Crazy Listing Violation From EBay Bots
Summary: 2nd-time-around-jewelry received a listing violation notice from eBay for using the term "Sapphire Blue Rhinestones" in a vintage costume jewelry listing, questioning why a long-standing listing was flagged. recped explains that using real gemstone names to describe colors is against eBay's policy and that similar issues arise with terms like "ivory" due to bans on ivory sales. ilikehockeyjerseys suggests that sellers face issues with eBay's bots, which are a liability for sellers as strikes can lead to account suspensions, and notes there's no clear mechanism to appeal such violations. 2nd-time-around-jewelry adjusted the listing to comply by changing the title but keeping the description unchanged. A separate discussion involves feedback issues related to language translation errors by eBay's system, affecting international transactions. Participants discuss eBay's handling of non-English messages and the automatic translation system, suggesting improvements for clarity in error notifications.
Just got a listing violation notice from eBay. This is not a new listing but one that has been up for a long time. I sell mostly vintage costume jewelry. Apparently you can't use the name of real gems to describe a color. I had an item described as having "Sapphire Blue Rhinestones". I remember using the word "Ivory" to describe a color & had my lising removed. Now I only use the words cream or off white to describe the color. I guess eBay has nothing better to do with their time than go after us. I am sure it is just Bots & not a human that is searching for words.
ilikehockeyjerseys
·1 year agoThis stuff happens with their bots.
You might be able to get the violation removed if you contact them or go through the defect removal page on the .com website https://www.ebay.com/sellerhelp/feedback (.ca doesn't have one) - but if they are anything like the false copyright AI violations, they are impossible to remove even if your item is officially licensed/authentic.
I wouldn't list anything with any term that you get dinged for again because it's too much of a liability and second or third strikes can come with suspensions and put your account at risk.
Their AI bots are a huge risk to sellers. I understand why they need to take a really strong approach for their own liability, but especially with media like CDs and DVDs the copyright bots in particular can be a huge risk. You can list/sell tens of thousands of items with no issues, and if over a year you get hit with even one of them it puts your account at risk because you only get so many "warnings". It happens to everybody, you can find threads here about it.
They also have a guilty until proven innocent approach, but there is no clear mechanism to prove you are innocent. Other platforms allow you to do things like submit invoices from an authorized distributor.
lotzofuniquegoodies
·1 year ago@ilikehockeyjerseys
@2nd-time-around-jewelry
There was a tidbit carrot in a seasonal dot ca announcement (at the time showed on com too) several years (3 or 4) ago about giving sellers the chance to repair item pulls due to eBay glitches. That guilty til proven innocent thing. That note poofed off the announcement several months later never to be heard from again. Only reason it stuck with me was because I had 1 eBay was following up with me for a clarification. It never did get resolved. Whoever I was speaking with at the time advised me I had a valid case with notes.
2nd-time-around-jewelry
OP1 year agoI changed the word Sapphire in my Title & just kept the word Blue Rhinestone & eBay accepted that as fine. But I left Sapphire Blue Rhinestone in my Description.
femmefan1946
·1 year agoJust to be difficult, Sapphire is not a particularly fixed colour. Sapphires can be blue, pink, orange, yellow, green, or purple.
And actually sapphires and rubies are the same mineral.
https://www.leibish.com/ca/why-sapphires-and-rubies-are-different-colors-article-1432?srsltid=AfmBOoo2jw5HU50mY9QsfG2vVfJOf0ZymGZNYID0OWgP2M2I9upwlnJk
You learn something new every day, whether you want to or not.
2nd-time-around-jewelry
OP1 year agoI have learned a lot about real gemstones in the past 30 years. Sapphires are usually blue but the more exotic & rare ones are different colours. And yes sapphires & rubies are in the same family & hardness just under diamond hardness.
lotzofuniquegoodies
·1 year ago@2nd-time-around-jewelry
@devon@ebay
On a side related bot issue, eBay blocks leaving feedback in French etc for foreign customers. Said my feedback was offensive and would not let me leave. Possibly a new bot issue at play. The French text I was trying to leave was a google translation with nothing offensive.
ilikehockeyjerseys
·1 year agoThis happened to me before. I received a message in French. I am not bilingual, but if someone messages me in their chosen language, I do my best to accommodate with translation software.
If you google how to say the word LATE in French, you can figure out why my message was flagged as offensive in English.
flipistics
·1 year agoeBay's messaging system seems to automatically translate the message now. Unless you're actually fluent in the other language, it's probably best to let eBay's system do it. It seems to do a pretty good job from what I've seen. I don't think that applies to feedback though (yet).
recped
·1 year agoDoesn't matter if it's a human or a bot, using the word "sapphire" to describe rhinestones is an obvious policy violation (Search Manipulation).
Ivory is a similar but different situation, the sale of ivory is banned in most of the world so the word "ivory" can only be used in very limited circumstances, specifically in cases where it's absolutely clear that actual Ivory from an animal is not what is being described (as in selling Ivory soap in the proper category or stamps from the Ivory Coast). Even for those legitimate uses the bot may pull them anyway.
2nd-time-around-jewelry
OP1 year agoI have been using the words of gem stone colours to describe my jewelry for over 20 years. I always say rhinestone or crystal beside it. Never had a problem with that before. These are all legitimate colours (ruby red, sapphire blue, emerald green, amethyst purple etc). I just wish eBay was more consistent.