posted on September 29, 2001 03:03:38 AM
I have had an ebay accountfor 2 1/2 years and have never received a warning or suspension on anything. I have a 139 positives with no complaints ever. I just received a e-mail from ebay saying that my account is being suspended in conjunction with 10 other accounts for shilling. Let me say first, I have absolutely nothing to do with any of these people. In addition, they address me in the e-mail as someone else. I e-mail support, safeharbor, etc., telling them I am not that person they are addressing me as and I did nothing wrong and now they have reduced it to a 30 day suspension from "forever." I believe my account registration information has been changed on me to something else but i can not view it as I am on suspension. Safeharbor refuses to answer any questions I have posed. Since my amex card was in that registration I reported now as stolen as I can not access the account. Long story short, ebay has the most horrible, hateful fascists personnel I have ever encountered. They do what they want, when they want if you don't like it tough luck. Some reward for being an honest, rule-playing member. You are 100% guilty and there will be no appeals. Does anyone else have a horror story?
posted on September 29, 2001 05:19:10 AM
If you want to keep selling, go get a yahoo email address (or hotmail, etc.). Get a PO box. Register at eBay w/a new ID, cc, and home address - i.e. the PO Box. Start selling so you have some feedback before xmas.
The fact that eBay's personnel are fascists has been posted here often.
I believe in playing by the rules until the rule-makers aren't playing by them anymore. If you've been suspended w/out cause, just play the game and keep earning.
posted on September 29, 2001 06:47:12 AM
you said open a new account with a new po box addr,user id but what about the credit card,it would be the same person??????
i think ebay has more cross checkings on shilling than we know of,multiple user ids sharing common information such as credit card and driver license,coupled with/without same telephone number,address ,social security etc.
if they spot two or more matches-say same credit card and telephone number,they can conclude it is the same person.
you may use yahoo or hotmail for one userid and your regular internet service provider for the other,but if you are using the same phone line,and i dont mean the phone number you entered on your application,i mean when you sign on to ebay,they can trace where you are coming from by reviewing the log ,it has the phone number on it.
posted on September 29, 2001 08:24:45 AM
Nothing like having other users advising you to do something that will cause you to be permanently suspended!! (Note: either through their ignorance of the rules or their lack of ethics.)
Whether or not your suspension is "valid", you CANNOT set up another account on eBay without being in further violation of their policies. eBay says, "Users who have been suspended may not register with eBay during the suspension, nor may they use eBay's site in any way."
So you have to wait it out the 30 days or find some way to get eBay to look at your claims of innocence.
posted on September 29, 2001 08:36:53 AM
Put your UserID up for an A4A auction.
Sorry I just couldn't help myself on this one. But since sales are going in the toilet right now for many sellers, you might indeed find this a blessing in disguise. I'd use some alternative sites for the 30 days. Hang in there and do keep trying to get those nitwits to stimulate their two remaining collective brain cells.
posted on September 29, 2001 09:42:07 AM
"when you sign on to ebay,they can trace where you are coming from by reviewing the log ,it has the phone number on it."
This is not true. The only way eBay could get your phone number this way is to store your IP address at the time you registered, note the time, contact your ISP, have them review their user session logs (many ISP's probably don't even keep these around), and find out who you signed in as (at the ISP), then get your phone number from the ISP's records. Or they would have to contact the phone company and have them reveal the caller-ID info for this particular phone call to your ISP.
Neither of these would be legal without a search warrant relating to a criminal case or a FISA order for intelligence surveillance. There are some different laws to cover identification of the endpoints (i.e., your phone number or the fact that the call took place or not) vs. the content of the conversation.
posted on September 29, 2001 09:46:16 AM
mass suspension-11 user ids suspended.
original thread said she has been linked to 10 ids,so she got suspended,i assume the other ten are suspended as well.
aol member can have 7 email addrs,add hot mail and yahoo,juno,you can easily have ten or more.then if your emplyer gives you an id,here comes another one.
posted on September 29, 2001 10:56:17 AM
This happened to me back in March 2001 and the message is one I posted to ebays boards back then.....
