Getting Screwed once again

[canadianclearances]

Hi again folks, ok here's the joke of the week ! i get an e-mail from trust and saftey accusing me of shill bidding because one customer only buys from me i have emailed them advising this customer is legit and i can prove it with visa reciepts and interact stubs yet they don't seem to want to listen the customer is willing to provide any documentation to e-bay but they have not responded to her 6 e-mails i am so sick and tired of being bullied by E-bay instead of protecting me and wanting to verify what in saying is true this is the response i got: Hello,

Thank you for writing to eBay. My name is Amaris. I appreciate the
chance to assist you regarding the reminder about Shill Bidding policy.

When we receive a complaint about a seller or buyer who potentially
violated eBay policy, we investigate the complaint and take appropriate
action. The warning notice that you received was sent after our
investigation revealed that your account was in violation of the Shill
Bidding policy.

Shill bidding is bidding that artificially increases an item's price or
apparent desirability. It also includes bidding by anyone, such as a
seller's family member, roommate, or employee, who might have
information about the item that isn't available to the general eBay
Community. Shill bidding is not allowed on eBay.

Any future violations of eBay policies may result in a range of actions,
including listing cancellation, limits on account privileges, account
suspension, forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings, and loss of
PowerSeller status.
i have explained over 4 emails that i can prove this is a real customer but they refuse to respond what do i do? who can i talk to? should i get a lawyer? does anybody know the answers?

[ampurtle]

Shill bidding is taken very seriously by eBay. If someone asks eBay to look into what appears to be a suspicious pattern, they are certainly going to do so, as shill bidding destroys the credibility of the system.

As for your specific case, you have not supplied sufficient information for anyone else to comprehend your specific issue yet alone consider it.

Chalk it up to poor communication skills and move on.

[recped]

what do i do?

Regardless if this buyer is a shill or not, block them and tell them to never try to bid on your items or you may be permanently suspended.

one customer only buys from me

There has to be more to it than this.

[lina-mallows]

Taking a quick look at your buyers- especially those with a very low FEEDBACK number (10 or less), it's easy to find buyers who buy exclusively from you. Or, just you and another one or two sellers.

If a BUYER has a VERY LOW NUMBER- like ONE !!! who else could they have bought from?
With TWO- you, and or who else?
Even at FIVE+ if you have specific items, and the buyer is happy with your service, why would they go elsewhere?

[canadianclearances]

recped there is not more to it it is just as stated my store is located just off a residential area and i jave a small have full (about 10) customers who only shop with me simply because i'm right down the street the funny thing is the customer they are accusing me about is 65 years old and has never ever retracted a bid and has never refused a product and the best part is i advised e-bay i can match up every sale on e-bay with a visa stub proving the item was paid for how is that shill bidding so i guess i should start checking out everyones feedback and if they have repeat customers accuss them of the same thing ......so this is what e-bay has become

[recped]

i get an e-mail from trust and saftey accusing me of shill bidding

Care to post the relevant parts of this email?

[lina-mallows]

It's hard enough to get paying customers... and now eBay is scaring those away that dare to return?

Oh, how the once mighty have fallen.

[gifts_of_elegance]

If this customer is so happy with your products and buys almost exclusively from you, perhaps you can sell to him direct without eBay. Offer the items to him first before listing them. Then eBay will have nothing to complain about.

[canadianclearances]

recped i wrote everything but the users name and this is incredible how e-bay is forcing people to go underground now the problem is this customer wants to keep dealing with me but now am i expected to cancel a listing everytime she wants the item? how fair is that to other bidders? it's a lose lose situation

[jakeeangel]

Are these auctions or BIN's? It sounds like auctions. I can see them having issues with auctions because they're stupid & it could look odd that the buyer only buys from you but I can't see it being a problem with BINS. We make lots of special listings for specific buyers.

To sell to the buyer again on eBay why not make it a BIN listing then how can that be shill bidding? They bought, they paid & eBay can P off! Better yet, cut them out of the loop altogether & sell it to them directly as mentioned.

[lina-mallows]

Under SHILL BIDDING POLICY- SELLER RULES;
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/seller-shill-bidding.html
"Friends and people you know who are truly interested in purchasing items you have listed may do so, provided they use fixed price purchasing options like Buy It Now. Bidding on your item for any other reason is forbidden."

So- A BUY IT NOW AUCTION can never have a SHILL BIDDING issue!
At least according to the rules as posted.

[coxengines]

I have bought from myself (BIN) on several occasions for testing purposes (combined shipping, store referral credits, etc) and that is not considered shill bidding (I asked T & S).

Last year, eBay rolled out a new version of software which includes some unbelievable algorithms.

When their servers say "shill bidding" it's almost certain. Of course, nothing is 100% perfect.

I have a customer who has bid on over 400 of my auctions so far (seriously!) and also did BIN's, winning many of the auctions.

So far, he must have left in excess of 200 feedback.

At one point I was concerned about the "optics" and called T & S., who gave me some reassurances.

If you are genuinely innocent, pick up the phone and call T & S. As a Powerseller you are allowed a certain # of policy violations. Shill bidding is not one of them and your account might not survive another "hit". Strive to have this reversed.

Good luck!
Xena

[crazyjayscollectables]

xenalook is right, call them a.s.a.p., speak to a person or a supervisor if nessecary. however if this is a person you know outside of Ebay, although it is a technicallity, it IS considered shill bidding. I don't agree with that myself but Ebay has tons of little technical b.s. rile like this.
regards

[gifts_of_elegance]

I did not mean for you to cancel listing to make a private deal. I meant for you to offer it to them BEFORE you list. Jakeeangel's advice is probably the best. List it in Auction with a "Buy-it-now" but that will only work if your purchaser takes advantage of the "Buy-it-Now" and doesn't participate in bidding.

[asiscanadian]

Does that Customer use your computer to bid on items or win items