Adult listings??

[JanetB]

Not R18 Videos they are on the eBid banned item list.

I misunderstood the question. I thought the OP was asking if they could ship to USA only.

[JaBek1]

From the banned item list (http://uk.ebid.net/help_selling.php#29):

• Adult listings must be placed in the WHATEVERS LEFT > ADULT section.
• Various legal statutes exist regulating the sale and distribution of pornography and adult material, and by listing any such item at eBid you indicate your intent and ability to abide by all applicable laws.
• In the UK any material which is in breach of the criminal law, including material judged to be obscene under the current interpretation of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 cannot be listed under any circumstances.
• R18s or unclassified titles cannot be listed under any circumstances. See http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ for further information if in any doubt. R18s can only be sold in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied in licensed sex shops, and to persons of not less than 18 years in the UK. R rated films may be removed at our discretion

Interesting! So am I to understand that what is deemed obscene in the UK is determined by the Obscene Publications Act of 1959? Has this law been reviewed and revised any since its passage in what I take to be 1959? Frankly, over half a century seems a bit long. If there have been no revisions in all that time I would think it would be somewhat out of date for societies standards of today. Of course, I've always liked stories set in the Victorian era, but I'm not sure I would have wanted to live in that period.

Oh! I'm not quite sure of what an R18s rating is as related to adult material. Is it similar to R rated films or is it more X or triple X rated? How would the old Benny Hill shows figure into such a rating scheme?

After following the link, I'm afraid I still don't understand your film rating system. If I'm not mistaken, some of the material you rate as 18 or R18 might easily be shown here on non-restricted access channels late at night or at least on many subscriber only channels on the cable networks. Most interesting.

[astral276]

Oh! I'm not quite sure of what an R18s rating is as related to adult material.

If you follow the BBFC link you quoted you should find the info you need.

[damian_steele]

Interesting! So am I to understand that what is deemed obscene in the UK is determined by the Obscene Publications Act of 1959? Has this law been reviewed and revised any since its passage in what I take to be 1959?

Legal Acts in the UK are usually, if not always, referred to by the year in which they were originally passed. That date does not reflect the last, or previous, date/s in which an update or amendment was made.

Obscene Publications Act of 1959 has been amended, updated and altered on numerous occasions since its original introduction. Some of these changes were designed to keep pace with modern technologies, such as broadcast and publication media.


JOOI, it is often said that the definition of obscene is whatever gets the judge turned on.

[JaBek1]

If you follow the BBFC link you quoted you should find the info you need.

Alas! I'm afraid I'm still not certain as to what precisely differentiates R18 from 18. The nearest I can figure is that a 18 is something akin to X rated (aka Soft Porn) vs XXX (aka Hardcore Pornography). Of course, I'm not familiar with the licensing of adult cinema establishments or "sex shops" in the UK.

[JaBek1]

Legal Acts in the UK are usually, if not always, referred to by the year in which they were originally passed. That date does not reflect the last, or previous, date/s in which an update or amendment was made.

Obscene Publications Act of 1959 has been amended, updated and altered on numerous occasions since its original introduction. Some of these changes were designed to keep pace with modern technologies, such as broadcast and publication media.


JOOI, it is often said that the definition of obscene is whatever gets the judge turned on.

While I can understand the naming of laws to include the year enacted, I think it is common to name major amendments to them with something to indicate that it amends a particular act and the year of the amendment. But I could be mistaken and that only occurred to some of the ones I'm more familiar with.

Frankly, the way I understand it, the question of defining obscenity has, for the most part, been so ambiguous as to having become a mute point in most cases these days. However, I believe there is a rating system in the film & television industries that deals with content suitability for minors. Naturally, a lot depends on parental control being exercised by the parents.

While I'm really not overly concerned with the sale of adult material on eBid, I was interested in learning how exactly eBid determines which item is to be banned on the site. For example, if an item isn't permitted to be sold on eBid under UK law, does that mean that the item should be banned from the parts of eBid selling elsewhere, such as, the US eBid site? For that matter, should anything deemed to be legally non-smellable in the US or another eBid site, be banned from all eBid sites?

