Middle East And North East Africa As Country Names?

I have noticed something on ebay and wondered of others might have an answer. I've been buying WW stamps to keep me entertained during the COVID thing and have found myself buying from foreign (I am in the USA) sellers. In particular, I have noticed a couple of Canadian sellers (one in BC and one in ONT) that refer to Iran/Persia as "Middle East". To me, the Middle East refers to a large region of the world and not just one country. I have also noticed Sudan being refered to as "North East Africa". The lots in question are exclusively from the same country, and not from 3, 4, 5 countries in the region. Is this a common practice?? Is there something exclusive to Canada that requires that these names be used? Are these countries named differently in Stanley Gibbons, or some other common catalog?? FWIW, their other country lots are sold by the country name that I have always used (France = France, South West Africa = South West Africa, etc). What am I missing?

They do this due to economic embargoes imposed by the USA on Iran and Sudan. Sellers try to avoid detection by using general terms for these countries.

I am not sure if ebay or PayPal adheres to these embargoes.

As I understand it, both ebay and Paypal follow the various embargoes. Because of the extraterritorial nature of the US legislation, ebay also follows this practice on its European sites, even though European countries have never operated embargoes against, for instance, Cuba.

On the one hand, I get it. I wondered if something like this was the case.

But.... the Persian (Note 'Persian', not 'Iranian') and Sudanese stamps being sold are 1940's and earlier. I would think they would be exempt. I know I could buy all the 1950's and earlier Cuban stamps that I wanted during that embargo. Also, one can find Persian and Sudanese stamps (as such) for sale all over ebay. Is it maybe because the Canadian sellers are keeping open the possibility of sales to the USA? With respect to the ages (being waaaaay earlier than the date of an embargo), are the sellers just trying to play it safe? Or, are 1930's Persian stamps coming into the US from Canada subject to the embargo?

Yes, they are exempt, as are used stamps from more modern times, but ebay and PayPal don't want to figure out the distinction between affected issues and exempt, so they just globally ban anything with one of the keywords.

Yeah. Like it or not, I can imagine that's ebay's/Paypal's policy.

I am glad to learn that we, in the USA, aren't calling one of these countries something that the rest of the world doesn't. Officially by name, anyway.

Recently, I, in the US (and in my naiveté), tried to sell some Persian stamps, my own of course, on ebay, which wouldn't allow it. This embargo thus prevents a Canadian from selling to an American, and prevents Americans from selling even to one another! Postage stamps!! Persian, moreover, from the time of Shah Nasr-ed-Din. What sense does this make?

Just noticed Billsey's post. Good explanation. But that ebay imposes this embargo on other nations, even in Europe, really seems overbearing. And does the same apply to Cuban stamps? I know I've bought a good many, though perhaps not through ebay.

So…just went on ebay, searched stamps of Cuba: pages available. Ditto for Sudan and Iran/Persia. All just as mootermutt987 said. So this so-called embargo is very hit and miss.

Policy overview
As a subsidiary of a US company, United States government trading restrictions also apply to ebay.co.uk and ebay.ie.
US agencies ban or regulate trade between people in the US and certain organisations, businesses, and individuals. ebay doesn't allow the sale of embargoed (restricted) items from or to those countries, organisations, businesses, or individuals.
Under US law, buying or selling certain items made in restricted countries may not be lawful, depending on the nature of the item, when it was manufactured, and when it left that specific country.
Sellers who post internationally should regularly review current information about which countries may be affected by sanctions enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), a division of the US Department of the Treasury. Additionally, before listing items on ebay, it's important to review embargo regulations of the UK and Irish governments and the European Union. For more details, visit the websites of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and the European Union. For more information about laws governing such trade, please see additional information below.
Make sure your listing follows these guidelines. If it doesn't, it may be removed, and you may be subject to a range of other actions, including limits of your buying and selling privileges and suspension of your account.

https://www.ebay.ie/pages/help/poli...embargo.html

Ah, I see: "may be removed." Or maybe not. Wonder how ebay decides.

A lot of sellers use alternative terms for Cuba in their listings, such as Spanish Caribbean, Spanish Antilles, Quba, or even Cuba preceded immediately by a numeral. If ebay is going to crack down on you, they're not going to care whether you have stamps from the Castro era or before, from the 19th-century Spanish colony or the U.S. administration, or even if you have a cover postmarked "Cuba, N.Y." But as you say, it's all very hit and miss.