posted on December 20, 2000 06:09:27 PM new
Hmm...What can one do when one has his CC blacklisted from eBay for listing violations. Only thing is what if the listing violations werent really violations. They were just competitors emailing ebay support 5-6 times a day under different ids to get their competition kicked off? I can't get into the specific auctions but it has to do with alleged information posting/titles of auctions where there werent any infractions. Should that person just get a new CC just to sell on eBay? THe thing is then you have to wait another 60 days and get 10 fb. This is unfair to people who make a living on eBay to pay for things like college tuition. Especaily if they have no negative FB!!
posted on December 20, 2000 06:23:30 PM new
Check out my threads - that just happened to me too. I don't know what I am going to do, but it will not involve asking eBay for reinstatement. I am no longer interested in trying to reason with the SafeHarbour kids who don't even follow their own written guidelines prepared by their own legal staff.
In my case, it won't affect me too much. I only listed a dozen or so items at eBay (all ended by them for "potential" copyright infringement!). However, in spite of my thoughts on feedback, I had built up a very substantial high rating with zero negs from my many purchases on eBay. In many cases, I was the only bidder on these items, and I never took issue with things like shipping costs. It's the sellers who are going to get hurt by eBay's suspension of me ...
Good luck - I hope you are able to resolve your problem with eBay. It is still the best of a bad lot in terms of on line auction joints.
posted on December 20, 2000 06:49:47 PM new
If you are veroed there is a set procedure you can follow. If it was not a vero then well ...some of us have sold for years and never got kicked off. It just really is not very hard. Some people just gotta push the edge of the envelope because rules don't apply to them. The not fair, not fair whine kinda turns us off college boy.
posted on December 20, 2000 07:07:16 PM new
What it is that I do is sell software/information products and I design the ads (marketing) well. When my competitors aren't busy ripping off my ads they are busy trying to get all my auctions ended or moved (happens 3 times and your account is killed and yuo can't reregister with that same CC or contact info).
Most ebay reps dont fall for it but what happens is they email 5-6 times a day from various diff email accounts (all registered ebay accounts of course) and eventualy some ignorant newbie employee buys thier explanation and ends it.
I don't want to have to get another credit card and buy another 10 $1 items from people and wait 60 days to start up my business again
I've never been suspended, but I do know you have to contact the person who suspended you and ask for a hearing with a supervisor. Most of the folks at safeharbour are new and they go "by the book." Sometimes it's hard for them to see the forest for the trees. They should have concrete proof of what's been happening and this is the only way they will suspend.
Write to the person on your suspension letter and ask them why, for how long and what you can do to not have a repeat performance. If they have no answers, ask them to forward your letter to a supervisor.
I've done that and even though they don't like it, the supervisor often overrides them.
posted on December 20, 2000 08:56:35 PM new
ed123 - I'm not sure how to post a link, but if you check for all threads started by "RB" under the Originator column, you'll see the way I was mistreated by the SafeHarbour brats.
My problem relates to video tapes, and eBay's reason for convicting me was for "listing potential copyright infringing items". Obviously, none of my items infringed in any way (all studio produced tapes - NO homemade or other types of copies).
The thing that I have trouble with is the word "potential". What they are really saying is "we think there is a chance you may be guilty so we're going to hang you just in case ... never mind the trial part. And we're so sure you might be guilty, that we won't bother to ask you for your side of the story before we hang you". This, my friends, is eBay law!
I feel for you folks that sell (or try to sell) software also. That seems to be another item that gets abused by eBay and their drones due to their ignorance of what is legal and what isn't.