[TiasTreasures]

I know from previous threads that we are totally bound by U.K. law. One that has made several sellers unhappy is that knives are totally banned, even for U.S. sellers who want to offer them only in the U.S. Both eBay and Amazon have many knives of all types listed, not just the ones collectors want, but also combat knives. So, eBid will never have sellers competing for those buyers. I think they now allow tableware knives here, but that's it.

[JaBek1]

I know from previous threads that we are totally bound by U.K. law. One that has made several sellers unhappy is that knives are totally banned, even for U.S. sellers who want to offer them only in the U.S. Both eBay and Amazon have many knives of all types listed, not just the ones collectors want, but also combat knives. So, eBid will never have sellers competing for those buyers. I think they now allow tableware knives here, but that's it.

I'm not quite sure why a seller based in the US would be bound by UK law if they were not shipping to that country. I was under the impression that eBid was set up as a registered corporation in the US separately from the UK site with a headquarters right here in Florida. Am I mistaken?

Be that as it may. I'm trying to understand the BBFC system of ratings as it compares to the US system of G, PG, PG-13 and so on. Unfortunately, all too often topics are discussed here on the forums in terms the members from the UK are familiar with, but the rest of us are not. Although I enjoy the exchange of information with everyone across the pond and all the way to New Zealand and beyond, it is often quite difficult to grasp what is being discussed. And while I have no interest in listing a copy of "Debbie Does Dallas" or "Behind The Green Door," I would never be able to determine what an R18 rating meant since it is a rating system not utilized over here.

With regard to kitchen knives, perhaps a US based seller might be better off listing them on a US based venue where they could be listed with the provision of not being available to countries like the UK where they are prohibited.

I'm a bit curious though. Where do the chefs and culinary folk in the UK get their tools of the trade? Can they import quality knives from Germany? Do they have to have a special permit to be allowed to buy a chef's knife? Geez! Here we get a debate about having to show ID to vote, I can imagine the stink raised if it was required to obtain a special ID to buy a butcher knife in a department store? Oh! Can department stores actually sell kitchen knives in the UK?

[astral276]

Alas! I'm afraid I'm still not certain as to what precisely differentiates R18 from 18. The nearest I can figure is that a 18 is something akin to X rated (aka Soft Porn) vs XXX (aka Hardcore Pornography). Of course, I'm not familiar with the licensing of adult cinema establishments or "sex shops" in the UK.

I thought the link gave the information needed. The primary thing about R18 certificate media that affects eBid is that is can only be sold through specially licensed establishments in the UK, which means its sale online is illegal. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/sites/default/...s%202009_3.pdf expands on the classifications.

[astral276]

I'm not quite sure why a seller based in the US would be bound by UK law if they were not shipping to that country. I was under the impression that eBid was set up as a registered corporation in the US separately from the UK site with a headquarters right here in Florida. Am I mistaken?

I think it is often the difficulty of policing listings for varying laws across varying countries. There is always some idiot that will use the system to circumvent local restrictions. Such was the case with knives which resulted in the blanket ban.

Be that as it may. I'm trying to understand the BBFC system of ratings as it compares to the US system of G, PG, PG-13 and so on.

I don't think there is a direct correlation; each country has its own laws and definitions on what is or is not acceptable. As far as I understand, for items such as these to be sold in a country it must be classified in that country. So, although an item may be classified 18 in the UK, the US regulator may rate it higher or lower and apply their own classification for sale in the US.

And while I have no interest in listing a copy of "Debbie Does Dallas" or "Behind The Green Door,"...

I've not seen the latter one, I shall have to look out for it. Thanks for the tip.

Where do the chefs and culinary folk in the UK get their tools of the trade?

Again it is down to law/regulations. Certain types of knife are illegal in the UK. Others may only be sold to adults. The seller is legally required to be satisfied that the purchaser is of age. The topic has been done to death on forums in the past.