For a variety of reasons, Great American shops prohibits certain types of items from our marketplace. Some items present legal risks to our community; others are inconsistent with our values, are harmful to our members, or simply are not in the spirit of Great American Shops. This policy explains what is prohibited or restricted on Great American Shops.
This policy is a part of our Terms of Use. By opening a Great American shop page, you’re agreeing to this policy and our Terms of Use.
The following types of items are prohibited or restricted on Great American Shops:
Our Policy decisions are highly monitored. We consider many different and often divergent factors before coming to a decision about what is best for our community. Because we have all types of visitors to our community, we err on the side of freedom of expression, yet we implement strict guidelines to make sure our community is a welcoming place for everyone.
1. Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, Drug Paraphernalia, and Medical Drugs
Alcohol and drugs are prohibited on Great American Shops. These substances face serious legal restrictions and in many cases are considered controlled substances under applicable law. Our policy also applies to other substances that have or are claimed to have an intoxicating or healing effect. Possible legal restrictions aside, these substances simply are not in the spirit of Great American Shops and we therefore do not allow them.
The following are examples of items that may not be sold on Great American Shops:
A medical drug claim is any element of a listing or shop that suggests an item prevents, heals, or treats a medical condition or disease. Medical drug claims are subject to varying degrees of regulation. If you make claims about the purported health benefits of an item for sale on Great American Shops, we urge you to speak with a qualified expert about which regulations apply to you. It is your responsibility to know and comply with all laws and regulations that apply to the items you sell.
Great American Shops prohibits certain medical drug claims based on our values, such as claims likely to deceive or pose an unreasonable risk to our community. Great American Shops may remove claims that we deem to be inappropriate, excessive, or otherwise unsuitable for our marketplace. If Great American Shops receives proper notice from a legal authority, we may remove an item. You can find more information on prohibited medical drug claims here.
Examples of What is Allowed:
Resources: Small Business Assistance from the Food & Drug Administration; U.S. FDA and FTC for information about medical drug claims; US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
2. Animal Products and Human Remains
Certain animal products are highly regulated and not in the spirit of Great American Shops due to the risk of harm to live, companion, or endangered animals.
The following are examples of animal products that may not be sold on Great American Shops:
Examples of What is Allowed:
Resources: Endangered Species Act; Prohibition on Importation of Dog and Cat Fur Products
We expect all of our members to follow their local laws. If you are shipping items across international borders you should also consult CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) for specific information about importing and exporting items that may be threatened due to the nature of this trade. If you sell products containing feathers, you should also consult the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
3. Dangerous Items: Hazardous Materials, Recalled Items, and Weapons
For safety reasons and due to complex legal regulations surrounding certain items, we ask that our members not sell items that could be considered dangerous.
Due to the potential harm caused by hazardous materials, as well as complex legal regulations surrounding such materials, including shipping restrictions, hazardous materials are prohibited on Great American Shops.
While not exhaustive, the following materials are examples of prohibited hazardous materials:
Items that present an unreasonable risk of harm are prohibited, even if they have not been the subject of a recall. This would include, for example, items that present a choking hazard. We generally rely on information from various government agencies to identify these items.
Weapons
Context matters when it comes to defining what is or is not a weapon. When in doubt, it’s safe to assume that we won’t allow any tool or instrument that is intended to be used as a weapon to inflict harm on a person.
The following items are generally not allowed on Great American Shops:
Examples of What is Allowed:
Resources: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; FMCSA’s Guide to Complying with Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations; US Federal Government’s Guide to Recalled Items; US Code of Federal Regulations on Imitation Firearms; US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA); Great American Shops CPSIA Team; Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Product Safety; European Commission’s Consumer Safety; US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Resellers Guide to Selling Safer Products.
4. Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Hatred
We want Great American Shops to be a community where people of all backgrounds, nationalities, religions, political affiliations, and even different types of artistic taste and humor feel welcome. Art is incredibly subjective, and what is offensive to one is not necessarily offensive to others.
More Details:
Great American Shops does not allow items or listings that promote, support or glorify hatred toward people or otherwise demean people based upon: race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation (collectively, “protected groups”) or items or content that promote organizations or people with such views.
The following items are not allowed on Great American Shops:
Items that support or commemorate current or historical hate groups, including propaganda or collectibles. Examples of hate groups include Nazi or Neo-Nazi groups, Ku Klux Klan (KKK) groups, white supremacist groups, misogynist groups, or groups that advocate an anti-gay, anti-immigrant, or Holocaust denial agenda.
Items that contain racial slurs or derogatory terms in reference to protected groups.
Examples of What is Allowed:
We tend to allow items that have educational, historical, or artistic value, but we know that even those items are subject to a variety of valid and sometimes conflicting interpretations. Recognizing that there may be no consensus on their educational, historical, or artistic value, the following items are generally allowed on Great American Shops:
Resources: Federal Bureau of Investigation’s webpage on Hate Crimes, Illegal Items, Items Promoting Illegal Activity, and Highly Regulated Items.
