Ebay will no longer let users sell Jeffrey Dahmer themed costumes, a blow sure to bum folks looking to ruin this year’s Halloween party by casually dressing up as the notorious necrophiliac serial killer.
The ban, first reported on by BuzzFeed News, reportedly comes amid a surge of listing following the release of the recent hit Netflix show Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, based on the serial killer’ life. Images of the costume obtained by BuzzFeed show users selling a replica of Dahmer’s orange jumpsuit and a mask featuring his very recognisable bulky glasses.
For anyone unaware, Dahmer was an American serial killer who killed 17 boys and young men in the 70s and 80s. So, naturally, for deep psychological reasons far too complex for this article to dive into, the recently released Dahmer biopic is absolutely crushing it on Netflix.
An eBay spokesperson confirmed the ban in an email sent to Gizmodo Thursday. The Dahmer costumes apparently violate eBay’s Violence and Violent Criminals Policy which prohibits listings that, “glorify violence or violent acts, or are associated with individuals who are notorious for committing violent acts.” The policy also prohibits users from selling items that “benefit” violent felons or films, images, or devices that contain or claim to contain depictions of rape, executions, or body pars of dead people. In other words, the rule seems almost custom written for Dahmer paraphernalia.
Ebay says it created the policy “out of respect for victims of violent crime,” and as part of a broader effort to make sure its platform promotes trust and safety. Gizmodo could not find Dahmer costumes on the platform when writing this though we did find one listing for Dahmer inspired glasses when we searched the term “Jeffrey Dahmer costume.”