Suspended eBay Account

[BrickLegacy]

Well, this was an epic fail.

 

I created an eBay account to begin selling.  I used a new account so I could split my personal/buying activity from selling.  I listed my first item a few days ago.  Then I decided I wanted to sell a few duplicates of this same item so I revised the listing.  My revised listing never showed up so I figured it was an eBay search/indexing issue.

 

Then I received an email this morning that my account was suspended due to security reasons.  I figured this was because I used the same email address as my other account, no big deal, I could have them easily change that, right?  I called them this morning and they looked into it.  They said my listing was pulled because I used a stock photo.  I didn't realize that was against their policy (which is my fault for not paying close enough attention to the listing policy).  The customer service rep said my account was suspended from selling indefinitely and it was a final decision.  I'm devastated.  This was my first attempt to sell anything.  I asked to speak to the manager and they put me on hold.  After five minutes they took my phone number and said the manager would call me back.  I'm not very optimistic about the outcome.  I might have ruined my chances at selling anything on eBay in the future.  All because of an honest mistake.

 

This stings.  A lot.  I'm hoping I can get this resolved quickly.  I just don't like the uncertainty.  Has anyone else had a similar experience?  Am I basically screwed?

 

Please help.

[Migration]

I'm very sorry that you're having to deal with this. Has your other account been suspended as well? While I think our favorite amphibian will be best able to answer your questions (you may want to PM Frog) I will say that I never use stock photos. I have also never heard of an account being suspended for the reasons you cite.

[dutchmaster305]

That's crazy. Are they turning into amazon now banning new accounts for no reason?

 

Why wouldn't you be able to sell using only the stock photo. What's the point of there even being a stock photo if you can't use it. I use the stock photo only sometimes, especially on a non collectible item. 

 

I would like to know the outcome here.

[KShine]

Well, this was an epic fail.

 

I created an eBay account to begin selling.  I used a new account so I could split my personal/buying activity from selling.  I listed my first item a few days ago.  Then I decided I wanted to sell a few duplicates of this same item so I revised the listing.  My revised listing never showed up so I figured it was an eBay search/indexing issue.

 

Then I received an email this morning that my account was suspended due to security reasons.  I figured this was because I used the same email address as my other account, no big deal, I could have them easily change that, right?  I called them this morning and they looked into it.  They said my listing was pulled because I used a stock photo.  I didn't realize that was against their policy (which is my fault for not paying close enough attention to the listing policy).  The customer service rep said my account was suspended from selling indefinitely and it was a final decision.  I'm devastated.  This was my first attempt to sell anything.  I asked to speak to the manager and they put me on hold.  After five minutes they took my phone number and said the manager would call me back.  I'm not very optimistic about the outcome.  I might have ruined my chances at selling anything on eBay in the future.  All because of an honest mistake.

 

This stings.  A lot.  I'm hoping I can get this resolved quickly.  I just don't like the uncertainty.  Has anyone else had a similar experience?  Am I basically screwed?

 

Please help.

 

Stock photos are not forbidden - so I would assume that it is a new account security measure that they have in place (as a precaution against fraud).

 

I would certainly expect that they will allow you to have an account, once you speak with them.

[justafrog]

They're starting to enforce the photo requirement changes they made two (or more) spring updates ago. A fair few folks I know got warnings on their photos (including ones that weren't violating anything, in an exciting new glitch) this past week.

 

It seems very odd to get a ban for a first offense, though, so do keep following up.

 

eBay photo requirements: 

 

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/how-to-take-product-photos/ebay-photo-requirements/

[No More Monkeys]

When you list something on eBay via mobile ebay app using "scan" feature, unless you upload your own photo, it actually _defaults_ to using their own stock photo, if they are able to find the product in their DB. I am guessing though that it is different from uploading photo which is a stock photo. I fail to see the difference though.

 

 

Try setting up eBay account for selling under your wife name

[justafrog]

Stock photos are not forbidden - 

 

They are on used items, for the first/primary photo, in most categories including toys. I don't know what the OP was trying to sell - new in box, used, incomplete?

[BrickLegacy]

I'm very sorry that you're having to deal with this. Has your other account been suspended as well? While I think our favorite amphibian will be best able to answer your questions (you may want to PM Frog) I will say that I never use stock photos. I have also never heard of an account being suspended for the reasons you cite.

 

They did not suspend my other account.  I'm hesitant to use that to sell until I get this issue resolved.

[BrickLegacy]

They are on used items, for the first/primary photo, in most categories including toys. I don't know what the OP was trying to sell - new in box, used, incomplete?

 

It was a brand new item, sealed.

[justafrog]

They did not suspend my other account.  I'm hesitant to use that to sell until I get this issue resolved.

 

I wouldn't. eBay is not as good at ferreting this stuff out as Amazon (who should contract with the NSA), but they're not always blind, either.

[BrickLegacy]

Update:

I didn't receive a call back this afternoon, which was to be expected based on the tone of the original conversation.

 

I called them just now to see if I could get more information.  They were just as firm this time.  In fact, they treated me almost like a criminal.  They told me that accounts go through a verification process from time to time, and it was determined that my account was suspended indefinitely and that decision was irreversible.  No appeal, nothing.

 

She said they couldn't disclose all the information or details but she did say that one of the factors was lack of an actual photo and that I listed more than one available.  I did update the quantity from 1 to 3 yesterday.  Never in my lifetime did I think that that either of those circumstances would trigger a selling ban from eBay.  This is unbelievable.

 

I can't begin to tell you how disappointing this is.  I'm not sure I have any options left.  Reading similar complaints online tell me that they are getting more aggressive with these tactics, even to those with a long track record of positive feedback.  So I guess it can happen to anyone.

