Google Shopping blacklisting all guns and gun related items?

[Trekmtbr89]

I was notified Google Shopping is changing to a commercial interface. At the time I was looking up a gun part in google shopping tab as I normally do. "No records found", I tried serval other obvious gun related searches and all came up blank.

Is Blacklisting Gun related items in google shopping tab a new policy?

[Jeff]

I just did a couple searches and found tons of gun stuff. Same as it's always been for me.

[Evild]

I was notified Google Shopping is changing to a commercial interface. At the time I was looking up a gun part in google shopping tab as I normally do. "No records found", I tried serval other obvious gun related searches and all came up blank.

Is Blacklisting Gun related items in google shopping tab a new policy?

i just did a search for "gunparts" and got 4 million + hits, ar lower got a bunch, ar upper got a bunch, maybe you hit it while they were doing maintenance or something.

[Darthgamer138]

Ehh, let's not be hasty. I just searched for a Glock and a Walther PPQ to try this and no results. I used to have lots of results on Shopping. Buds, Impact guns etc. None now...

[Jeff]

Google shopping for Glock...

Search
About 257,000 results (0.19 seconds)

[Jeff]

Do you have "safe search" turned on? Maybe that affects it.

[Justin]

Guys the OP is not talking about google search itself.... hes talking about searching from the shopping tab of google.

[Darthgamer138]

Glock 17 under "Shopping"

0 results.

Guys the OP is not talking about google search itself.... hes talking about searching from the shopping tab of google.

We know. :P

[Justin]

Google Shopping Policies - Google Merchant Center Help

Click on "Unacceptable Product Categories"

[DragonFyre]

Searched glock under shopping and got 258,000 results

[nessman]

Searched Sig Sauer P239 and got 5,000 results.

[Justin]

[quadturbo]

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[Justin]

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Show off! lol wonder why it works for some and not others??

[quadturbo]

isp blocking it maybe?

[Justin]

isp blocking it maybe?

I never had a problem before I saw this post.... actually I was looking at guns last night via google shopping

[Dozer]

Looks like a policy decision.

Other prohibited categories

The following products are not allowed on Google Shopping:

• Vehicles
• Guns, ammunition and knives
• Tobacco and cigarettes
• Traffic devices (Learn more)
• Products related to casino and gambling
• Products or digital goods that require additional software installation in order to be purchased.
• Products bundled with service plans. (Note: The only products that are allowed to be submitted with a service plan are mobile devices.)

Google Shopping policies - Google Merchant Center Help

Also, the policy goes into effect July 1, so those of you getting results now may not get results later.

Edit: Oops, Justin had the link up first. Sorry.

[DannyDifalco]

wow i used to love google shopping.... not anymore...

[Darthgamer138]

Knives!? Holy shiz! That is a big online business. That isn't very smart Google. I buy all my Spyderco knives online.

[Dieter122]

So....no fun stuff permitted on it? Fail

[NYcarry]

Hmm this should be interesting.

Building a better shopping experience on Google



On May 31, 2012, we announced a new initiative to improve our shopping experience over time, so that shoppers (your customers) can easily research purchases, compare different products, their features and prices, and then connect directly with merchants to make their purchase.a
This new product discovery experience will be a purely commercial experience called Google Shopping. With the launch of Google Shopping, Google Product Search will be discontinued.
We believe that having a commercial relationship with merchants will encourage them to keep their product information fresh and up to date. Higher quality data — whether it’s accurate prices, the latest offers, or product availability — should mean better shopping results for users, which in turn should create higher quality traffic for merchants.
Organic web results on Google.com will not be affected by this transition.
At this time, this initiative applies only to merchants submitting feeds that are targeted to the U.S.
Details of the announcement can be found here.
What is changing to my existing Merchant Center account and Product Search data feeds?

Your product feeds will continue to be uploaded through Google Merchant Center. Google Shopping will, however, have updated feed specifications and policies.
More information on how to maintain and grow your traffic from commercial Google Shopping, and on thespecial incentive we are offering to merchants, can be found here.
What feed specifications and policies apply to Google Shopping?

Google Shopping is using a single set of feed specifications and policies, whereas we previously had separate policies and specifications for Google Product Search and Product Listing Ads.
In order for your products to continue to appear on Google Shopping, your feed will need to meet our feed specifications.
All of the items in your feed must be in compliance with the Google Shopping policies. In particular, all items have to be family-safe.
Merchants who will be affected by policy changes should expect an email notification from us in June 2012.
What is a Product Listing Ad? How do I start submitting them?

Product Listing Ads are AdWords search ads that include rich product information, such as product image, price, and merchant name. Whenever a user enters a search query on Google.com relevant to an item you are trying to sell, Google will automatically show the most relevant products along with the associated image, price, and product name.
Product information for Product Listing Ads is submitted through data feeds managed through Google Merchant Center. Learn more about getting started with Product Listing Ads. In order for your products to continue to appear on Google Shopping, your feed will need to meet our feed specifications. All of the items in your feed must be in compliance with the Google Shopping policies.

[NYcarry]

Looks like a lot of accessories will be disallowed too, WTH
Weapons - Advertising Policies Help

[JMD]

I wondered about that. I was interested in seeing how much a Berretta 92FS costs an looked at Google shopping. I thought it was odd that it said there were no results. Just now I tried searching for "glock" and "M1A" (which I know returned plenty of results before). Both came up empty. Very foolish of google in my opinion. Maybe I'll have to switch to Bing.

[Darthgamer138]

I wondered about that. I was interested in seeing how much a Berretta 92FS costs an looked at Google shopping. I thought it was odd that it said there were no results. Just now I tried searching for "glock" and "M1A" (which I know returned plenty of results before). Both came up empty. Very foolish of google in my opinion. Maybe I'll have to switch to Bing.

All it will lead me to do is go to actual sites to get prices. Buds, Impact Guns, Gunbroker, etc.

Nothing more than a GUNZ R BAD move.

[Trekmtbr89]

Unacceptable product categories
Affiliates, cataloged drop-shipping programs, and multi-level marketing

The promotion of affiliate or pay-per-click links, products sold through a commission-based relationship, or sites that bulk list products fulfilled through drop-ship consolidators is not allowed. This includes item pages that are made up almost entirely of advertisements, or pages where advertisements obstruct the view of the submitted product. The promotion of multi-level marketing (MLM) business products is also not permitted, such as businesses that recruit members and offer them rewards for recruiting others and/or selling services
Services

Services are not allowed on Google Shopping.
Examples of listings disallowed:

• Event tickets
• Subscriptions, such as magazine subscriptions or any kind of service subscription.
• Online courses

Other prohibited categories

The following products are not allowed on Google Shopping:

• Vehicles
• Guns, ammunition and knives
• Tobacco and cigarettes
• Traffic devices (Learn more)
• Products related to casino and gambling
• Products or digital goods that require additional software installation in order to be purchased.
• Products bundled with service plans. (Note: The only products that are allowed to be submitted with a service plan are mobile devices.)