U.S. e-commerce platform Amazon has gained a lot of attention for listing a chamber pot and spittoon as a "1960s Chinese traditional fruit basket" on its website.

For those who aren't familiar with the terms, a chamber pot is a portable toilet used in the olden days, and a spittoon is essentially a receptacle for people to spit into.

This was recently listed on Amazon's website:

"Large storage space can store any fruit"

In its description, Amazon said that the "fruit basket" has "beautiful colours and patterns" on them, which apparently represent "traditional Chinese culture" and "symbolise the happiness of life".

According to Amazon, the item is made of traditional Chinese craftsmanship and enamel material, and it was fired in 1800 degree temperature.

It also has "high temperature resistance and high hardness".

The total height of the "fruit storage" space is 24.5cm, stated Amazon.

Meanwhile, the diameter of the is 23cm, and the "large storage space can store any fruit".

"Suitable for housewarming gifts"

Amazon went on to claim that the "fruit basket" has many purposes.

Besides acting as a fruit basket, it can also be used as an ice bucket to store champagne, red wine, and other drinks.

Amazon added that it is "suitable for housewarming gifts or elegant weddings or weddings".

It can also be used as a "fashion accessory for kitchens and dining tables".

Received criticism

As of Monday (Feb. 22) morning, the listing appears to have been removed from Amazon, although screenshots of it are still circulating online.

Many people were quick to criticise Amazon, explaining that it's offensive to list a "potty" as a place to store food.

中国50年前的痰盂在亚马逊上作为中国传统果篮卖，一个卖$62。很多人还跑去澄清，煞风景嘛。 pic.twitter.com/iRoF3TZZOc

— 方舟子 (@fangshimin) February 20, 2021

Translation: "A spittoon from 50 years ago in China is being sold on Amazon as a traditional Chinese fruit basket, selling for $62. Many jumped in to clarify [its actual purpose], what a shame."

Too pricey

According to English-language Chinese newspaper Global Times, the hashtag "the other ways a spittoon is used" went viral on Chinese social media platform Weibo, garnering more than 50 million comments.

Some Chinese users, on the other hand, were more offended by the price tag.

Amazon was selling the item for CDN$68.45 (S$71).

However, such an item is usually sold for a cheaper price, as cheap as around 28 Yuan (S$5) in China.

Top images from fangshimin/Twitter.