Because these companies have large legal departments essentially in charge of minimizing regulatory and reputational risk. It's the same reason they've been progressively cracking down on firearm accessories, BB guns, knives, fireworks, laboratory chemicals, erotica, pill presses, and a bunch of other things over the past 20 years. All of that is generally legal in the US but makes lawyers and PR people queasy. It's not just marketplaces, Paypal has asinine rules on what you can and cannot pay for. So does Google Pay, Zelle, Venmo, and so on.

I don't think it's useful to point out inconsistencies; the bottom line is that lasers will be on the chopping block within our lifetime too.

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ErroneousBosh 3 hours ago | parent [-]

You can't buy firearms parts or tooling on eBay in the UK because quite frankly if you're a gunsmith you're probably not buying stuff on eBay, and it's unlikely that anyone who isn't a qualified gunsmith is buying them for anything legit. Similarly, there are age restrictions on buying bladed items, just as there are on buying bladed items in shops. Turns out that all those 13-year-olds buying 14" butcher knives weren't actually filleting venison with them, who would have thought it?

Yer cheapy Chinese radios though? Baofengs are currently about £19 each on eBay, with a discount for quantity.

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BenjiWiebe an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Why wouldn't a gunsmith buy stuff on eBay?

We buy lots of stuff for our dairy/cheese plant business from eBay.

When I worked in a mechanic shop there were always parts on the way from eBay too.

	▲	ErroneousBosh an hour ago \| parent [-]
		The amateur gunsmith scene in the UK is pretty small and if you're buying and selling parts and tools, you probably already know who you're buying from or selling to. It's easier just to speak to someone, bank transfer some money over, and they'll stick it in the post.

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lstodd 12 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

If someone wants a 14" blade, one can fetch some steel from a junkyard and apply an angle grinder to it. Best results with leaf springs. Then wrap one end with electrical tape and it'll chop an arm or a head off no problem. A bit more effort with the grinder and you get yourself something like a gladius.

Now, what is the point of those bans? So people feel safer while not being safer?