eBay Bans Spells, Potions, and Curses

[Baron von Blitztank]

Well, this is just PERFECT!
Looks like it's back to the Cthulhu sacrifices and deals with Mephisto for me!

 

[I.Muir]

For some reason I feel nothing of any real value was lost

 

[Lieju]

I have no problem with people selling that stuff, but making claims they can't actually back up? Not okay.

Sure, when it comes to this kind of stuff, you should be able to tell it's BS, but where do you draw the line? Can you only lie if your lies only fool stupid (or rather ignorant) people?

 

[tetron]

I don't do Ebay so I'm very worried that this has been going on already. I mean a 2 day, long range, spell to turn you into a lycan and a 1 day "love trap" spell ? Lol people stupid enough to believe that shouldn't have access to magic.

 

[Daverson]

Aw man, "Magic object unwittingly brought through EBay" was one of my favourite plot devices! It's almost like these people hate the art of storytelling! D=

 

[lacktheknack]

mfw a werewolf suddenly appears in American suburbia

I'm not entirely sure about the rationale behind the ban, but it's eBay's rules.

 

[Innegativeion]

mfw a werewolf suddenly appears in American suburbia

I'm not entirely sure about the rationale behind the ban, but it's eBay's rules.

Probably to keep the...... reality challenged from giving money to people for bottled swamp water, or trampled plants, or mud or whatever.

DAMNIT!

Now where am I going to unload all my compost?!

 

[TheMann]

I think that eBay is simply trying to prevent people from being defrauded from their service, by preventing sales which gives the buyer nothing tangible except for the promise that a "spell" will be performed on the their behalf. I think they just view it as sketchy is all. However, people selling this bullshit are required to post the following disclaimer:

By law I am required to state that all spells and paranormal objects are sold for "entertainment purposes" only. You must be 18 or older to purchase. I am not liable for any paranormal effects that may or may not happen. This purchase is not a substitute for legal, financial, medical or psychiatric help. You agree to these terms and understand them when making your purchase.

So, I suppose that by warning buyers that they could just throwing their money away it could be considered acceptable. Also, here's something sort of creepy about that "love trap" thing. This is from the eBay page:

"If you want someone that is very elusive. Distant. Someone who seems impossible for you. A person who you believe would never notice you, never want you, never pay attention to you, I have the perfect spell. That poor sucker will never know what hit em! They will be confused at first, feeling odd, different...then they will WANT YOU BIG TIME!"

Okay, is it just me or is this basically a date rape spell. I mean, if this did actually work it'd be a wee bit unethical, don't you think?

By the way I don't live in California, nobody lives in Californa, because they were all deported under Welfare and Institutions Code 5150, and now California is a wasteland, full of empty ghosts, and also did you know that there was more linguistic diversity in the Sierra Nevada Mountains than there was in the entire proto indo european tradition?

Um, I live in a certain state on the West coast whose name starts with a "C". So, I guess I'm just an ethereal specter, wandering a desolate plain. Well, at least I don't have to dress up for Halloween. Wooooooooo. (That's my spooky voice.)

 

[lacktheknack]

mfw a werewolf suddenly appears in American suburbia

I'm not entirely sure about the rationale behind the ban, but it's eBay's rules.

Probably to keep the...... reality challenged from giving money to people for bottled swamp water, or trampled plants, or mud or whatever.

DAMNIT!

Now where am I going to unload all my compost?!

Apparently, this site's opinion on whether or not to protect the dumb varies from day to day.

 

[Innegativeion]

mfw a werewolf suddenly appears in American suburbia

I'm not entirely sure about the rationale behind the ban, but it's eBay's rules.

Probably to keep the...... reality challenged from giving money to people for bottled swamp water, or trampled plants, or mud or whatever.

DAMNIT!

Now where am I going to unload all my compost?!

Apparently, this site's opinion on whether or not to protect the dumb varies from day to day.

Whelp, the people expressing opinions on this site vary from day to day :>

I'm in agreement with ebay here. I never like to see assholes profiting from being assholes.

 

[Timnoldzim]

Awwww! But I was just about to put up my Great-Grandpa's coffin! There's still 142 years left on its curse, y'know.

 

[Therumancer]

My basic thought on the subject is that Ebay is in the wrong. If someone sells services and items like this, and people buy it, there is nothing to complain about, especially if those people are happy with the results. Those who are not, well that's the issue when you buy a service or non-returnable/refundable item in general.

