ebay removed my listings of patterns - I do not understand. We've determined that some of your listi

[orphanitems]

Help

I just got an email from Ebay that says: We've determined that some of your listings haven't followed our Brand Name Misuse policy.

herefore, we had to take the following actions:
- Listings that didn't follow our policies have been removed. 

These are for Used Sewing Patterns (most of them are uncut) and out of print.

I tried to phone ebay but could honestly NOT understand the double talk that the person on the phone gave me - I could hardly understand WHAT she was saying.

What I wonder is WHY? How can I relist and sell these.

I bought these fairly- they are NOT reproduction or knock off or stolen.

I do not know what the problem is.

[vintagenorth]

I just had a look at some of your patterns that were ended on April 7th. Not sure if these are ones that you are talking about but could the problem be with your item specifics? I do not see any specifics for brand, MPN, UPC number, etc. filled in. Could this be a problem? I'm not even sure if we HAVE to fill in the item specifics, so just a suggestion. I think you need to call eBay yourself and ask exactly what you need to do in order to relist your items. And please post back and let us know what they say to do.

[momcqueen]

The Brand Name Misuse policy is fairly specific. http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/compliant-listings.html

What was the title of the listings removed? What did your Item Description say? 

As to the Customer Service Rep, I've had them literally make stuff up if they didn't know the actual answer to my problem. Try calling again and you may have better luck with a different rep. 

[femmefan1946]

I've had patterns that I was not allowed to list under VeRO.

They were both Vogue Paris Designer. I think one was Christian Dior and the other I have forgotten because it was years ago.

So that might be the problem if they were new listings. And if a VeRO member decided to do a sweep of eBay listings even older or relisted items might be caught up in the net.

BTW-- your patterns could ship Lettermail for 85 cents to $1.20 domestically and for $1.80 to $2.95 to the USA.

[vintagenorth]

---

@femmefan1946 wrote:

I've had patterns that I was not allowed to list under VeRO.

They were both Vogue Paris Designer. I think one was Christian Dior and the other I have forgotten because it was years ago.

So that might be the problem if they were new listings. And if a VeRO member decided to do a sweep of eBay listings even older or relisted items might be caught up in the net.

BTW-- your patterns could ship Lettermail for 85 cents to $1.20 domestically and for $1.80 to $2.95 to the USA.

---

Hi femme, I've never been able to ship for that kind of price. My patterns are all in zip lock bags and mailed with thin stiff cardboard and in a #1 tyvek or bubble mailer. Under 100 gms within Canada can go for 1.80 (discount stamps of course) but that's the least I can ship for. How on earth can you ship for less?

Sorry OP, a little off topic here.

[vintagenorth]

Hi orphanitems, I see you have relisted a lot of items. Did you find out what the problem was? I see you have added some item specifics, did eBay say that is what was missing? Please let us know as it could help other sellers in future.

[femmefan1946]

I use a poly envelope. Period.

They are plastic for water protection and almost as hard to open by accident as a tyvek one. Cheaper too.

I have been using emailers_ca and 6"x9" are $12,99 a hundred including shipping.

Stiffeners and bubble envelopes are in my opinion, expensive overkill.

The 85 cents was a fat finger typo, but it's not unusual to pay $1,20 to $1,80 for shipping. The occasional (one in five from my sales spreadsheet) is $2.95 to the USA.

And it's no secret that I have a vast quantity of mint discount postage, which I also sell on another ID.

[triber]

I am still having problems with my sewing patterns. I have over 150 listed. I have not had any removed, but when I go to relist there is a message that the brand in incorrect and I can't relist. These are not rare brands, but McCalls, Kwik Sew, Butterick, even a few Vogue and more.

There is a drop down list where I see a lot of patterns with brands that I have never heard of, (I have been sewing for over 60 years), but some of the most popular brands are missing.

I am relisting some under "collectibles, vintage", and that works. I have no idea how old a pattern should be to be designated as vintage, I am going with anything before 2000.

