Paypal terms of service

(Aug. 27, 2007) Today I got another anonymous no-reply email from Paypal that they’ve removed my website from their listings of shops for violating terms of service. I’ve had some weird anonymous calls from people who claim to be under 18 and wishing to purchase forbidden items with Paypal, and I’ve always refused their business, both because of their age and because of the items they wished to purchase. Not good enough, I suppose. I’m assuming these were auditors from Paypal itself, but regardless, I have not and am not doing these transactions.

So, here it is, as best as I can understand their policies:

I will ONLY accept Paypal for martial arts TRAINING equipment, such as escrima TRAINING sticks and escrima TRAINING knives, which have no sharp edges or points, so they can be used for SAFE TRAINING, and for my flutes. Any other items on my website, such as pocket knives which may be legal and commonly available at places like gas stations, hardware and even grocery stores, will not be sold through Paypal.

Last year Paypal suddenly suspended my account for violations of its weapons policies because I had “blowguns, throwing knives and stars, and batons” listed. As I’ve never actually had any sales of any blowguns, stars or throwing knives, I had no problem posting a statement that I would not accept Paypal for these items. I should have simply pulled them all from my site, I suppose, but I had bought some and had them in stock. It still seems odd to me that items that can be sold through Ebay, which owns Paypal, and can use Paypal for transactions, are banned on Paypal itself. Maybe I don’t pay them enough fees? “It’s a separate company” is the line I’ve been given. Whatever …. I’ve pulled any remaining questionable stuff (like tiny toy stars) off my site now, as they are irrelevant to my business. There are a few throwing knives left, and I’m making it clear I don’t and won’t accept Paypal for these items.

As for “batons,” I had a series of emails with what appear to have been several different Paypal watchdogs, all anonymous and each with a differing understanding of Paypal’s policies, but I was told by at least one person that “escrima sticks are exempt”. I pointed out that my site has “escrima” in the title, that I teach escrima, and my sticks are all labeled for escrima training. Nowhere on my site do I label or advertise my products as batons or suitable for anything other than escrima practice.

Furthermore, having a California baton certificate, I know that none of my sticks meet the requirements for non-sworn security personnel, and cops can carry just about anything their department allows, but to my knowledge no one is using my sticks for law enforcement either, though I have trained numerous police officers in escrima over the years. Anyway, Paypal lifted that suspension and as far as I know my account is still working.

Perhaps Paypal will shut me down again but I hope not. As the originator of synthetic escrima training sticks, I’ve seen competitors copy my ideas. Virtually all plastic escrima sticks are clones of what I offer, but usually at higher prices and in limited variety.

Certainly there are many sites using Paypal for sales similar to what they’ve banned on mine, but they said I would have to file a formal complaint individually against each of the hundreds of sites that do so. It seems like a witchhunt, and not something I’m interested in doing, though I have to wonder if I keep getting these messages (before the fall/Christmas selling season) because of competitor’s underhanded actions. It doesn’t seem coincidental. I will say that by even the suggestion of not taking Paypal has definitely hurt a business I’ve been running for nearly 18 years but I’m still here and developing unique new products such as non-metal non-cutting replicas of antique Filipino swords.