 

This is a crushing blow, for sure.  I'm not sure what to do next.  I know there are other avenues to sell, and I'll be exploring them at some point.  Hopefully Brick Classifieds makes a debut soon.

 

I feel like I've been punched in the gut.

[marcandre]

Just use your existing account. Also If you were able to set up two why not set up a third? This does not seem like too big a deal especially if it's a new account. If you had accumulated positive feedback I could see being upset. 

[redcell]

It sounds to me more like you've been kicked pretty hard a bit lower than the gut.  If it weren't for Ebay, I would never have gotten started selling Lego and wouldn't be where I am today.  I hope you didn't have too much sunk into inventory that you can't afford to hold for an extended period of time.  If you did, your best bet is to try and sell on more of a wholesale basis through Bricklink or direct sales on forums like this.     

[No More Monkeys]

It sounds to me more like you've been kicked pretty hard a bit lower than the gut.  If it weren't for Ebay, I would never have gotten started selling Lego and wouldn't be where I am today.  I hope you didn't have too much sunk into inventory that you can't afford to hold for an extended period of time.  If you did, your best bet is to try and sell on more of a wholesale basis through Bricklink or direct sales on forums like this.

Well, Amazon is not that bad... but you need to fill 25 orders in any category september and october, to be able to sell nov, dec, jan

[jaylay]

are you even allowed to have mutlitple ebay accounts with the same email and such? i dont think so but in not sure about that either ...

why even have two seperate accounts for buying and selling? just use one! dont make it hard on yourself!

[BrickLegacy]

are you even allowed to have mutlitple ebay accounts with the same email and such? i dont think so but in not sure about that either ...

why even have two seperate accounts for buying and selling? just use one! dont make it hard on yourself!

 

My original eBay account used to have my real name in the ID.  I didn't want that exposed when selling so I figured a separate account would be the safe way to go.  I wanted to keep a similar email so I didn't have to manage an additional email account through eBay.

 

I'm holding out hope that they will let me sell on my original account.  They never mentioned my other account by name, so I'm hoping they are treating this second account as the only suspended account for selling. I doubt it, but you never know.

 

I'll lay low for a while (maybe even a year+) before I give it another shot on eBay.

 

I'll definitely look into Amazon.  I know the fees are high, the return policy is unfair to sellers, and there are plenty of other complaints from sellers but that's probably my best option at this point.  I'm a little shaken right now but I'm also not ready to give up.

[fuzzy_bricks]

You can change your eBay ID easily if you're worried about your name.

[MartinP]

I'll definitely look into Amazon.  I know the fees are high, the return policy is unfair to sellers, and there are plenty of other complaints from sellers but that's probably my best option at this point.  I'm a little shaken right now but I'm also not ready to give up.

If you are going to stay away from eBay for a while, I would suggest looking into selling at Bricklink. The fees are considerably lower compared to eBay's and Amazon's, but the only down side is that it takes longer to sell something on Bricklink than on eBay or Amazon.

[BrickLegacy]

You can change your eBay ID easily if you're worried about your name.

 

I did that but it still showed up in my ID history.  Maybe I was being too paranoid.

 

If you are going to stay away from eBay for a while, I would suggest looking into selling at Bricklink. The fees are considerably lower compared to eBay's and Amazon's, but the only down side is that it takes longer to sell something on Bricklink than on eBay or Amazon.

 

I might try Bricklink, too.  I've bought several sets from there and enjoyed the experience.  It's nice dealing direct with AFOLs.  I'm looking into Amazon too.  I'm so timid now after this eBay ordeal.

[donliu]

Ouch... Im sorry to hear bout your situation. That sucks that they would just ban you like that. Hopefully your other account is still good to use for selling. Good luck.

[justafrog]

I'd second the recommendation to try out Bricklink, and this site of course once the Classifieds go live. It doesn't sound like it'll matter much to you if it takes awhile to sell on Bricklink since you're waiting a good length of time before trying eBay again anyway.

 

I'm guessing the majority of the problem is with the email address, not with the photos (CS often has no earthly clue what they're talking about, you get used to it, it's part of their charm or something like that) but that's just a guess.

 

I think your plan to sit it out for awhile and then just try your normal account like nothing ever happened is what I'd do. Worst case, they'll suspend selling on that account, too, and you're no worse off than now.

[Ed Mack]

Jeff and his programming minions are making nice progress on the Classifieds. I feel really bad always saying this because I've been saying it for a long time, but the newest version looks and works great. There are just do many small details that always need to be addressed when dealing with money. It has to be done right or people will lose faith immediately.

I will just leave you with one main idea of the Classifieds...We are seller friendly.

[MartinP]

Jeff and his programming minions are making nice progress on the Classifieds. I feel really bad always saying this because I've been saying it for a long time, but the newest version looks and works great. There are just do many small details that always need to be addressed when dealing with money. It has to be done right or people will lose faith immediately.

I will just leave you with one main idea of the Classifieds...We are seller friendly.

Always good to hear that the Classifieds are coming along. Can't wait till the Classifieds are unveiled! I also like the idea of it being seller friendly.

[No More Monkeys]

Always good to hear that the Classifieds are coming along. Can't wait till the Classifieds are unveiled! I also like the idea of it being seller friendly.

Wouldn't that alienate buyers?

[justafrog]

Wouldn't that alienate buyers?

 

I'm reckoning that the Macks' mean GOOD seller friendly. Buttheads and scammers will be shown the door with a boot unless I miss my guess.

 

With a seller friendly environment, more sellers are attracted, which means more competition, better prices for buyers, and lots of good sellers to choose from. I call that pretty buyer friendly and look forward to buying here.