Amazon's War on Fake Eclipse Glasses Trips Up Newbie Merchant

Jason Wright wanted to make a quick buck selling eclipse-viewing glasses on Amazon.com Inc. before the moon blocks the sun in a rarely seen cosmic spectacle next week. He loaded up his credit cards to buy thousands of pairs from a manufacturer, enlisted family and friends to pack and ship them from his parents’ Salt Lake City home and watched the orders pour in. Then Amazon suspended his account.

Wright, 35, had been caught up in an Amazon crackdown on fake shades that could damage people’s eyes. Now he’s worried about paying his rent, let alone turning a profit. "After the eclipse these glasses are worthless," says Wright, who invested about $4,000 in cardboard eyewear that resembles 3-D movie glasses. "I’ll just throw them in the trash."