I was suspended this past Saturday because according to ebay my email was invalid. This suspension happened because ebay (safeharbor) had a complaint against me from a seller that had ripped ME off. Safeharbor says 2 emails they sent me "bounced", even thoughh the emails informing me of the suspension went through (along with the 12 emails ending my auctions and cancelling my bids). They said they called and the phone was busy (it would be since I was on the net). I emailed at least 10 different address on ebay to no avail, I even called the 1-800 number (which I will not post in fear of another suspension, it is on your credit card statement). I then went to my mom's account and started posting on the help boards that I needed some help. The next morning someone from safeharbor read the post and finally reinstated my acoount (after I answer all of my emails from him). Today I get a call from ebay that this was my fault. I called my ISP yesterday and I have no blocks of any sort on my email account. I was told by the person that called me today that it very well could happen again and there was nothing they could do. I am a powerseller (which means nothing) and I have 1490+ feedback (which according to the person I talked to today also means nothing). Tonight my mom gets an email stating that letting me use her account could get HER suspended. My question to the wise people at ebay is "how in God's name do we get hold of a LIVE person when something like this happens?" I really do not expect an answer, I just miss the days when ebay actually gave a crap about its users and you could reach someone with a pulse and a little common sense....
posted on September 29, 2001 11:26:02 AM
Hi again ya'll. Thanks so much for all your support. One seller got a hold of me who was dragged into this said they are planning on dragging ebay into small claims court in their home town. She said as ebay is an internet company they do business in all states. She adds that was ebay will have to drag one of their high-priced .com lawyers in to defend her slander and loss of business claim(s). Sounds good to me. I guess my main point is if you think it can not happen to you (get suspended for no reason) think again. Ebay is big brother and he had a lobotomy.
posted on September 29, 2001 05:05:25 PMtarquin3 Thanks for sharing your story. I can't believe how they would just send you an e-mail stating that you have been suspended, without even so much as an e-mail telling you what they suspected was going on and getting your response first. It makes no sense to me at all. It certainly does add weight to other threads that have expressed the importance of having more than one place to do business, since eBay is clearly unreliable! I applaude you if you pursue this with the other victimized sellers, and wish you all the luck in fighting this.
posted on September 29, 2001 11:12:50 PM
Here's a hypothetical question:
Would ebay be able to hunt you down if:
You opened another account under the name
of a fake individual, using a new address
and a new CC number that was tied to this individual? The address could be a PO box.
The e-mail address could be a free one and the
phone number would be a real phone number (maybe a work # where you could be reached?)
Not planning on doing this, but curious if it would work?
posted on September 30, 2001 06:09:44 AM
Another reason why I hate the monopoly hold ebay has on it's people. They are greedy and do not care if their accusations are accurate or not. They do not care about the individual seller or buyer. They have a hundred more to replace you.
posted on September 30, 2001 12:51:37 PM
porfessor higgins,
if you can open a new account with ebay using a fake individual with his credit card,po box address and your work phone number,i doubt if ebay can track this user to you??
unless something goes wrong with this fake individual's credit card and the cc company starts looking into it?
this fake individual,is it your pet dog or cat or parrot?? or is it an iguana??
posted on September 30, 2001 01:25:31 PM
This subject comes up a lot on AW. With a few million sellers on eBay, and a very small percentage of them posting here, one has to wonder how many of these questionable suspensions are handed out every day to sellers that have no idea why they were issued.
posted on September 30, 2001 01:44:29 PM
tarquin3: I don't remember the exact terms agreed to when signing up with ebay as it's been too long ago but most agreements of that type would have in it that you agree to enter into any legal actions in their jurisdiction and not yours. Her small claims filing would be dismissed because she has agreed that she could not do that. She would have to file in the local jurisdiction where they are located and travel there to plead her case. There may also be an agreement that she would go to arbitration in their jurisdiction rather than court.
posted on September 30, 2001 02:03:28 PM
avaloncourt is correct. Any filings against eBay must be done in CA, per the user agreement:
[quote]17. Arbitration.
