eBay

pokemonsource · ‎11-25-2023

I was banned from ebay for no apparant reason and when I even contacted eBay they wouldn't tell me why

marnotom! · ‎11-25-2023

Just about everybody who comes to these discussion boards to complain that they've been banned by eBay "for no reason" actually has a reason for being banned that they didn't read or want to understand in the email they received from eBay.

Good luck in your future online endeavours.

flipistics · ‎11-25-2023

@pokemonsource wrote:
I was banned from ebay for no apparant reason and when I even contacted eBay they wouldn't tell me why

You'll likely never be told why. Something triggered eBay's fraud system. For the sake of this post, I'll assume you and others at your address don't have any other banned accounts or other significant account dings, etc as that would be an obvious reason. I'll also assume it's a permanent ban and not a time limited one.

This is just a guess (because eBay reveals nothing about what they look for), but are you using a VPN (or connecting to somewhere like a public hotspot that does)? If so, it's possible a fraudulent account could be using the same VPN server and you got swept up in the ban, especially if the VPN specializes in hiding the fact that it's a VPN since eBay would have no way of knowing you weren't part of the scam. VPNs can also rapidly switch between locations or even countries (sometimes in error) which would look very suspicious. Opening a new account on eBay Canada when you have an older account with something like eBay USA (might?) also cause some issues if it leads the AI to suspect you're in two different countries at once or something. Unsure on that one.

Your best bet is to contact eBay for Business on Facebook. Let them know you haven't done anything wrong, don't understand why you were banned and ask them to look into it for you. They likely won't be able to reinstate your account right away (the AI would immediately ban you again until the next time it's updated), but hopefully within a month or so it might be possible assuming there really is no valid reason for the ban. Check the account every few days and you might find it's been activated again. If you can't get it reinstated in that timeframe, try again in a year.

Things to NOT do: DO NOT create additional accounts or try to circumvent the ban. There's almost zero chance of having it reversed if you do that, and there's a very high liklihood they'd be able to detect it.

Things to maybe do: Reconsider whether you really want to use a VPN or connect to a hotspot that does. I understand that may not be an easy choice to make. Make sure you really didn't break any rules, even accidentally. I'd imagine some addons could even cause issues if they modify the HTML code or javascript in the page, so disable any adblocking software on eBay's pages. Make sure your computer isn't infected with malware that could be doing something crazy without your knowledge.

pokemonsource · ‎11-26-2023

I'll copy n' paste the email for you, It says nothing about reasoning

"

Hello pokemonsource,

We wanted to let you know that you have been temporarily restricted from selling and buying on eBay because of concerns about your seller account. This must be frustrating, but measures like these help keep our marketplace safe for everyone.

Here’s what you should do
Please get in touch as soon as you can by going to the Help & Contact page below and selecting Contact Us. We’ll just need to ask you a few questions to verify your account so you can get back up and running again. If we don’t hear from you within 7 days, your account may be at risk of being suspended."

I've already contacted eBay about the issue and they've said told me nothing, all they said that it was permanant and I couldn't reverse it

marnotom! · ‎11-26-2023

I thought you said you were banned? The email said you've been temporarily restricted from selling and buying and they need to ask you a few questions to verify your account. Apparently, there are concerns about your seller account. There's your reason. Yes, it's not terribly specific, but this does give you an opportunity to check the User Agreement and maybe do a bit of Googling to ensure that you're following the rules correctly. In addition, if you are selling Pokemon stuff, they may be trying to ensure that you've acquired it legitimately and you're not trying to sell something that could have been stolen.

Did you answer the questions or did you just fire back with your own questions?

reallynicestamps · ‎11-26-2023

Do youhave your Managed Payments account set up?
This is part of confirming your identity, but more important is how eBay transfers your customer's payment to your checking account.

They need some form of government issued ID. They do ask for your SIN, but of course you don't need to give that. I used my passport and DH used his driving license.

And they need the contact information for a checking account in a Canadian bank.

Many sellers open a new dedicated account in a low fee online bank, I did that, but avoid Tangerine which does not play well with eBay, for some reason that seems to be on the bank's end.

Since you are selling in a high fraud category, you may have to provide proof of purchase of your products.

Your customer payments will be Held for up to 30 days against your customer service.

And MP transfers money to your checking account on Tuesdays, so if you make a Tuesday evening sale, you won't get that money in your bank for seven days.

If eBay gave you a link, use that, otherwise avoid the phones and go for the eBay employees assigned to social media Chats.

The phone reps have a terrible reputation for getting you off the phone as soon as possible even if that means giving you the advice you want to hear instead of the advice you need to have.

 https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness/ — Message button in upper right on landing page.

https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/

 https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/How-do-I-contact-Customer-Support/m-p/32016431#M1783851 -> Automated Assistant, type AGENT -> enter. You will then get more options.  
The social media Chat accounts are covered by trained eBay employees with some authority.
And you get a transcript so you can compare what you heard with what you were told.

byto253 · ‎11-26-2023

Ok, this gives you some light at the end of the tunnel. Suggest contacting eBay through the social media pae on facebook and paste in the notice, and indicate that you would like to address the concerns to ensure everything is ok and have the ban lifted. As has been posted in the forum before, the phone folks are contractors and the social media contacts are eBay employees who seem to have a better handle on things. And by doing it through Facebook for example you also have a written record. Below is some info from other posts regarding the social media contact.

https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness/ — Message button in upper right on landing page.
https://twitter.com/askebay?lang=en

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/How-do-I-contact-Customer-Support/m-p/32016431#M1783851 -> Automated Assistant, type AGENT -> enter. You will then get more options.

pokemonsource · ‎11-26-2023

I've contacted support multiple times and they've said that my account is permanently suspended and that I couldn't do anything about it including appeal

reallynicestamps · ‎11-26-2023

Which support service?

byto253 · ‎11-27-2023

Good point. @pokemonsource if contact has been verbal with phone, and the only written info is the temporary suspension notice, it is worth a try making contact through Facebook and paste in a screen shot of the notice you were provided with. I would not indicate any calls were made, etc., just ask them what you have to do to rectify the situation and lift the temporary ban.

pokemonsource · ‎11-27-2023

The messages

rocketscollectibles · ‎11-27-2023

You're not banned. If you was banned you could not log in to your account. I guess others maybe pointed it but you're under verification because you're a new seller. This is a standard procedure. Usually you receive an email with a few questions about why and what you are selling, and asked a proof of identity. You must have done something if they say your are permantly suspended, basically means you did not pass the verification.