How banned $156 fetal sex tests reached India via eBay

• Reuters found at least nine gender-test kits listed on eBay.
• The products were available for delivery to India.
• Prices ranged from $6.99 to $156.59.
• eBay removed the listings after Reuters raised concerns.
• India prohibits prenatal sex determination under a 1994 law.

eBay has launched an internal review of its safeguards after Reuters found multiple gender-prediction kits listed on its shopping platform for delivery to India, where using such products is a criminal offense.

The Reuters investigation identified at least nine listings from third-party sellers offering gender-testing kits, including products from brands such as SneakPeek and Peekaboo. The kits were priced between $6.99 and $156.59 and were shown as available for shipment to India through eBay's international shipping system.

After Reuters contacted eBay about the listings, the company removed them.

“These listings violated local regulations and eBay’s policies, and we are reviewing these controls, including the relevant shipping and checkout experience, to determine whether further enhancements are appropriate,” eBay said in a statement to Reuters.

“EBay has controls in place intended to prevent certain gender-prediction products from being visible in India,” the company added.

The findings highlight the difficulties global online marketplaces can face in enforcing country-specific restrictions when products are sold by independent sellers and made available across borders.

eBay listings offered gender-test kits for delivery to India

eBay, which has about 136 million active buyers worldwide, operates as a major global marketplace where products are primarily listed by third-party sellers. Although the company does not operate a dedicated Indian shopping website, it offers international delivery to customers in the country.

The listings identified by Reuters included products marketed as ways for expectant parents to determine a baby's sex early in pregnancy.

One listing offered the Peekaboo test, manufactured by US-based DNA Diagnostics Center. The product was marketed as a way to “get your baby's gender at 6 weeks ... accurate and easy to use,” and the listing included free shipping.

DNA Diagnostics Center told Reuters that it does not sell or distribute the kits for resale in India. The company said it does not control the actions of independent third parties after a product has been purchased.

SneakPeek did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Cybersecurity company FalconFeeds initially alerted Reuters to the eBay listings.

The discovery comes amid previous scrutiny of major online marketplaces operating in or shipping products to India. Platforms including eBay and Amazon have previously faced attention over the availability of products restricted or prohibited under Indian law.

Why India bans prenatal gender determination

India has prohibited prenatal sex determination under legislation introduced in 1994, following concerns about the misuse of ultrasound and other technologies to identify the sex of unborn children.

The law was designed to address a long-standing social problem: the preference for sons and the resulting practice of aborting female fetuses after parents learned their sex.

Campaigners have linked the preference for boys to several social and economic factors, including patrilineal inheritance traditions, expectations that sons will support parents in old age and dowry practices involving payments or demands made by a groom's family.

Violations of India's prenatal gender determination law can result in prison sentences of up to three years, with stronger penalties for repeat offenses.

India's Health Ministry did not respond to Reuters' questions about the eBay listings.

India also targets Google search results

The issue extends beyond e-commerce listings.

Two Indian government notices issued to Google on August 9 separately targeted search results connected to Peekaboo, even though the company does not officially sell its product in India.

The notices, reviewed by Reuters and issued by India's Health Ministry, said Google's Indian search engine was displaying “violative information” that directed users to pages “directly or indirectly promoting/advertising the gender prediction of an unborn child.”

The ministry included screenshots showing Google searches for “peekaboo test,” “buy peekaboo test online” and “boy or girl.” The screenshots showed results linking users to the Peekaboo website.

The government asked Google to discontinue the practice, citing India's laws governing prenatal sex determination and related advertising.

However, a Reuters check on Tuesday found that the three searches still produced results linking to the Peekaboo website.

Google and India's Health Ministry did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

The episode underscores the challenge of policing digital marketplaces and search engines when content and products cross national borders. While India has strict laws intended to prevent prenatal sex determination, products and information hosted outside the country can remain accessible to Indian users.

For eBay, the discovery has now prompted a review of its controls. The company says it has measures designed to prevent restricted gender-prediction products from being shown in India, but the listings identified by Reuters suggest those safeguards did not fully prevent the products from being offered to Indian customers.