eBay to ban sale of Tarot readings and spells

eBay is to ban the sale of Tarot readings and spells on its auction website from the end of this month, citing difficulties resolving customer complaints.

The popular website will be removing any listing for witchcraft-related services, such as Tarot readings, spells, curses and blessings, in September, according to the BBC, and those who still attempt to sell such services may suffer account suspension.eBays rationale is that these services often cause problems between buyers and sellers which are not easy to resolve. It is almost impossible to prove that a witch has actually performed the spell an individual has purchased, for example, while a Tarot reading may simply be waffle about tall dark strangers and good fortune, leading to customers demanding their money back.Of course, there is an opposing argument for allowing such services to remain available. Users should always be entitled to purchase what they want, within obvious limits, and providing such services feature disclaimers and are transparent about exactly what is being offered, no real harm can be done (except maybe if someone does purchase a curse that works).The ban is seen by some, including 1140 people who signed an online petition against the move, as a form of censorship, as it prohibits the free sale of services that may be tied to peoples beliefs or religious practices.On the flip side, there are undoubtedly many fraudsters out there who take advantage of the inability to prove these occult phenomena, and so eBay has a responsibility to protect buyers. The difficulty is in walking that tightrope between protecting people and censoring others.Source: BBC