Is this site run by eBay? NO. NO! - My 400 Ebay listings were pulled, I need help!

[kittycat]

I'm a new member and I'm wondering if this site is run by eBay or by anyone working at eBay. The reason I ask is that I made a small comment on Get Satisfaction and right away I had trouble with eBay. I don't want any more trouble, so I won't post my question on this Forum until I find out the answer to my question vis-a-vis possible connection between this Forum and eBay. Thanks a lot.

[John14789]

No, this site is not affiliated with ebay or paypal in any way. This forum is run by every day people who have a vast knowledge on this game we call ebay. When posting any questions please do not mention any personal information such as your ebay user id, your real name, or ebay/paypal related email address.

[Modee]

Plus I would be willing to bet that whatever comment you made on the internet had nothing to do with your problems at EBAY. Most likely a coincidence.

EBAY is too busy doing whatever it does to worry about the minority of its users who are trying to figure out how to fly under the radar. At this forum we do not advocate any kind of illegal behavior and are just trying to help people righteously hurt by EBAY or other entities to get back on track with their lives.

What might have happened - and this is only a guess - is that some individual, some competitor of yours saw your post and used it against you somehow at Ebay. But this could have happened only if you revealed your personal info in the post. And also, only if the individual (your enemy) were lucky enough to even get someone at Ebay to pay attention to whatever it was that you revealed that could be used against you. The combination of all of these factors working against you is unlikely.

[kittycat]

Hi John 14789 and Modee, Thanks for your replies to my post. Should I post my question in this thread or start a new thread?

[PayPal]

Hi John 14789 and Modee, Thanks for your replies to my post. Should I post my question in this thread or start a new thread?

depends on your question. But check out other sub-forums, specifically the two ebay related ones at the top of the main forum. That will give u some idea and u can see if the threads there already answer your question. If not, chances are that you will need tech support. But I would advise you to ask the question here, that way Modee can tell you if u need tech support or not?

[kittycat]

OK, here is my issue. I've been an eBay member since 1999 with almost 400 positive feedbacks. (I know lots of people have more, but for a lot of my items people email me saying they love them but forget to file feedback.) I have an eBay store and had 960 items listed for sale, most of them listed for a year or so. I've had the same item description text and terms and conditions for much of that time. All was fine.

Since I'm very ill, I had a small paragraph saying that when I die my money was going to the SPCA Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and that money from my sales would go there too on my death, and that I was selling everything I own to get it all sold before it was too late. There was never a problem with this.

Then all of a sudden a week ago, eBay removed 875 of my listings, with no notice. They did not contact me and say "Hey there is a paragraph in your listings we'd like you to take out". I got no advance warning, and had already just ordered a quantity of gift wrap etc because I like to gift wrap my items before sending them out.

For a week before this, I was having trouble revising my descriptions and I contacted Live Chat 8 times on several different days getting 8 different Live Chat people. No one ever mentioned there might be a problem.

eBay also removed a few more listings saying that I had written in my listings a web address to a site where I was selling my books. I had received written email permission a year ago to mention this site, the permission was sent to me by Trust and Safety. Now they removed listings saying I wasn't allowed to mention the site.

These almost 900 listings they have removed took me four years or more to prepare and list, since I'm partly disabled. It was a huge blow and a huge shock.

I'm wondering if people agree with this, and also if there is anything I can do about it?

The other thing is that I'm on a small income and to relist all these items will cost me around $400 or so.

Any and all comments are welcome. I'm just baffled that eBay would do this to me. Especially with no advance notice or polite request to modify my listing if it was necessary.

[Modee]

For something that complex, yes - you should PM (private message) me for tech support. One thing I am wondering is why there would be any costs at the EBAY end to re-list, because when EBAY pulled your listings it credited you all listing costs.

Maybe you mean that it would cost you $400. to pay someone to re-list your items for you?

Also keep in mind - but we will get into this when we do tech support - that Trust and Safety, the department that pulls listings and restricts or suspends accounts, has NOTHING to do with customer report. Typically one hand of Ebay has no idea what the other is doing, and those close to minimum wage customer service workers will give you varying answers depending on the person, date and time!

I am assuming that your EBAY account is not suspended. In any case, this sort of sensitive topic should not be discussed in public. No one could help you without knowing extreme detail about what exactly you were listing, your account details, and so on, which is why I suggest tech support, where everything will be handled confidentiality.

[PayPal]

First of all, we are sorry to hear that your health is deteriorating. You seem like a good and caring person. "had already just ordered a quantity of gift wrap etc because I like to gift wrap my items before sending them out."

eBay is so foolish sometimes (most of the time). All they have to do is - tick "All" --> Press "delete".

