6 ms·

This is a unfortunate turn of events. When I worked for Amazon we were a neutral vendor and would sell anything that is legal. There were a number of first ame

This is a unfortunate turn of events. When I worked for Amazon we were a neutral vendor and would sell anything that is legal. There were a number of first amendment right fights as well. But clearly that era has come to a close.

driverdan 11y ago
It came to a close a long time ago. Amazon refuses to sell many legal products, eg caffeine powder and anything with the confederate flag.
- nerfhammer 11y ago
  There is a difference between refusing to sell things you think are unethical even if you disagree with the reasoning vs. refusing to sell things for baldly anti-competitive reasons
  - scott_karana 11y ago
    There is a difference, but it's definitely one that can be intentionally conflated if it suits them.
  - toomuchtodo 11y ago
    They still sell the current American flag, and we've killed what, over 100K civilians in the middle east in an unnecessary war? I guess fake outrage is necessary to fill the 24 hour news cycle.
  - Lawtonfogle 11y ago
    It isn't about ethics, it is about appealing to the masses under a very shallow guise of ethics. That might not change your point much, but for me personally, it leaves a more bitter taste in my mouth.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
- awakeasleep 11y ago
  Just in case anyone is interested in caffeine powder (interesting because it sublimates) do yourself a favor and don't order it. The smallest orders available online are enough to kill an elephant, and you need a $500+ scale to dose it accurately enough to keep a human from overdosing. And while most human overdoses will be uniquely unpleasant but not lethal, there is definitely the potential for a lethal dose if someone puts a tablespoonful into a drink or something. Pure caffeine is a uniquely bad thing to have around your living quarters. It's basically a poison (because of the difficulty in measuring dosage and small range between useful and dangerous effect), but people feel very comfortable with it, imagine it's safe to eat, and a big enough chunk of people will act macho towards it.
  - justinhj 11y ago
    Doesn't seem that crazy to me. One site I looked at sells 300 capsules for $15 and the whole page is littered with clear warnings about overdose. The lethal dose of caffeine seems to be around 5 to 10 grams so you'd have to eat 25 200mg capsules in a short period to get into danger. That doesn't seem any more dangerous than something like tylenol which they do sell.
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]
    - tomjen3 11y ago
      I think the grandparents warning only applies to pure caffein powder. Essentially pills are (professionally) predosed to be safe, so it shouldn't be a problem.
    - Obi_Juan_Kenobi 11y ago
      The danger is with powders, not pills. Dosing powders requires you have a scale that is more accurate than what most people have, and proper technique in weighing it. The best way for most people to get an accurate dosage is to compound the caffeine with some filler and weigh that (cut it, basically). Honestly, the only reason you should be dealing with powders is if you're making your own 'stack' of nootropics.
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
  Legality should not be the bar you hold products to. For example, you don't want to sell products which don't work. You don't want to sell mislabelled products.
icefox 11y ago
Hmm, guess it is also time for a new neutral vendor to rise up? Anyone interested in funding an startup that will provide warehousing and an online marketplace for physical goods in a neutral manor to ultimately benefit consumers and shareholders? We also promise to try to make the search better than amazons. email is in my profile.
- vlunkr 11y ago
  A huge part of Amazon's success is that they don't do all of the warehousing. It's quite easy to become a seller on Amazon and ship stuff from your home. That's how they can have such a massive selection of items for sale. Obviously they also have huge warehouses. Good luck competing with them though :)
  - icefox 11y ago
    Which is really what the discussion is about, besides ebay who else competes in this space?
berdario 11y ago
That era is over since 2010 at least. http://teleread.com/ebooks/amazon-removes-incest-related-erotica-titles-from-store-kindle-archive/ http://teleread.com/ebooks/amazon-removes-incest-related-ero... Color me cynical, but I don't have the slightest faith in a corporation's fairness and integrity.

driverdan 11y ago

It came to a close a long time ago. Amazon refuses to sell many legal products, eg caffeine powder and anything with the confederate flag.

nerfhammer 11y ago
There is a difference between refusing to sell things you think are unethical even if you disagree with the reasoning vs. refusing to sell things for baldly anti-competitive reasons
- scott_karana 11y ago
  There is a difference, but it's definitely one that can be intentionally conflated if it suits them.
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  They still sell the current American flag, and we've killed what, over 100K civilians in the middle east in an unnecessary war? I guess fake outrage is necessary to fill the 24 hour news cycle.
- Lawtonfogle 11y ago
  It isn't about ethics, it is about appealing to the masses under a very shallow guise of ethics. That might not change your point much, but for me personally, it leaves a more bitter taste in my mouth.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
awakeasleep 11y ago
Just in case anyone is interested in caffeine powder (interesting because it sublimates) do yourself a favor and don't order it. The smallest orders available online are enough to kill an elephant, and you need a $500+ scale to dose it accurately enough to keep a human from overdosing. And while most human overdoses will be uniquely unpleasant but not lethal, there is definitely the potential for a lethal dose if someone puts a tablespoonful into a drink or something. Pure caffeine is a uniquely bad thing to have around your living quarters. It's basically a poison (because of the difficulty in measuring dosage and small range between useful and dangerous effect), but people feel very comfortable with it, imagine it's safe to eat, and a big enough chunk of people will act macho towards it.
- justinhj 11y ago
  Doesn't seem that crazy to me. One site I looked at sells 300 capsules for $15 and the whole page is littered with clear warnings about overdose. The lethal dose of caffeine seems to be around 5 to 10 grams so you'd have to eat 25 200mg capsules in a short period to get into danger. That doesn't seem any more dangerous than something like tylenol which they do sell.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
  - tomjen3 11y ago
    I think the grandparents warning only applies to pure caffein powder. Essentially pills are (professionally) predosed to be safe, so it shouldn't be a problem.
  - Obi_Juan_Kenobi 11y ago
    The danger is with powders, not pills. Dosing powders requires you have a scale that is more accurate than what most people have, and proper technique in weighing it. The best way for most people to get an accurate dosage is to compound the caffeine with some filler and weigh that (cut it, basically). Honestly, the only reason you should be dealing with powders is if you're making your own 'stack' of nootropics.
TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
Legality should not be the bar you hold products to. For example, you don't want to sell products which don't work. You don't want to sell mislabelled products.

icefox 11y ago

Hmm, guess it is also time for a new neutral vendor to rise up? Anyone interested in funding an startup that will provide warehousing and an online marketplace for physical goods in a neutral manor to ultimately benefit consumers and shareholders? We also promise to try to make the search better than amazons. email is in my profile.

vlunkr 11y ago
A huge part of Amazon's success is that they don't do all of the warehousing. It's quite easy to become a seller on Amazon and ship stuff from your home. That's how they can have such a massive selection of items for sale. Obviously they also have huge warehouses. Good luck competing with them though :)
- icefox 11y ago
  Which is really what the discussion is about, besides ebay who else competes in this space?

berdario 11y ago

That era is over since 2010 at least. http://teleread.com/ebooks/amazon-removes-incest-related-erotica-titles-from-store-kindle-archive/ http://teleread.com/ebooks/amazon-removes-incest-related-ero... Color me cynical, but I don't have the slightest faith in a corporation's fairness and integrity.