Global retail giant Amazon stops all machete sales in Australia after landmark sale ban in Victoria

Global retail behemoth Amazon has ceased all sales of machetes in Australia, prompted one week after revelations from the Herald Sun they were being sold online despite the statewide ban.

Amazong has stopped all online machete sales in Australia. Picture: Supplied

Amazon has stopped all online machete sales in Australia.

One week after the Sunday Herald Sun revealed the deadly weapons could be bought on Amazon despite the Allan government’s landmark sale ban, the global retailer has axed their sales across the entire country.

Amazon is the largest of the 27 online retailers to have also stopped the sale of machetes following a blitz by Consumer Affairs.

The Sunday Herald Sun was able to place online orders for illegal machetes for as little as $30 for several days after the Allan government banned all sales.

Retailers risked fines of up to $2.5million for stocking the knives with a state government spokesman saying only two of the 29 online retailers seen flouting machete were still breaking the law.

“In Victoria, community safety comes first. We must never let places we meet become places we fear,” a spokesperson said.

“Our Australia-first machete sale ban has removed machetes from sale on Amazon.com.au — not just in Victoria, but across the whole country.”

One week after the Sunday Herald Sun revealed the deadly weapons could be bought on Amazon, the global retailer has axed their sales across the entire country. Picture: Mark Stewart Machete

The Allan government has been under immense public pressure to crack down on machetes following a spate of attacks with the weapons including the gruesome Northland stabbing frenzy late last month.

Yesterday Amazon had wiped all machetes and large knives from their online store, with only small hunting knives available to purchase.

But a number of large machetes were yesterday still being advertised on eBay.

Consumer Affairs Victoria have another 30 online retailers in their sights and were contacted by government officials last week.

Their inspectors are continuing tests to see whether those retailers are complying with the ban and will be dealt with if they fail to do so.

“We’ve been working with dozens of online retailers, and the vast majority are now complying with our new rules to ban the sale of machetes,” the spokesperson added.

“We introduced Australia’s toughest bail laws, including toughening bail for knife crimes and expanding random knife search powers.

“We banned the sale of machetes and soon, the ban on their possession kicks in.”

An Amazon spokesperson said they had removed the weapons “following the decision by the Victorian state government”. Picture: Supplied

The ban on the sale of machetes came during a period of extreme community angst after the horrific alleged Northland stabbing frenzy late last month.

Police were also called to a western suburbs shopping centre following reports of youths armed with machetes causing chaos on Friday night.

Victoria Police are confiscating 44 banned blades, machetes and zombie knives each day as the state heads toward record seizure levels.

Police have already seized almost 7,000 edged weapons from the wrong hands so far this year.

About 75 per cent of those weapons were seized from the city and inner suburbs.

An Amazon spokesperson said they had removed the weapons “following the decision by the Victorian state government”.

Originally published as Global retail giant Amazon stops all machete sales in Australia after landmark sale ban in Victoria