I hope Modee will get this resolved for you. You will be in good hands.

For a week before this, I was having trouble revising my descriptions and I contacted Live Chat 8 times on several different days getting 8 different Live Chat people. No one ever mentioned there might be a problem.

Chat is useless. They keep telling me that u will receive a reply from this or that department within 48 hours. And nearly everytime I get a reply after at least a week and sometimes none at all.

eBay also removed a few more listings saying that I had written in my listings a web address to a site where I was selling my books. I had received written email permission a year ago to mention this site, the permission was sent to me by Trust and Safety. Now they removed listings saying I wasn't allowed to mention the site.

Modee is right. eBay's hands analogy.

The other thing is that I'm on a small income and to relist all these items will cost me around $400 or so.

No, they wont charge u for the relisting the listings they delete.

[kittycat]

Hi Modee, Thanks for your reply. I hadn't thought about a credit for the fees on the listings they removed. Perhaps they will do that. I did notice that for the three listings I put back up they charged me the store fee of 5 cents per listing.

I put three listings back up, with drastically reduced terms and conditions text, just to see if they would be listed or not. They seem to have been listed and not pulled by eBay. I also drastically changed my About Me also (and I stupidly didn't keep a copy of the text before I changed it.)

Forgive me for mentioning this, but didn't I see somewhere that Tech Support is not free, there is a charge for it?

I have all the session numbers of the Live Chats and after my items were removed, I sent an email to the one Live Chat person who had emailed me and I told her I was absolutely shocked at what ebay had done.

My eBay account is not suspended, I have sold an item or two in the past few days. I was listing normal items clothes with tags on etc. I'm still very angry that eBay would just remove so many of my listings without even asking me to remove some words or without giving me a "heads up".

I'm wondering if there is a fast way to get all these 860 items relisted fast (with modified text I guess) rather than me having to spend the next several months putting them back up.

I rely on my eBay sales to buy food etc. and I really need my things selling. I also wanted to hit the back to school and pre-Christmas markets.

Thanks.

[kittycat]

Hi PayPal, Thanks for saying I'm a caring person. I'm a really good decent person who tries to do my best and I care enough to make sure my items are new or in good condition and to wrap them in gift wrap with bows etc and I package them properly so they won't get damaged.

I've been trying so hard to get my feedbacks up high so my items will sell fast. I had about 975 items on eBay and I was preparing to take photos and write descriptions of another 2,000 or more items. It takes a long time, and I can only take photos, write descriptions, etc. for limited amounts of time then take a break and return later.

I'm not trying to sound like a whiner or crying Poor Me here, but gee whiz I'm still staggering around trying to recover from the whammy eBay gave me, for no real reason.

I had talks also with the section of eBay where you schedule an appointment and at that time someone phones you to discuss ways to help your eBay business grow, and at all times on the phone with them, with the person looking at my listings, etc. there was never any mention that something I wrote might be against eBay rules.

Thanks again.

[PayPal]

Forgive me for mentioning this, but didn't I see somewhere that Tech Support is not free, there is a charge for it?

Yes, there is a charge for it but its not much. You get his undivided attention and he will make sure that he sorts everything out and that you are 101% satisfied.
Modee will be online soon and u can discuss the price via pm, where in private he will tell you what to do.

This things r better discussed in private as sensitive info is exchanged and furthermore if need be, Modee will use one of his weapons, which for obvious reasons must be private.

I'm wondering if there is a fast way to get all these 860 items relisted fast (with modified text I guess) rather than me having to spend the next several months putting them back up.

Use that software ebay provides for free. Havent used it myself so dont remember the name but i m sure u will find it online. It saves all the listings, templates, etc. Very handy and a must for a pro-seller like urself.

I also wanted to hit the back to school and pre-Christmas markets.

Sue eBay. You can later after Modee helps u and ebay admits that it was being stupid and u didnt break any rules, etc and had permission to post ur ebook site.

I'm not trying to sound like a whiner or crying Poor Me here, but gee whiz I'm still staggering around trying to recover from the whammy eBay gave me, for no real reason.

You r not whining. If this had happened to me, I would have shot someone. Only kidding. No, really!!

I had talks also with the section of eBay where you schedule an appointment and at that time someone phones you to discuss ways to help your eBay business grow, and at all times on the phone with them, with the person looking at my listings, etc. there was never any mention that something I wrote might be against eBay rules.

Like we said earlier, ebay is all messed up. One part doesnt know what the other is upto.

[kittycat]

Hi, Did I say something wrong? Modee has not replied. Thanks.

[Modee]

I was away from computer most of today. I just sent you a PM. :-)