Let me put it this way, spellcasting and such can be fun, even for those who don't believe in it, there is a reason why it thrives at fairs and such, and you'll find little new age shops and such selling services here and there, and people doing this kind of thing at fairs. At the very worst you can say hiring a psychic to do a reading is for the entertainment value. Ditto for buying a ring or something with a story behind it you find interesting. On a lot of levels that's what your seeing going on in E-bay. Buying a reading or spell from someone, is no worse than walking into a New Age/Occult shop and buying one there.

The only thing that surprises me about some of this is that I'd think part of the business would be the people doing this to have a webcam and to produce a video (even as just a file) of them doing the spell or whatever.

Also for the record, if the person buying believes it worked (even as a placebo) so much the better. I mean if your werewolf transformation spell give you the confidence to improve yourself, and your happy with it, who cares if it was real or not assuming you believe it was and it for all intents and purposes works?

Ebay DOES need to police scammers and such, but I think they have been getting kind of ridiculous in some of their policies, and too heavily regulated by external forces (which is another discussion entirely). Maybe it's just me, but this seems like an attack on novelty businesses and services.

Speaking for myself, it would be great if magic existed, but I don't think there are easy answers to people's problems, if there were, everyone would use them, and no offense those with this power wouldn't have been overrun by whatever group they blame (Christians, Romans, Nth Dimensional Insects that later disappeared). That said it can be a lot of fun, I even got myself a set of Tarot Cards on a whim, though I haven't yet put the time into learning how to use them. Leave the people who do this kind of thing alone, there is nothing wrong with a bit of adult make believe, and if that's a fun way for someone to spend money, let them do it.

 

[Gilhelmi]

I am a Christian. With that said, I am sad at the squashing of religious liberties by Ebay. It is wrong.

Spineless whores just trying to appease the Evangelicals.
A POX! A POX UPPON YOUR auction HOUSE!

I do not think that Ebay is working with Evangelicals (in this case). I honestly think that, the believe, that the spells are of questionable effect, and THAT is why they are being banned.

I am of the opinion that IF the person selling them is doing so in good faith that the spells or magic works believes that the magic will work, then they should be allowed to sell to other people who also believe the same.

PS: Except the "Love trap spells", no one should be allowed too force others too fall in love with you, and should be banned as a danger too society.

 

[lacktheknack]

mfw a werewolf suddenly appears in American suburbia

I'm not entirely sure about the rationale behind the ban, but it's eBay's rules.

Probably to keep the...... reality challenged from giving money to people for bottled swamp water, or trampled plants, or mud or whatever.

DAMNIT!

Now where am I going to unload all my compost?!

Apparently, this site's opinion on whether or not to protect the dumb varies from day to day.

As it should, to account for variable change, as each member of the community makes decisons on margin to modify their ranked order series of preferences to account for variable change.

It took me a while, but a more readable version of your post is as follows:

"Which is good, because it accounts for things changing from day to day. People make small changes to their preference for lots of little reasons."

I'd normally respond with something about this community just being really contrarian, but then you'd respond with another post utterly murdering the idea of "readable English". It's not about the words you use, it's about whether or not your point gets across.

 

[PurePareidolia]

~Long but informative response~

I didn't assume it would actually work, I just said I admire them for trying to have standards.

Also I learned something about California today!

 

[DugMachine]

Mythrandia is totally a wizard I just know it.

 

[Mr F.]

Uh. Just... Skimming most of this thread. You lot know why. If I read all of the huge posts written by Mythrandia it would be a good hour until I would be able to do anything. Seriously.

My brain has turned to mush though. Just from contact with non-sensical word walls. I automatically try to read things, get about 300 words in then my brain just starts to scream.

"Why, For the love of god, why! Why are you reading such non-sensical horse bollocks! Save yourself!"

And then I stop.

More on topic?

Bout time. I fucking hate this shite. I hope eBay steps up and bans the selling of anything related to Homeopathy or anything sold by a "Nutritionist" (Fyi, I am now a Nutritionist. Because the term that requires a degree is Dietitian. If you state you are a Nutritionist, you are now a Nutritionist. The word is meaningless and there is no regulatory body. Go forth and scam, Brethren). Life would be easier, or at least happier, if the scam artists of this world were regulated into the nether hells.

