one year on
Amazon listing cites OpenAI policy to reject customer order
A product page for a storage device on Amazon tells customers that OpenAI's use policy prevents the seller from fulfilling their request.
An Amazon product listing for a storage device under the brand name FOPEAS has gone viral on Hacker News after displaying the message: “I’m sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy.” The bizarre error message appeared on what was likely a previously existing page for a product that appears to be a knockoff or scam listing.
The seller’s account remains active, with many other listings described by users as “scammy” and written in “AI-nglish.” One Hacker News commenter noted that the seller also offers a “cat mirror” with “Massive Storage Capacity” for $898, while another pointed out a “double chin reduction bandage” listing.
Hacker News users quickly archived the page and shared screenshots, with many using the incident as a springboard to criticize Amazon’s ongoing problem with counterfeit and low-quality third-party listings. Comments veered into broader discussions about the decline of Amazon’s marketplace, with some users vowing to stop shopping there entirely.
The record
The community expressed a mix of amusement and frustration, with many pointing out that the seller's other listings also appear to be scammy or AI-generated. Some noted the irony of an Amazon seller invoking OpenAI's policy to refuse service. Others criticized Amazon for allowing such listings on its platform.
One year later — open only if you can handle spoilers
The incident became a minor meme in AI circles, used to illustrate both the absurdity of AI-generated content flooding e-commerce and the fragility of automated product description pipelines. Amazon never publicly addressed the specific listing, and the seller's store appeared to continue operating for some time afterward.
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