<p>Amazon.com Inc said it has banned foreign sales of seeds in the United States after thousands of Americans received unsolicited packages of seeds in their mailboxes, mostly postmarked from China.</p>.<p>The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in July identified more than a dozen plant species ranging from morning glories to mustard in the bags of unsolicited seeds. It warned Americans not to plant the seeds.</p>.<p>According to plant experts, seeds from other parts of the world could be non-native varieties that harm commodity crops.</p>.<p>"Moving forward, we are only permitting the sale of seeds by sellers who are based in the US," Amazon said in an emailed statement on Saturday.</p>.<p>The company changed its policy on seed sales on Wednesday. The policy change was first reported by the <em>Wall Street Journal.</em></p>.<p>The company added that sellers who do not follow its guidelines will be subject to action, including potential removal of their accounts.</p>.<p>According to Amazon's policy web page, the ban extends to plants and plant products.</p>.<p>The USDA in July said the packages were most likely part of a "brushing" scam, in which people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false positive customer reviews to boost sales.</p>.<p>In an update on Aug. 11, Osama El-Lissy, a deputy administrator for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), said the experts analyzing some of the seeds from China found very few problems. El-Lissy added that the two countries were working jointly on the investigation.</p>
<p>Amazon.com Inc said it has banned foreign sales of seeds in the United States after thousands of Americans received unsolicited packages of seeds in their mailboxes, mostly postmarked from China.</p>.<p>The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in July identified more than a dozen plant species ranging from morning glories to mustard in the bags of unsolicited seeds. It warned Americans not to plant the seeds.</p>.<p>According to plant experts, seeds from other parts of the world could be non-native varieties that harm commodity crops.</p>.<p>"Moving forward, we are only permitting the sale of seeds by sellers who are based in the US," Amazon said in an emailed statement on Saturday.</p>.<p>The company changed its policy on seed sales on Wednesday. The policy change was first reported by the <em>Wall Street Journal.</em></p>.<p>The company added that sellers who do not follow its guidelines will be subject to action, including potential removal of their accounts.</p>.<p>According to Amazon's policy web page, the ban extends to plants and plant products.</p>.<p>The USDA in July said the packages were most likely part of a "brushing" scam, in which people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false positive customer reviews to boost sales.</p>.<p>In an update on Aug. 11, Osama El-Lissy, a deputy administrator for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), said the experts analyzing some of the seeds from China found very few problems. El-Lissy added that the two countries were working jointly on the investigation.</p>