posted on December 20, 2000 09:50:47 PM new
Yeah but mine arent for copyright violations. Hey Pocono, care to share any tips on how you do it? We could move this to email. I know they blacklist your CC# so unless you had a stockpile of ids from before the CC listing thing that all had 10 legit FB I dont know how you are doing it unless getting and canceling more CC's. [email protected]. ANy help is appreciated. I do have a stack of 10 ids I made a long time ago for this very purpose. Each shilled up to 10. Theh problem is that I cant raelly use them because then they will all be ended for fb violation and that CC will be blacklisted too
posted on December 20, 2000 09:57:50 PM new
Go directly to ebay's switchboard. (Go to Yahoo access their company profile and it will give you there phone number in CA, they are required by SEC regulations to disclose a phone number for investor inquiries) Call and ask to be put through to the executive offices. The individuals in this area will usually pass you to some supervisor in safeharbor if you gripe enough. Then work the problem out with a real person. If you are justified in your case and you were kicked off for something bogus they will listen. If you made a bad decision and caused your own problem they wont help.
posted on December 20, 2000 10:00:53 PM new
Right..see, they would say that it was my decision to list items in a wrong catagor or with nondescriptive titles or selling information featered, when in fact, I didnt do any of those. Ive doen that they said the decisions of thier lower level employees stand. I guess my isssue here is they black list the CCs...and this is preventing me from earning a living. There would be no probeklms if comptetitors werent ratting me out for bogus listing violations that im not violating to begin with. The only remedy I can think of is to ratt them out, but that's not very nice either.
posted on December 20, 2000 10:06:08 PM new
Again, if you are just in your claim, call eBay, demand to speak to Meg Whitman (you'll get her admin) and explain the fact that you do this for a business and you have to speak to someone now about this. If your convincing enough you'll get a supervisor in safeharbor with enough authority. If not keep pestering the exec office. (been there done that!!!!)
posted on December 20, 2000 10:15:39 PM new
Ok, thanks! If this fails then what shouild I do? Order more Credit Cards? Im afraid then I will have subsequennt ids ended for selling under a previously suspended id. If anyone has any experience in this and can help me, any help would be greatly appreaciated (and if it's really helpful I'll toss some money out to you paypal ) [email protected]
posted on December 21, 2000 12:52:18 AM new
Let's see, you've been warned 3 times then suspended. You've got multiple ID's, all "shilled up to 10", which you created in case one or more got suspended for your activities.
But your suspension isn't your fault, it's because SafeHarbor reps are misinterpreting eBay's rules?
posted on December 21, 2000 06:30:41 AM new
Well after 5 years I got a 14 day suspension, which was preceded by warnings, and a call from eBay to discuss it with me. I wasn't in, but my assistant told me regarding the call.
Whose fault - well, both of us because one of the items they were complaining about is legal in California, but that is beside the point - I knew very well I was walking a very fine line on the two items which caused the suspension - I gambled and after 2 months was suspended - no biggie - I waited out my 14 days, and in fact was reinstated in about 11 days, which eBay did automatically, I never wrote or spoke to anyone regarding this situation.
I can't complain, I knew the risk when I posted "border line" items - but unlike the old song of "I fought the law, and the law won," I took the risk, did fantastic in sales while they ran, and didn't actually forfeit anything, since we don't post in December anyway.
NOW, regarding much of the turn in problems being competitors, I haven't had much of that on eBay except in the area of weapons, BUT on Yahoo I get it at least once a month, but on Yahoo, it isn't a biggie, if one auction is closed I just repost and go on selling.
posted on December 21, 2000 06:37:03 AM new
FORGOT to respond to your original question as to what you can do.
Personally, I don't think there is much you can do. You can "try" talking to eBay about it, but I doubt unless you have a strong, long history, with large positive feedback, that eBay will do much of anything.
Personally, I'd just post elsewhere, and wait it out. I considered posting under my assistant's ID, but decided it wasn't worth the risk, or the problems, and since we now do most of our sales on Yahoo, I just let the suspension run, and didn't miss a beat.
In fact it has been over a week since the suspension was lifted and I still haven't posted on eBay. I was terribly tempted by the FREE day, but we try to take this time off from on line auctions sales, and I didn't post and probably won't till after the 1st of the year.
Find another auction site, and learn to sell elsewhere. It took me a month or so to get the hand of Yahoo, but since then we have done a tremendous amount of sales there - I love Yahoo and I LOVE FREE!
posted on December 21, 2000 07:40:33 AM new
Hello Ed123,
A few of questions for you and then I'll give you my advice.
