Hi. This happens more and more and yes I've also been the victim. The very first thing to do is to confirm that this is a legitimate complaint. It sounds like it is. Illigitimate scams also happen regularly because someone maybe a competitor or a blackmailer, wants you to take down an item or pay them a selling fee. In those cases they usually notify the seller by snail mail or regular email.
You said you were contacted by eBay by phone. That is really weird. eBay will usually send a notice of the "Vero" by email and eBay messaging. Did you verify it was actually eBay on the phone? Anyone on the planet earth can get your phone number simply by ordering something from you.
Assuming the complaint is legitimate:
When a rights holder files a complaint with eBay they only have a few check boxes to choose a reason. One of them is the item is counterfeit. Companies check this box because there is no checkbox that says " We don't allow any unauthorized sellers of our product." In some places this is illegal. instead of that they say it's a counterfeit item.
I know how you feel. It happened to me with some JBL stickers given to me in the 80's at a trade show in Los angeles. The current owners of JBL (Harmon Industries) stops all sales of anything that bares a logo. It doesn't make any difference if it's an authentic item. I obtained my items as a gift directly from the JBL company. At the time I was an authorized dealer for JBL representing their products. 30 years later times changed. The new owners (Harmon Industries) didn't know or care. They just said the items were counterfeit. They are extremely easy to verify authentic even in the listing as they were backed with a certain 1980s special trademarked discontinued paper. There were clear photos of that. Usually companies, or their "bots" look at only the first listing photo. Not to mention I have photos of the good folks then at the company booth etc. It kind of hurts when you are called out as counterfeiting for sure. In my case it hurt a lot as I had been selling their products in my stores and on stages for years.
Don't take it personally. It's just a loophole "tactic" not an attack on you.
It's unfair. It's complicated. It's illegal in some cases. eBay is not there to adjudicate, mediate or moderate the disputes. They simply tell you to take the item down or sent an appeal to the rights holder. I think mostly these companies rarely respond to appeals because they know the legal dispute would cost the Plaintiff (you) $100,000 or more.
If you have evidence the item is not counterfeit you should report the issue to the eBay Vero team. Be sure to take it down and forget about it. It's just not worth the mental or financial anguish.
You can find lot's of info on Veros within eBay's help and support including contacts for the Vero team. As well you can search YouTube for "eBay Veros" for an endless list of videos from sellers on the subject. I highly recommend this. Be sure to sort them in the order of most recent.
Also be glad you hadn't sold the item. Veros can come back to haunt you months after their sale. Companies can come after you for the proceeds of the sold items. some folks have had multiples up and this happens. It can cost you time and money. This is a growing and constanly evolving problem effecting most sellers. The best defence is to educate yourself as much as possible and to take them very serioulsy.
Many have been sued.
Hopefully that sheds some light and comfort knowing you aren't alone.
ITWM
