eBay going after CANADIAN SELLERS via SNPC notices

[futuretech_liquidations]

Just wanted some input from the community regarding the latest events with two fellow powersellers that have received notices from eBaY that their accounts have been RESTRICTED for 30days for voilation of the SELLER NON-PERFROMANCE POLICY.

Below is a copy of the email notice they received out of the blue.

Dear (ebay USERID),

You are suspended from eBay as a result of your violation of site policy on Seller Non-Performance. Specifically, you have generated unacceptable levels of buyer dissatisfaction in your transactions. Based upon inputs from the buyers who have interacted with you, one or more of your accounts falls into the bottom 2 percent of all eBay sellers with regard to buyer satisfaction.

Warning notification was provided to you earlier regarding the need for significantly improved performance. This improvement did not occur, and we have taken action in accordance with that warning.

As a result of this suspension, you are prohibited from using eBay in any way including using another existing account or registering a new account.

If you have questions regarding this suspension, please reply to this email. Questions through other channels will not be reviewed.

Please be advised that without compelling evidence that we are mistaken with regard to your performance, we will not accept appeals for reinstatement.

Any seller fees owed to eBay are immediately due and payable. eBay will charge any amounts you have not previously disputed to the billing method currently on file.

Regards,

eBay Trust and Safety


Ok so you would think that to get this kind of action taken against you would require the seller to be doing something dramatically wrong and have tons of negative feedbacks right?

Well, the strange thing here is that both sellers have less than 1% negative feedbacks in the last 90days. Infact one seller has only 4 negatives in the last 6months and of the 4, 3 are from non-paying bidders and the 4th was for long shipping time to California, USA (12days).

Anyhow, when they both contact eBaY Trust & Safety to find out more specifics about the action, the response they got was this:

Thank you for writing to eBay. I will be happy to assist you further regarding your account restriction.

There were no initial about this account restriction. Your account was restricted on (DATE). Please note that as mentioned in previous communications, the status of your account will not be reviewed until at least 30 days have passed. Your account is still pending review.

Please note that, although we will read future appeals that you send us, we may not respond to all your inquiries. Please refer to our previous emails for the information you need to successfully appeal this restriction.

I appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter.

Kind regards,

Lindsay L.
eBay Trust & Safety

When both of them pressed eBaY for more information they were denied and information whatsoever as the nature of complaints that eBaY has received (ie: email vs Telephone) and or the number of complaints.

One of the sellers involved actually took the initiative to contact 90% of the past buyers via email and telephone and all of them said the same thing -- "If I was unsatisfied with the transaction I would have left either a neutral and/or negative feedback".

How is it that a seller with 98.8 or higher feedback rating could have this done to them -- anyone else out their heard of this action taken against other sellers in the past?

Your comments and feedbacks are greatly appreciated.

TIM @ FTL

[whoscloset]

From the Seller Central Board on .com. It isn't Canadians that are being targeted it is all the sellers who are deemed the worst of the worst by their % of complaints, negs, INRs, etc.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000378251&start=0


policy_steve@ebay.com Jun-01-07 10:18 PDT 17 of 46

Without commenting on any individual account, I do want to confirm that eBay requires sellers to maintain minimum standards in buyer satisfaction. Our goal is to ensure that the marketplace is a safe and reputable place for the community to buy and sell. We have found that 1% of eBay sellers are responsible for 35% of bad buyer experiences on eBay. This not only impacts buyers, but is harmful to other sellers and the eBay marketplace as a whole.

Sellers receiving this notification have been identified as part of this bottom 1% of sellers as measured by Feedback and Item Not Received complaints over the past 90 days. If more than 5% of a seller’s buyers are dissatisfied, as measured by negative and neutral Feedback left or Item Not Received complaints during a 90 day period, the seller is in violation of the Seller Non-Performance policy. In such case, eBay may take a range of actions intended to incent performance improvement -- or, if the situation warrants, may remove the seller from the community.

Buyer dissatisfaction may be caused by such things as items not received, items significantly not as described, late shipping, poor packaging, or inadequate communications.

If eBay places a selling limitation on an account for Seller Non-Performance, performance of the account will be monitored for a period of months. The restriction will not be lifted unless the buyer dissatisfaction rate is brought below 5%.

-- Steve


policy_steve@ebay.com Jun-01-07 17:04 PDT 25 of 46

The policy on maintaining minimum standards of buyer satisfaction applies to all sellers.

