El Presidente Posted August 3, 2011 Posted August 3, 2011 PayPal and e-Bay impose U.S. Blockade against Cuba in Germany 2011.08.03 - 14:33:53 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu. Cuba-AlemaniaHAVANA, Cuba.- Online auction site eBay and its subsidiary PayPal are prohibiting German merchants from doing Cuba-related transactions, prompting accusations the company is violating European law, a local newspaper reported. The German newspaper Die Welt slammed the move against German website owners selling Cuban cigars who have had their transactions blocked and their Paypal accounts closed. The daily labeled the actions as “grossly unlawful.” PayPal recently demanded the German firm Rum & Co to take the cigars, rum and other products from the island out of its website. The move apparently responds to the nearly 50-year U.S. blockade against Cuba, which prohibits American companies from doing business with the island. “But there are no such restrictions against European Union companies and, EBay, which is based in California, has allowed Cuba-related transactions by Europeans to go through in the past,” reads the German newspaper. Thomas Altman, who sells Cuban cigars and spirits through his internet store, told Die Welt that “PayPal has closed his account despite his protests, making it impossible for him to sell his products.” A PayPal spokesman confirmed the closure of Altman’s shop and several others to the newspaper, stating that the decision responds to the policies of its US parent company. The daily notes that Paypal did not offer alternatives for merchants such as Silke Wolf who said she had lost up to 60 percent of her business through the company. “This has now disappeared and we have no substitute,” she told Die Welt, speculating the move was actually calculated to protect American alcohol brands. Aggrieved online retailers say they’re mulling their legal options and a class action lawsuit is one possibility. International trade expert Lothar Harings, with the law firm Graf von Westphalen, thinks they’d likely be successful. He called eBay’s actions “grossly unlawful” in Germany. Die Welt quoted Harings as saying: “eBay itself is violating EU law, mainly EU blocking regulations.” The regulations, which explicitly allow Europeans to do business with Cuba, were formulated in response to US sanctions against Cuba. (ACN)
First Lady Posted August 3, 2011 Posted August 3, 2011 I hope the sue the bastards... getting out of control
El Presidente Posted August 3, 2011 Author Posted August 3, 2011 I hope the sue the bastards... getting out of control Lucky we don't sell cigars Lise
Colt45 Posted August 3, 2011 Posted August 3, 2011 Lucky we don't sell cigars Lise You, my friend, sell a lifestyle!
Wil Posted August 3, 2011 Posted August 3, 2011 That is so bad. This came to mind... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvnNampjni4
El Presidente Posted August 3, 2011 Author Posted August 3, 2011 One of my favourite movies on a Saturday afternoon with mates
CaptainQuintero Posted August 3, 2011 Posted August 3, 2011 PayPal will ***** and policy filp for anything, in the UK they stopped any purchases of knives/swords/axes (yes even kitchen knives) with their system, because of "knife crime"
Bahnofstrasse Posted August 4, 2011 Posted August 4, 2011 Give me a break! Seems a bit out of line as they are operating in Deutschland?
First Lady Posted August 4, 2011 Posted August 4, 2011 Lucky we don't sell cigars Lise No just heaps of watch straps
First Lady Posted August 4, 2011 Posted August 4, 2011 PayPal will ***** and policy filp for anything, in the UK they stopped any purchases of knives/swords/axes (yes even kitchen knives) with their system, because of "knife crime" hence Paypal will soon be a thing of the past.... we don't use them anymore because of their stupid restrictions and charges..
CaptainQuintero Posted August 4, 2011 Posted August 4, 2011 hence Paypal will soon be a thing of the past.... we don't use them anymore because of their stupid restrictions and charges.. Then how will people buy my old underwear off eBay?!
First Lady Posted August 4, 2011 Posted August 4, 2011 Then how will people buy my old underwear off eBay?! they must be special undies LOLOL
rckymtn22 Posted August 4, 2011 Posted August 4, 2011 Then how will people buy my old underwear off eBay?! Just make sure you are not selling your Cuban underwear!
amosnaim Posted August 4, 2011 Posted August 4, 2011 that's unreal. i would have never gussed paypal and ebay will take such actions.
mazolaman Posted August 4, 2011 Posted August 4, 2011 I suppose we don't know how much they are being leaned on. One Swiss bank used to take the US dollar from Cuba,but was leaned on and threatened by the Bush admin,ie,deal with them,and you'll get no more business from us......so the dollar became useless in Cuba,as they have no means of cashing them. Economic bullying.
MadMax Posted August 4, 2011 Posted August 4, 2011 PayPal became a joke when ebaY bought them and stopped all transactions with online poker!!
AlexOk Posted August 6, 2011 Posted August 6, 2011 Ok, what has happened in the meantime: A single dealer has removed the Cuban articles 'cause PayPal had closed the customers bank accounts. Other traders terminate the cooperation with PayPal. IMHO the only right decision. But the jury is still out. Lawsuits at the European Court will be checked.
danclough Posted August 7, 2011 Posted August 7, 2011 Seems to me that Paypal / Ebay must have gotten squeezed on this one, right? This policy will obviously cost them revenue, so it stands to reason that some "entity" convinced them that the revenue they would lose if they didn't take this course of action would be greater.
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