We respect the law and expect Great American Shops sellers to respect the law as well.
More Details:
Illegal items and items that promote illegal activity, including counterfeit or stolen items, are generally not allowed on Great American Shops. Neither are certain items that are subject to complex legal regulations or registration systems. Because Great American Shops is a global company, it’s important to abide by the laws of the markets in which you are selling. What is legal in one country may be illegal in another. All forms of illegal activity are strictly prohibited. In addition, listings may not facilitate or promote illegal acts through images or descriptions.
Additionally, due to complex legal restrictions that vary by location, Great American Shops does not permit the sale of real estate or motor vehicles (for example: automobiles, motorcycles, boats, travel trailers, etc.).
We require sellers to follow all applicable laws for the items they list. Examples of items which may be subject to regulation include Native American crafts, plants and seeds, and food products.
5. Internationally Regulated Items
Great American Shops provides a direct connection between buyers and sellers around the world. If you buy or sell an item from another country, or if you enter into a transaction with someone across international borders, you are responsible for complying with laws and regulations of the country of destination as well as your local laws.
More Details:
When buying and selling internationally, you should comply with your local laws and also be aware that other countries may have their own set of restrictions. You might be prohibited from exporting or importing certain items under laws and regulations of the country of destination. The item you buy or sell may be subject to import taxes, customs duties, fees, and/or other regulations imposed by the country of destination. Learn more here about custom duties and import taxes that might apply to you.
When you use Great American Shops services, you are also responsible for complying with economic sanctions and trade restrictions, including those implemented by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) of the US Department of the Treasury. All Great American Shops members must comply with our Sanctions Policy, regardless of their location.
Great American Shops reserves the right to request that sellers provide additional information, disclose an item’s country of origin in a listing, or take other steps to meet compliance obligations.
You should be aware that third-party payment processors, such as PayPal, may independently monitor transactions for sanctions compliance and may block some transactions as part of their own compliance programs. Great American Shops has no authority or control over the independent decision-making of these providers.
Examples of What is Allowed:
Sanctions or compliance programs may have certain exceptions to their restrictions. For example, while OFAC broadly prohibits transactions involving goods that originate from sanctioned areas, there are exceptions for informational materials such as publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, tapes, compact disks, and certain artworks. Items that don’t originate from a sanctioned area, but make a reference to a sanctioned area are generally permitted.
Items which aren’t from Cuba, but are Cuban style, such as “Cuban Style Fedora Hats”
Resources: US Office of Foreign Assets control (OFAC) Sanctions.
6. Pornography and Mature Content
As a creative community, we tend to be fairly liberal about what we allow on Great American Shops, but we draw the line at pornography. Beyond that, we restrict mature content so that people who are offended by this kind of material don’t have to see it. If you are selling mature content, we ask that you understand that there are differing sensibilities around the world and that you try to be respectful.
More Details:
Pornography of any sort is prohibited on Great American Shops, whereas mature content is restricted.
Although pornography can be difficult to define, an item generally qualifies as pornography when it is a particularly extreme or explicit version of mature content.
We define mature content as depictions of male or female genitalia, sexual activity or content, profane language, violent images (within reason; see also Violent Items), and explicit types or representations of taxidermy.
Mature content must be properly listed and tagged as such. Not all nudity is considered mature, and examples of non-mature nudity are listed below. If you find yourself questioning whether your item is mature, then it is likely a good idea to assume that it is mature content, and you should label it as such.
When deciding whether mature content crosses over the threshold into pornography, we take into consideration how realistically mature image or images are portrayed, and the explicitness of depictions of sexual activity or content.
Examples of What is Allowed, Without Restriction:
Examples of What is Allowed, if Properly Marked as Mature:
7. Violent Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Violence
We want Great American Shops to be a safe place for everyone. While violent content can be a legitimate part of historical, educational, or artistic expression, it should never be used to promote or glorify violent acts against others.
More Details:
We do not allow Items or listings that promote, support or glorify acts of violence or harm towards self or others, including credible threats of harm or violence towards self or others.
The following items are not allowed on Great American Shops:
Examples of What is Allowed:
We hope these guidelines are helpful, but we cannot catalog every permitted or prohibited item. We reserve the right to remove listings that we determine are not within the spirit of Great American Shops. Such listings will be removed from the site, and the member’s selling privileges may be suspended and/or terminated.
If you see something on Great American Shops that appears to violate these rules, you can report it to us. At the bottom of a listing page, you can contact us and report the item to Great American Shops. To report copyright or intellectual property infringement, please follow the instructions in Great American Shops’ Intellectual Property Policy.
For all other reports, or for any questions, please contact Great American Shops Support.
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