Any legal controversy or legal claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or our services, excluding legal action taken by eBay to collect our fees and/or recover damages for, or obtain an injunction relating to, the eBay site operations, intellectual property, and our services, shall be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis, and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration shall be conducted in San Jose, California, and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered into any court having jurisdiction thereof. Either you or eBay may seek any interim or preliminary relief from a court of competent jurisdiction in San Jose, California necessary to protect the rights or property of you or eBay pending the completion of arbitration. Should either party file an action contrary to this provision, the other party may recover attorneys fees and costs up to $1000.00.[/quote]
Also, this is the last lines of the UA:
[quote]Additionally, you may report complaints to the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs may be contacted in writing at 400 R Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.[/quote]
posted on September 30, 2001 02:07:37 PM
30 days suspension is better than permanent suspension,better than flying to ca with your lawyer.
i still dont understand how ebay can relate one id with another 10 ids??
have you looked into those ten ids?or are they disclosing who they are??
posted on September 30, 2001 03:13:51 PM
hwahwahwahwa---
Just asking. I don't know if people are aware of places like
www.webcertificate.com
You can send one to anybody with a valid e-mail address and it can be used (and verified) like a regular credit card. The person you send it
to can have just about any name or address you
can think of or make-up.
posted on September 30, 2001 04:47:27 PM
Just a quick note from fellow auctionwatchers I just want to thank you for your outpouring of support. I also didn't realize that ebay would be scanning this board. Certainly my 30 day suspension will now be extended if they see my messages. Any one of you can review my feedback and see I must be doing something right. I bend over backwards for buyers: offer refunds or partial refunds, let people out of auctions without a non-bidder credit filing. Ebay did relate that my suspension was due to activity on an auction that ended last 8 days ago but I can not see the auction or bid history as it disappeared into the bermuda triangle when my account was suspended (not available- totally). They also said I had a relationship with the suspended accounts (which I don't). Anhow, I am just sick about all of this. I have lost sleep and been in a bad mood all week. I received e-mails from past repeat buyers asking "what's up" with my account. I am too embarrassed to tell them even though I know I am innocent. I used to hold so much pride in my ebay account but now I really don't care anymore. One thing I just discovered: I was scanning a lot of past American Express bills and there are way too many ebay charges to be mine. I compared them against my account history in ebay and something is not kosher. I am going to let Am. Ex handle it though. I also have 3 Amazon.com charges that are not mine. Again, thanks for all the well wishes to all who replied!
posted on September 30, 2001 05:05:26 PM
Hi. Just wondering. Have you had ANY dealings with the other ID's? Have any of them bid on your auctions? Have you bid on any of theirs? There must be SOME connection. Have you figured what it is?
posted on October 1, 2001 02:25:50 AM
I think you should use this time more productively and try out some other auction sites. I would be more than willing to try out your recommendation and only wish a million of us could do the same thing together. That's all it would take to finally be able to tell eBay to stick it in their ear.
posted on October 1, 2001 03:10:00 AM
professorhiggins
Are you saying you can use services like webcertificate to help establish a fake ID or fictitious person?
I know poeple have gotten their pets credit cards, but I assumed that was possible because the CC company sent an unsolicited offer in the first place. Do you need to get this fake person a SS#?
posted on October 1, 2001 06:49:03 AM
As outsiders we get to see little evidence of shilling, there was a better chance to spot it when eBay gave us access to the email addresses.
eBay can see the IP of the sellers and their buyers. I'd image that would be a serious tale-tell sign to them.
I've found two shillers on eBay. One had a pattern that looked too suspicious to ignore. The other was so stupid they allowed themselves to be caught red handed, the PayPal link on the auction gave the email address not of the seller, but of one of his bidders.
In both cases I reported the seller was only warned, not even a temporary suspension. One seller had his shill accounts deleted, the stupid seller got to keep his shill account.
