James Marchington: Ebay bans knives

Wednesday, 11 February 2009

Ebay bans knives

Read the press release here »

Our email requesting further details:

From: James Marchington
Date: 11 February 2009 23:17:22 GMT
To: pressoffice@ebay.com
Subject: Knife ban

Dear Sirs,

As a magazine for sportsmen who use knives daily for their work and recreation, we are interested to hear that your website has decided to ban the sale of knives, including so far as we can tell, knives that are legal to carry and use. We intend to run a news story on this in our next issue.

Could you please confirm that this ban extends to even the smallest Swiss Army style penknife? Also whether or not this ban extends to other outdoors tools such as axes, billhooks, garden forks, etc?

We would also welcome your comments on what prompted this ban. Did eBay come under pressure from the Police, Home Office, etc, to implement a ban, or was it entirely at your own instigation? And does eBay seriously believe that this ban will "protect your members" and/or the wider public, or are you simply caving in to a climate of hysteria surrounding knife crime?

Many thanks in advance for your response.

------------------------
James Marchington
Editor
Sporting Shooter

Public enemy No. 1

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: Is your blog just here to make me go "Grrrrrr"?!

Why do people think a pocket knife is so dangerous.....but a foot long carving knife isn't! There are kids walking the street with chinese cleavers- perfect for chopping your stir fry....or stoving someones skull in. So why ban legal pocket knives and not big sharp culinary knives? Don't get me wrong, knife crime is horrible and frightening but take away the knives and they'll just find something else.; 12 February 2009 at 10:22
Anonymous said...: Ebay pandering to the PC brigade and worrying that the next fatal street stabbing will be done by a 15 year old with a knife he bought on Ebay and so get lots of bad publicity from the tabloid rags.

Glad I bought my Frost Mora on there before christmas as it was a great bargain.; 12 February 2009 at 10:22
Anonymous said...: Now that is simply ludicrous. What am I supposed to eat my dinner with?; 12 February 2009 at 16:46
The Suburban Bushwacker said...: Could this just be a way to get some free column inches for ebay's marketing department?

After all if you want to sell cigars on ebay you just list the collectable 'box' for sale and mention that it is unopened.

i once saw a news feature about a seller advertising a holster, and happening to mention that the 'other item' in the picture was also for sale. A hand gun.

Vicky is totally right when she points out that knife crime is usually carried out with inexpensive disposable kitchen knives.
I used to live next door to a lively pub, so lively that it had to have 4 or 5 tough looking bouncers on the door seven days a week. We regularly found knives dumped next to our dustbins. Never anything you'd keep, always low quality kitchen knives.

SBW; 12 February 2009 at 20:54