any options for an occasional buyer who was permanently suspended

[lasantino]

Hi, i'm posting this to ask for advice.  A friend of a friend who is only an occasion buyer received a notice from ebay saying their account has been permanently suspended  for activity that may put our community as risk.

The buyer read me all communication they made within ebay.   They did give out their phone number.   Which I told them was what most likely got them in trouble.   

If that is the only thing that they did, is there any way for them to get unsuspended?  They already contacted ebay using the chat , and call me back option.    The representative read the same message and said the issue can't be appealed.

any suggestions?   

[moondogblues]

I have three accounts that I used to use for selling here that have been inactive for years.  I don't dare touch them because of stories I have heard here.

[44012]

I just wanted to say I saw a video from a seller who was permanently kicked off. She read the messages she was sent and didn't really pinpoint why.

It ended up that eBay could not verify the account as they tried to call and got no reply. So eBay thought it was a hacked account. The seller screened her calls, never recognized the number, eBay did not leave message OR try to message her anymore. Her bank info needed to be updated as well which she found out later.

She actually ended up getting her account back by calling lots of times and writing many emails. I don't know how well that method works anymore with AI bots and all but sounds to me like they think the account was compromised.

Perhaps there are some videos could help as a resource. This forum is great too of course.

[luckythewinner]

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@lasantino wrote:

I can't imagine that ebay would suspend a buyer indefinitely with no option to appeal for simply exchanging contact info.  please advise.

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eBay says right in their policy that exchanging contact information is grounds for suspension. 

"eBay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the eBay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: Removing the listing or other content, issuing a warning, restricting activity or account suspension"

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/membertomember-contact-policy?id=4262

eBay is very correctly concerned that communication outside eBay can be used to avoid fees. Perhaps the context of the message your sister sent or his others activity on eBay contributed to the decision to suspend him. I realize she is your sister but it could be she is not giving you the whole story of her activity on eBay. 

[rond2]

Would you buy a $50000 + car without talking to the seller or seeing it?  Providing a phone number is not uncommon for sellers of cars ref 276273599413.   Note that this seller is not only providing his phone number, but also gives you a pretty good guess at his business web page.

[aproudparent2010]

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@lasantino wrote:

Hi, i'm posting this to ask for advice.  A friend of a friend who is only an occasion buyer received a notice from ebay saying their account has been permanently suspended  for activity that may put our community as risk.

The buyer read me all communication they made within ebay.   They did give out their phone number.   Which I told them was what most likely got them in trouble.   

If that is the only thing that they did, is there any way for them to get unsuspended?  They already contacted ebay using the chat , and call me back option.    The representative read the same message and said the issue can't be appealed.

any suggestions?   

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They are done. They broke a big eBay rule so they are toast on eBay now.

[lasantino]

thanks for all the responses.  

my sister was the BUYER.    The purchase she made was completed through ebay.  She did negotiate with the seller regarding price and shipping.   All documented via ebay messages.   

The possibility that ebay tried to verify the new account and if she didn't answer, maybe that is it. Thanks for the info.

It's not a huge deal to my sister.  As i said, she doesn't purchase on ebay frequently.   I guess if she wants something going forward,  she can tell me and I'll purchase it for her.  I was just perplexed with the out of the blue, no appeal option suspension.   

[wastingtime101]

In what context were phone numbers exchanged @lasantino ? Was it in referencing to purchasing additional items outside of eBay? What was the timing - was it before or after the item on eBay was purchased and shipped?

[lasantino]

 @wastingtime101   there were 4 of the items for sale..   My sister purchased one. She then messaged the seller and asked if she could purchase the other three for $....  and not have to pay shipping over and over.   

My sister never tried to take the sale off of ebay.  The seller sent my sister and offer for the other 3 , but the shipping charge was still showing up x 3.    My sister  messaged the seller letting them know that the shipping charges were still showing up.  The Seller then adjusted the listing to have free shipping and sent my sister the offer .  My sister then purchased through ebay. 

There was some back and forth between the seller and my sister,  when the seller was trying to adjust the listings to reflect the discount.    But again, nothing that was attempting to take the purchase off of ebay.

My sister offered her phone number at some point during the presale messages.  

[lasantino]

@fashunu4eeuh 

@wastingtime101 

additional info.  I just asked my sister what the sellers name was.    

I did a search,  the seller is not showing up either!.. yikes..