Shopee MY deletes listing with pictures of young boys under personal pleasure category

 Shopee MY has been put in the spotlight after a tweet went viral for an inappropriate listing on its platform where male children were listed with the words "Good stuff for sale". In the pictures taken by the netizen, a young boy was listed for RM6,942 under Shopee's health and beauty category and listed under personal pleasure. The seller who posted the listing up provided descriptions for the "product" in Malay, which translates to "masturbation material to be sold", "limited edition vintage item", "used", and "can pm to negotiate the price".

In the tweet, the netizen questioned if the listings were real. Several netizens have also questioned Shopee, as to whether they vet or regulate listings before sellers can post them up. 

https://twitter.com/softcrocodile/status/1555463549681549312?s=20&t=F9DCZ-asukgJgcWde16wyA

https://twitter.com/MazlinaTahir/status/1555495402555641856?s=20&t=HZx6ave3v9dAYvQvwUtVQg


In response to the backlash, Shopee replied to the tweet, thanking the netizen for highlighting the issue to Shopee. "Action has been taken to the above listing, and do report to us if have found a similar listing," it said. A quick search done by A+M found that the listing has been removed. 

https://twitter.com/ShopeeMY/status/1555504957151154178?s=20&t=HZx6ave3v9dAYvQvwUtVQg

Currently, according to Shopee's prohibited and restricted items policy, if a seller posts a listing of a prohibited item, the listing may be deleted. Additionally, the seller's account privileges may be restricted, and the account may be suspended or terminated. Legal action can also be taken against the seller.

In an exclusive statement to A+M, Shopee’s spokesperson explained that it has zero tolerance for the sale of prohibited items on its platform, including any form of abusive material. “We require our sellers to comply with local laws and regulations as well as our own stringent policies,” he said. The account is permanently banned, and Shopee will also comply to relevant authorities for any investigations.

Some of the items Shopee currently prohibits include credit/debit cards, drugs, embargoed goods, and obscene, seditious or treasonous materials, among others. It also urged buyers to report listings to Shopee if they see a listing violating its policies. Shopee will then send an email, system message and push notification to sellers to notify them of the removal of their listing. It will also send a push notification to the buyer.

In January, Shopee issued a warning to the public to be wary of individuals impersonating the eCommerce platform's employees. These individuals were said to offer employment opportunities, cash rewards, and lucky draws via messaging platforms, such as Whatsapp. Addressing the issue, Shopee said in a statement that it does not recruit employees through messaging platforms for purposes of "increasing the exposure rate of merchants". 

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