I think ebay should regulate hypnosis. There should be lists of patterns which children are not allowed to use and say, forbidden combinations of words that cannot be spoken to people while they are in deep trances. In fact I think people should go to jail for making certain suggestions habitually, in the same sense that people shouldd go to jail for giving lsd to people and becoming their spirit guides and leading them through a psychosis to a juncture in spacetime where they instruct this person to fly off a cliff.

Just kidding I don't think hypnosis should be regulated. If you did that then Bandler and Grinder wouldn't be able to argue with each other and say things like

Bandler: There is no such thing as hypnosis
Grinder: Everything is hypnosis.

And so on, with frogs to princes, and wands to snakes, and egyptian mythology and such.

Let me be clear: In the following statements I do not intend to insult you in any way. Faith is one thing, fact is another. I accept faith (Religion, stuff like that), up until someone declares it to be fact.

If something is being presented as a fact (Drinking this WILL cause this) and it is proven to not be a fact (Drinking the offered item will do nothing) then something has gone wrong. Deliberately or accidentally, someone has been mislead and this is wrong. Without this certainty that the items we buy or consume are what they claim to be our modern, capitalist world would collapse.

But selling magic, homeopathy, anything that cannot be proven is wrong. It is harvesting money from people too dumb to look after themselves. Some might argue that these people should be allowed to make those mistakes. Probably the same people who think that speed cameras are limiting freedoms. But oh well.

Practice your religions. Just do not try and charge me for prayers and other such things which cannot be proven to work. Or can be proven not to work. God I hate homeopathy. And all other forms of scams of this nature.

 

[Timnoldzim]

Awwww! But I was just about to put up my Great-Grandpa's coffin! There's still 142 years left on its curse, y'know.

How do you know?

Well, he said it'd be 150 years, and he died 8 years ago. If the bastard lied to me, well, that's no skin off my nose.

 

[II2]

You KNOW trying to ban the sale of magick will just drive the users to the unregulated wilds of the black market where they might get involved with cut products, criminal activities and violence...

eBay are positioning themselves as shield on the bank account of a perticular subset of the desperately naieve. My first reaction was along the lines of "why" - just let people do their thing if that's how they want to spend their money, but I came around to it since generally we're talking about the sort of people who try to sell air guitars. The sale of actual books, art, trinkets or occult, "magickal" paraphernalia is still allowed because there's an actual product. Sounds fair, though I could think of a few grey areas.

I'm not sure how Mr. Crowley would feel:

"Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole of The Law"

 

[Thorvan]

Okay, as an actual Wiccan (Or Witch, I take either one) who ACTUALLY knows a few things on the topic, let me make a potentially pointless attempt to clear things up; I'm not the most knowledgeable on the topic, but I feel it my duty to clear some things up.

First of all, Mythrandia is being hilarious.

Being a Witch/Wizard/Druid etc. Is actually a legitimate, fairly old religion, you probably know it as paganism, and was actually one of the more predominate western European religions; We're pretty sure, it's a little hard to tell considering that the Catholic church kinda rolled in and destroyed every trace of it. What bits did survive eventually came into the US in the mid-50s as Wiccanism or Paganism and has been a growing religion ever since. There's probably a few covens around where you live, you can usually google it. Like all faiths, please try to treat it with a baseline of respect.

I actually looked into this a little at Uni and I can add, it wasn't one religion of wizards/druids/what-not, there were bucket loads in England alone of different stuff like Tree Language, Druids doing stuff, Runes from the Vikings, Candle Magic, Dowsing, they're all from different 'religions' if you want to phrase it like that. Paganism isn't 'sactly an old religion as much as a label on a type, like Christianity sub-divides into Catholicism and Mormons but with a bit more sub-division than that (Lugh and Baldur might symbolise the same thing but they were vastly different in terms of the beliefs and how they worshipped) so... yeah. Sorry, just adding more context to it o.o-b.

I'm aware, I was more-or-less trying to put it into a recognizable context; Most different groups are today fairly small, and hard to run into especially in North America, so I was more trying to give a VERY quick run-down on those you might typically run into this day and age. I provided the link for people who wanted to dig a little deeper, but I figured I'd focus on the immediate rather than give a history lecture. Also, I was tired, and was prone to screw something up.

Thanks a lot for adding on, though! <3