We are in the process now of outreach to all sellers who fall into the bottom 1%, making performance expecations clear to them and letting them know when they should expect to receive a restriction notice if performance doesn’t improve immediately. A number of high-volume sellers have already experienced a restriction.

-- Steve

[tobyshitzu]

Its about time they do something about the worst sellers...its beyond me how ones like bargainland have been allowed to continue. You've got to be doing something really wrong to end up with 5% negs/INR complaints.

[westernstargifts]

Interesting topic!! I just had a buyer contact me, not in regard to my own listing, but about a competitor's. This buyer had emailed the seller regarding a purchase she had made and could get no response from the seller. She was worried about her purchase and contacted me for advice.
Hopefully next time she will be my customer, not my non-performing competitor's.

[momosworld]

I dont believe this is a second. We have 3 IDs, our smallest performs 80-120 feedbacks/monthly.

This month we had 80 positives & 3 negs, Our account manager called and said that small account was non-performing, she also said there were absolutly no disputes. IMO, this is just another made up section of eBay because once again, they have too many employees & not enough things to do.

Moez.

[pcs_design1]

So has any one managed to come out of this account restriction?

[jakeeangel]

Apparently they're talking about it on .com as well.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000515860&start=0

---

[futuretech_liquidations]

The really interesting piece of information is that US Sellers are only being restricted for 14Days and then the restriction is automatically removed.

Whereas with Canadian sellers they are resticting the account for 30days and then only reviewing the account after the 30days are up which takes another 2-4wks of waiting. So effectively your account is shutdown for at least 45-60days.

[westernstargifts]

Favoritism...!!!

[palms_and_pdas]

Hi Tim

Thanks for all you hard work and information that you have put together. Thanks for clarifying this issue.

Fitz

[whoscloset]

Hi Tim

Thanks for all you hard work and information that you have put together. Thanks for clarifying this issue.

Fitz


Talking to yourself again? Maybe you should consult a therapist rather than this board.

...just a suggestion.

[momosworld]

Lol Monique,

Thats way too funny, I should do that with my posts.

Great idea Moez!

I know, thanks Moez!

Moez.

[sysgenss]

Does anyone know of a good online auction site?
Cause this policy has got me looking.
All because a Buyer of multiple auctions left neg feedback before contacting me first to resolve the issue.

[dipmicro]

A seller with anything below a 99% ...

In my opinion 99% is still excellent. It's an Ebay flawed flattery based broken feedback system that makes some think below 99% is bad. How many got 99% rating at the university? What would be the Walmart rating?

You can slice yourself, it happens that some buyers will be unsatisfied. Some did not have sex in few weeks, others are troubled individuals who just run out of Zoloft. You do what you can, but they are still unhappy. The best of all, the damage is all yours. They get negative feedback, they keep buying. You get one, you are loosing sales.

If Ebay lived-up to their own policies, we would see Ebay suspended for 30 days quite often. We are customers of Ebay, are you happy with the price? Are you happy with the communication? Are you receiving what was in the description?

[specialmomentsintime]

It is very interesting what I have read above. My wife and I had an eBay site each. The one she had, was an old one I had where I sold medical products. I am a Registered Nurse/Nurse Practitioner and can sell all the item I was selling. I stop selling medical products becasue I had recieved 2 negative feedbacks and I could not get them to change even when I gave them a full refund. I just left that site dorm it for almost 3 years. It still remains a power seller site. My wife started selling fashion items on this site but we changed the name and she had great success. The power Seller status never changed and she never recieved a negative feedback. Then one day she got the same kind of notice about here site. She has repeatedly tried to respond to eBay with no avail. They just answered once that it will take up to 30 days for them to have an answer for her. Nothing ever came so she opened yet another site and is selling to same products. We both have 100% feedback. One site is 1433 feedbacks 100% and the other site is 47 feedbacks all positive.
Let me know if anyone had an answer.
Take Care
Rick Thompson

[whatnerds]

Wow what a story, I dont think its fair and its a strong arm tactic, I had plently of these problesm myself. But no matter how I deal with it...its just all stress.

I always love the fact how the last line in the message is "Any seller fees owed to eBay are immediately due and payable. eBay will charge any amounts you have not previously disputed to the billing method currently on file."

It cracks me up, its like, Well the hell with your account we dont need u, but before u leave can you pay us please...

[sysgenss]

Now when I receive Neutral Feedback I respond with Negative Feedback and the following message:
"Neutral has same effect as Negative under eBay's Sellers Non-Performance Policy"
Then I send a Mutual Feedback Withdrawal. This way my Buyer is more apt to accept it.

[katiusciav]

good one!