the first place!!), our legislators jumped at the sensationalized chance to kick the Second Amendment dead square in the nuts, all the while swearing with feigned sincerity and hurt feelings that they did no such thing.

    The second reason, of course, is obvious, such being that the group of persons who make up our nation’s supposed ‘leaders’ are at any give time quite well represented in self-serving, lying, crooked Janus faced morons and dip$hits.

    Since eBay seems to be taking their cues from the changes in political whim, and they area dead set on grouping as may firearms as they can in the bad bin of “assault weapons”, I was at first surprised when I asked him then if it was OK to create listings related to battle rifles, and this dumba$$ said “Yes. You just can’t do that with ‘assault weapons'”. The surprise quickly faded when I realized that I may very well have been speaking to a future legislator.

  50. That is why I’m moving away from eBay and setting up shop elsewhere. They sent me the same BS notice when I listed a Sightmark Wolfhound optic because the model number contained AR. Plus their fees are really eating into my profit margine.

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