I feel that whoever worked on this category at eBay has no idea about sewing patterns.

[femmefan1946]

eBay has no idea about sewing patterns.

Oh for sure!

Just the fact that the condition choices are New or Used.

I sell unused patterns, uncut and factory folded.

But they are certainly not new, and the thin paper packaging is usually scruffy. Often there are notes planning what the seamstress had in mind on the pattern .

Fortunately, the sewers are smarter than eBay and know how to read and follow instructions.

Which pretty much goes with the territory.

[triber]

---

@femmefan1946 wrote:

eBay has no idea about sewing patterns.

I sell unused patterns, uncut and factory folded.

But they are certainly not new, and the thin paper packaging is usually scruffy. Often there are notes planning what the seamstress had in mind on the pattern .

---

femmefan: I agree. I see many sellers put "used" for patterns that are unused, but the envelope has wear, which is almost always the case, the corners get tatty. Personally if they are unused, I list them as new and describe the damage or any marks on the envelope. This makes no difference to the patterns.

---

[rose-dee]

---

@orphanitems wrote:

Help

I just got an email from Ebay that says: We've determined that some of your listings haven't followed our Brand Name Misuse policy.

---

I'm interested to know whether you ever got a solution to this issue.  EBay's "Brand Name Misuse" policy is pretty specific, and will target the higher profile brands (like Dior, Oscar de la Renta, and other designers who produced patterns for Vogue). 

I've never had a problem listing a Vogue designer pattern by the designer's name, but I really haven't be focusing too much on my eBay listings in the past couple of months.  Perhaps there is a (relatively new??) eBay policy limiting how many of such items each seller can list in a given time period.  I know there are -- or at least used to be -- such limits for clothing items. 

If you have a chance to come back to this discussion board, I'm sure it would be very useful to other pattern sellers to know the outcome of this issue.  Thanks! 

[triber]

Personally, I have not found any problem with profile designers, it is the actually brand names that are a problem. Most of my Vogue patterns have not been a problem, it is more those like Kwik Sew, McCall's, Butterick etc. The drop down list of brand names on the listing form for me only drops down a little way, so I can't see what are the brands listed on all the lower ones.

I have been finding other ways to get around the problem, mostly by putting "printed pattern" as the brand, and then putting the brand name in the "other item specifics" and in the description.

[pocomocomputing]

---

@triber wrote:

Personally, I have not found any problem with profile designers, it is the actually brand names that are a problem. Most of my Vogue patterns have not been a problem, it is more those like Kwik Sew, McCall's, Butterick etc. The drop down list of brand names on the listing form for me only drops down a little way, so I can't see what are the brands listed on all the lower ones.

I have been finding other ways to get around the problem, mostly by putting "printed pattern" as the brand, and then putting the brand name in the "other item specifics" and in the description.

---

I have seen that problem on eBay with the countries list in Country of Manufacture a couple of years ago as well on other drop down fields sometimes over the years. Usually a browser issue. Almost always Internet Explorer browser. I gave up on IE years ago and went to FireFox and have had few issues over the years.

One trick is to choose one brand that shows and then press the down arrow key to scroll through the list. Or sometimes after choosing one, type just the first letter of the brand (like K for Kwik) and it will drop you down to the first band name starting with K and then use the up and down arrows to through the list until you find the one you want assuming it is there.

This drop down list issue is a browser issue most likely. What browser are you using? What windows version?

[triber]

I am using Firefox, I never use IE, it just doesn't work for me.

[momcqueen]

I said it before and I'll say it again: this is exactly the kind of befuddling problem we need an ebay Canada staff person to speak to. Like we used to have with the Weekly Chat. Grumble grumble. 

[femmefan1946]

Perhaps there is a (relatively new??) eBay policy limiting how many of such items each seller can list in a given time period.

No this happened a few years ago, before 2014.

And given that I get my patterns while thrifting, having more than one or two of any brand at a time would be very unusual.

Unless they were counting in GTC relists at the same time.