Spy cameras can't be sold?

[johnwash1]

Going through a box of junk I'm listing I found a little USB charger.  I've got loads of chargers already, so time to list it.  Except that a bit of googling showed there's more to it, there's a removable front cover, behind which is a tiny camera and a slot for a memory card.  A bit strange, not wide enough for a full size SD card, too wide for one of the miniature ones.

So I tried to list it, only to be stopped by:

The sale of surveillance products that are used to record the conversations or activities of others without them knowing is not allowed – regardless of whether they are hackable

OK, not allowed.  Except that, if I put into the search: Spy camera, I get over 2,000 hits!  How did they list successfully?  At first I thought maybe only business sellers?  No, the first I checked was a private UK seller.

What's gong on here?

[thesmokingrunner]

Category perhaps?

I've just looked at half a dozen of the 2,300+ listings returned in a search for 'Spy camera' and all of them are in the Home surveillance > Home surveillance parts & accessories > Other surveillance parts & accessories

It does appear, however, that the listing of spy cameras is not permitted under eBay's Electronic equipment policy (https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/electronic-equipment-policy?id=4302... ) though I don't know how long that policy has been in place - I know, for example, that the sale of children's toys was recently restricted to business sellers only so perhaps a restriction on spy cameras was introduced at the same time.

[johnwash1]

Thanks Simon.  I did wonder about category and tried several, though I found it hard to find the ones that others were listed in.  It says the category at the top of a listing, but the "..." in the middle defeats me.  Perhaps there's been a category reorganisation.  Must have been very recent, because some of those 2,000 listings are auctions.

It reminds me, and not in a good way, of the time I listed a cake knife.  Lots of them already listed.  But computer said no.  I'm quite worried now about the gangs in London threatening people by brandishing cake knives.

[thesmokingrunner]

You're welcome John. The category path ("...") appears to be:

Home & garden > Household Accessories & Supplies > Smart Home & Suveillance Electronics > Home Surveillance Systems > Home Surveillance Parts & Accessories > Other Surveillance Parts & Accessories

Worth trying to list in that category perhaps?

Dangerous things, cake knives. I heard of someone who was attacked with a cake knife once. He was cut into 16 equally-sized pieces... : )

[johnwash1]

Thanks, but Home & Garden doesn't appear for me.  I only see 'Home Furniture & DIY' and 'Garden & Patio'.

I do see 'Home & Garden' on ebay.com.

Your last comment was icing on the...

[cobwebcottage]

Ebay removed an apple corer I listed a few years ago.  Could poke your eye out I suppose ....

[johnwash1]

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@cobwebcottage wrote:

Ebay removed an apple corer I listed a few years ago.  Could poke your eye out I suppose ....

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Infringement of rights owned by an iCompany and Steve Jobs?

[cobwebcottage]

Could be. They will be removing the letter x next ( or net )!

[thesmokingrunner]

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@johnwash1 wrote:

Thanks, but Home & Garden doesn't appear for me.  I only see 'Home Furniture & DIY' and 'Garden & Patio'.

I do see 'Home & Garden' on ebay.com.

Your last comment was icing on the...

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Morning John,

That puzzled me a little: you see 'Home & Garden' on ebay.com yet I see it on the co.uk site. More digging required...

There appear to be a couple of different paths. A search for 'spy cameras' returns 2,300+ listings. Click on a listing to view and the category displayed horizontally across the top of the page shows as:

Back to search results

breadcrumb

• Home Garden
•  
• Home Surveillance
• Home Surveillance Parts & Accessories
• Other Surveillance Parts & Accessories

[Note: the above was copied&pasted but the word 'breadcrumb' only appeared when pasted. It does not show on the listing. I have no idea what's going on there...]

However, 'Home Garden' does not appear in the Categories displayed on the left-hand side of the search results (and as another aside, that was showing as 'Home&Garden' yesterday and now shows as 'Home Garden' - it was not a typo by me): the category is, as you state, 'Home, Furniture & DIY'.

Interestingly (or not, as the case may be...) if you click on the 'Home, Furniture & DIY' category it is then possible to follow the path I described in Message #4, ending in the sub-category 'Other Surveillance Parts & Accessories'. I checked a couple of listings and they all show as being in the Home Garden category....

There were some new listings added yesterday, both auction and BIN, so evidently some are managing to list. If you have the time (and inclination) I'd be inclined to try and create a listing using one of the pathways described - my guess is that one of the pathways includes code which prevents you from listing but the other does not.

A bit of consistency would be nice, wouldn't it? But then again, this is eBay...

Enjoy.

[signs_and_vintage]

The Kipling Gang, watch out for them.

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@johnwash1 wrote:

I'm quite worried now about the gangs in London threatening people by brandishing cake knives.

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