Amazon bans sale of imported seeds to US due to mystery packets from China

Amazon has barred foreign sales of seeds to the US after it found that mystery packets, mostly from China, were being shipped to Americans.

The retail giant's updated policy on plant and seed products prohibits the sale of seeds from outside the US or by non-US residents.

The new policy, updated on September 2, extends to both plants and plant products.

Sellers who don't comply with Amazon's policies could suffer cancellations or suspension of their accounts, banning from selling on the site, or forfeiture of payments.

It's uncertain if Amazon's seed ban will extend to other countries.

The mystery packages of seeds with postmarks from China were sent to US households beginning July.

Packages were mislabeled, with some specifying it contains jewelry or beads, but containing seeds.

It's still unclear who is sending the seed packets or why.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) believes the packages are a part of a "brushing scam" where sellers send unsolicited items to people and then post false customer reviews to boost sales.

The USDA says it has been working with China in investigating the mass shipment of seed packages and in determining how to stop unsolicited imports.

There were 321 different species of seed that have been identified coming from 8,507 packages that were sent to 50 states.

So far, no major problems have been found by experts examining the seeds from China.

But agriculture officials are discouraging those who receive the seeds from planting them, as these could be invasive species that destroy the environment.

Several agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Postal Service, the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection, and state agriculture departments, are also investigating the situation.