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Mystery seeds: Amazon bans foreign plant sales in US

* 6 September 2020

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Packages of unidentified seeds which appear to have been mailed from
China to U.S. postal addresses are seen at the Washington State
Department of Agriculture (WSDA) in Olympia, Washington (July 24, 2020)
Image copyright Washington State Dept of Agriculture/Reuters Image
caption The unidentified seeds appear to have been posted from China to
US addresses

Amazon says it has banned foreign sales of seeds in the US after
thousands of Americans received unsolicited packets of seeds in the
mail, most from China.

The online retail giant told the BBC that it will now only allow the
sale of seeds by sellers based in the US.

US officials said gardeners should not plant seeds of unknown origin.

The packages are believed to be part of a global "brushing" scam to
gain positive reviews for online selling sites.

Amazon's new guidelines, in effect since 3 September, also prohibit the
sale of seeds within America by non-US residents. It added that sellers
may be banned if they do not follow the new guidelines.

But the retailer has not confirmed if its ban will extend to other
countries.

News of the policy change was first reported by the Wall Street
Journal.

At least 14 plant species have been identified among the mystery
packages, including mint, lavender and roses.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Amazon says it will only allow
domestic sales of seeds in the US

Unsolicited seed packages are also being reported in other countries,
including the UK. [65]Last month Scottish authorities advised people
not to handle the seeds, for fear they could damage local ecosystems.

In an update on 11 August, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said
experts analysing the seeds found few problems with them, and that
China was assisting with investigations.

But the USDA has warned people against planting the seeds, saying they
could be non-native species or carry pests and diseases.

So-called "brushing" scams involve sellers sending out low value items
such as seeds or rings. Each fake "sale" then generates an online
review that appears to boost the seller's legitimacy.

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More on this story

* Gardeners warned not to plant mystery seeds
11 August 2020

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