Confederate flag sales spike as Amazon announces ban

Confederate flag sales are skyrocketing on Amazon.com, as the online retail giant threatens to stop selling the flag.

{mosads}The online retailer announced Tuesday afternoon it would prohibit sales of the Confederate flag on its website, following similar announcements from eBay, Wal-Mart and Sears. 

Since the beginning of the day, sales of one Confederate flag have jumped by more than 5,400 percent on Amazon, according to the store’s sale page.

Two other flags have enjoyed sales spikes of more than 4,500 percent, and another is up 2,300 percent.

Most of the flags are listed as “currently unavailable” as Amazon moves quickly to block sales.

The move to ban the Confederate flag follows last week’s shooting deaths at a predominantly black church in Charleston, S.C. 

The man accused of killing the nine people in Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church reportedly told police he hoped to start a race war. He has been photographed with the flag and a car with Confederate flag license plates.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on Monday called for the state legislature to vote to remove the flag from the state Capitol grounds.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) ordered the removal of the Confederate flag symbol from license plates in his state on Tuesday.

Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

— This report was updated at 3:50 p.m.