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.