_____________________________________________
You did receive emails from eBay when your auctions were ended for listing violations?
Did you reply to the eBay staffer who sent the email and ask for a clarification as to the specific infraction?
Were you warned multiple times for what amounted to the same infraction?
_____________________________________________
My advice is to not attempt an end run on your suspension. People who have done that and were subsequently caught have ended up with permanent suspensions.
You still have the possibility of working this out with eBay if you can catch the ear of a safeharbor supervisor and convince them that you were the victim of competitors and that you will heed any future warnings that eBay may send you.
I'm not going to tell you that you have a good chance of reversing the suspension or that it will be an easy thing to accomplish. At this point, it seems to me that your failure to heed repeated warnings will work against you.
The alternative is to go underground with other userids and credit cards. You may think that you can hide from eBay by doing that but do you think the competitors who reported you in the first place aren't going to sniff you out and report you for using another userid while under suspension?
Do it right this time.
[ edited by codasaurus on Dec 21, 2000 07:43 AM ]
posted on December 21, 2000 12:32:26 PM new
Glenda, read above, Ive done nothing wrong to warrant the warnings to begin with. No rules were violated.
Cod: Yeah....Well waht happens is I'll ask them to clairify why it was ended and they will send me an auotmated list. I will reply and ask for more real (human) clarification and they will say read the rules. But Im not violating the rules. None of these would even go ntoiced if competitors werent twsiting rules around and then cliaming my auctions violated those (to see some of the infractions read above),and yeah thats hat worries me about going underground. Anyway, well I cant really sell elseware, what it is that I do is sell dutch auctions for hundreds at a time. Let me stress taht this is not for any FB/Service/illegal product violations.
posted on December 21, 2000 12:54:29 PM new
Yeah it's stuff like using people emailng ebay claiming software is really information (while thier similar ads for same product dont get ended for same reason), or they will end it saying "Tehse are on cd-r" when in fact the ad CLEARLY states they are on CD. Then sometimes they'll say the title description is not accurate enuoguh (when I cant describe possibly everything on the cd....)..basiclay ppl well send it to ebay saying tons of things are wrong hoping they will agree with one of them (a rogue employee). The goal is to destroy accounts/blaclist competitotrs email addresses
posted on December 21, 2000 04:35:56 PM new
Pocono, drop me an email to [email protected] if yuo dont mind/want to discuss this in email or on AIM perhaps. Obviously we are both in busines for a living (well me anyway.) I dont awnt to be resigned to selling ginsu knives Allthough I think somehow competitors would find a reason for that too. IMHO, only NARU should be used for sellers who are frauds/sell illegal items. Listing violation punishments are WAYYYY to harsh! Espeicaly if no violations are being made. Also need some way to cnotrol people who where there is vereod conent but 2 ppl hold the (c) to it.. or claim to
posted on December 26, 2000 04:03:03 PM new
I recently had my entire batch of auctions ended this morning. Oh well, part of business, and like everyone else, I'd rather not disclose the information. The only part that peeves is that this person sent me a hate e-mail, and has continued to stalk me for awhile. There is nothing I can do either.
posted on December 26, 2000 04:05:47 PM new
Yeah, part of business today. End of business tomorrow when it hapepns again and they suspend you permenntly ..
posted on December 26, 2000 04:58:42 PM new
Right on ED123, even if the 'new' listing is only similar to the one that was ended.
Bluee - unfortunately if some member is stalking you, there is nothing you can do about it. If you relist the items and that stalker reports you again, you get an automatic "indefinite" suspension from eBay ... no questions asked, and it doesn't matter if the item is legal or not. Then you won't be able to buy, sell, or even talk to your friends on the eBay forums anymore.
If you enjoy your eBay experiences, DON'T relist anything that even remotely matches the item(s) that were ended by eBay
posted on December 26, 2000 08:36:55 PM new
Gee, is that an insult or attak on me? That's running very close to violating CG Guidelines. I'd watch it if I were you
