Amazon Bans Confederate Battle Flag, Joining EBay, Walmart, Sears As Sales Of Flags Spike

Amazon Inc. has joined the ranks of eBay, Walmart and Sears in banning sales of Confederate flag merchandise as retailers across the U.S. boycott the Southern symbol in reaction to the last week's racially fueled church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Seattle-based online retailer told CNN it would soon be pulling its Confederate flag merchandise, but as of 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday, many Confederate flag items were still available for purchase at Amazon.com. The stand against the flag is now supported by both the world's largest online retailer and the world's largest traditional retailer.

Since the shooting occurred last week, many Americans have begun to call for boycotts of the flag, which flew throughout Southern states during the Civil War and has endured ever since on homes, license plates and a range of merchandise. Many critics have said the flag is a symbol of racism, and in South Carolina, where the shooting of nine African-Americans took place, several officials -- including Gov. Nikki Haley at a press conference Monday -- have called for the flag to come down from the grounds of the state Capitol.

But while many are speaking out against the Confederate flag, boycotting it and asking for its removal, there's still support for the Southern symbol. At one point on Tuesday, Amazon’s “movers and shakers” page showed that one particular Confederate flag item had seen a 2,000 percent rise in demand, according to the New York Times.