eBay bans spells and magic potions

eBay bans spells and magic potions

As of August 30, magic spells and potions will be added to eBay's list of prohibited items.

eBay is continually updating their rules, and continually ticking off huge segments of their community. This time, they are ticking off the magickal community, and you have to wonder if this wasn't a particularly unwise move on their part.

From eBay's perspective, listings for things like "I will cast a spell for you" and "I will send you a magical potion" have a high rate of complaints. What eBay calls a "bad user experience." Meaning, a lot of people get fleeced by these listings, or think they do, and contact eBay to complain about it.
 
As of August 30, magic spells and potions will be added to eBay's list of prohibited items. To quote eBay, "transactions in these categories can be difficult to verify and resolve." After all, if a seller advertises an iPad and sells you a block of wood painted with an apple, you can complain to eBay under the "item not as described" policy. But what if you are buying a bottle of "magical demon destroyer potion"? How is eBay going to be able to determine whether or not the tiny dropper bottle actually contains magical demon destroyer potion, versus plain old tap water?

Naturally there will be plenty of ways around this restriction, just as there is for every other forbidden item. Just like all those water pipes sold "for tobacco use only," sellers can still advertise art objects which just happen to have spells printed on them. After all, the main problem is with the sale of intangibles, which eBay has always frowned upon - if not banned entirely. 
 
I would never recommend that you try to circumvent eBay's rules. (And I am certainly against the practice of fleecing the unwary.) But if you want to sell your services as a spell caster, you simply have to bundle that service along with a tangible item. A little token, something easy to mail, and you're good to go. 
 
The bigger problems with this change basically boil down to a religious issue. And that is exactly why many people are complaining about it: they feel that eBay is unfairly infringing upon their right to practice their religion, and picking on them for being Wiccans (or whatever).
 
Trust me, though: eBay doesn't care. Their bureaucracy just keeps rolling, it doesn't really care what's in its way. All journalistic snark aside, this is a pretty small road block being thrown in the path of people who are selling magical goods and services on eBay. (And yet another hassle for the small sellers to navigate.)