eBay holding $6.6k
Summary: jijisenterprise shared their experience of selling on eBay for seven months and achieving Top Rated Seller status before unexpectedly receiving a permanent selling restriction notice. Despite trying to contact eBay, they were not given specific reasons for the restriction and are concerned about $6,000 being withheld. They sold primarily Roblox virtual items and believe they complied with eBay's policies but seek clarity on the cause of their account being deemed 'high risk.' krazzykats and abundantearth responded with insights on digital goods policies and the complexities of selling such items. lyceumdreams suggested pursuing legal channels if eBay does not provide an explanation, while others pointed out potential issues with category compliance and selling rights. Similar experiences from fuji_samurai highlighted frustrations with eBay's handling of seller accounts.
I have been selling on eBay for approximately seven months and reached Top Rated Seller status, with roughly $70,000 in transactions and 400+ items sold within about six months.
Despite that history, I recently woke up to a notice stating:
“Your account has been permanently restricted from selling.”
I have contacted eBay repeatedly, but I have not been provided with a specific transaction, listing, buyer complaint, policy violation, or piece of evidence that caused the permanent restriction. Instead, I have essentially been told that eBay considers the account a “risk” to the marketplace and cannot provide further details.
At the same time, more than $6,000 in seller funds are being withheld, with the possibility that the funds may remain unavailable for as long as 180 days.
I understand that eBay has broad discretion under its User Agreement to restrict or terminate accounts when it believes an account presents marketplace, fraud, compliance, or buyer-protection risk. I also understand that eBay’s Payments Terms allow funds to be retained in certain circumstances to cover disputes, refunds, chargebacks, and other post-transaction liabilities.
What I do not understand is what specific activity caused eBay to classify my account as an unacceptable risk.
I was a Top Rated Seller, had hundreds of completed transactions, approximately $70,000 in sales, and overwhelmingly positive buyer feedback. If eBay believes I violated a policy, I would simply like them to identify the relevant policy or activity so I can understand what actually happened.
Digital Items / Roblox Limiteds
The products involved were primarily Roblox virtual items/Limiteds.
eBay itself has a published policy regarding electronically delivered goods and online gaming virtual items. Its policy recognizes online gaming virtual items and also maintains a system under which certain digital-item sellers can be approved to sell electronically delivered goods.
In my particular case, eBay had previously reviewed my selling activity and indicated that I met the requirements to sell these types of products / receive approval in the applicable category.
That is why the permanent restriction is especially confusing. If the underlying products themselves were prohibited, why was I permitted to continue selling them and why was I allowed to generate tens of thousands of dollars in completed transactions before suddenly being permanently restricted?
I also see other established eBay sellers who have sold similar gaming items for many years. I understand that the continued existence of other sellers does not automatically mean my activity complied with every eBay rule, but it raises a legitimate question about how these policies are being interpreted and enforced.
I also want to clarify something regarding Roblox itself. Roblox's current Terms of Use restrict off-platform transactions involving Robux and Virtual Content, so I am not claiming that eBay's approval overrides Roblox's Terms of Use or constitutes authorization from Roblox Corporation.
My issue is specifically with eBay's handling of my seller account: if eBay believed my inventory, delivery process, listings, or selling practices violated its rules or created an unacceptable level of risk, I believe I should at least be told what conduct triggered that determination.
Why would a Top Rated seller suddenly become “high risk”?
According to eBay's own published payment policies, factors that can result in holds or additional review include:
high-priced transactions, unusual changes in selling activity, increased customer claims, disputes or chargebacks, seller performance, the risk level associated with a listing category, account restrictions, and compliance concerns.
So I understand that being Top Rated does not make an account immune from eBay's risk controls.
What I am trying to determine is whether anyone else has experienced an account going from apparently healthy/Top Rated to permanently restricted with essentially no specific explanation.
Were you ever able to get an actual manual review?
Were you eventually told what triggered the restriction?
Did eBay ever reverse an “indefinite” or “permanent” selling restriction?
And for anyone whose account remained restricted, were your remaining payouts ultimately released after the stated holding period?
I intend to continue pursuing a written explanation from eBay regarding both the restriction and the withholding of my seller proceeds. I am also exploring complaints with the appropriate financial/consumer regulators regarding the handling of the withheld payouts.
I am not looking for ways to circumvent the restriction or create another account. I am trying to understand what actually triggered it and whether there is a legitimate escalation process when eBay refuses to identify the underlying issue.
If anyone has gone through something similar—especially another high-volume or Top Rated seller—I would appreciate hearing what happened.
mykhailo_hut
·2 weeks agoWith over $6,000 being held and no specific reason given, did eBay show you anywhere which transactions or risks were actually causing the hold, what could still change the outcome, and what exact steps were left for you to take?
dbmm-media
·Sep 6, 2026 at 10:31 PMyou know exactly what you did.
janet9988
·Sep 6, 2026 at 4:06 PMYou do not own the right to sell Roblox digital items.
Also approved sellers would have the digitally delivered shipping option displayed in the shipping area so you were never approv3d to sell those items.
You listed them in the wrong categories on top of that.
You were finally caught.
fuji_samurai
·Sep 6, 2026 at 1:56 PM · EditedThis happened to me in August. "High risk selling" from Japan. I have a 100% rating over 20 years. I had to issue 2 refunds in the last 6 months while only making 6 sales so the algorithm spiked I guess. They also made it near impossible for me to pay my seller fees. They needed a valid credit card, but kept telling me the address wasn't correct. Then after about a month of talking to East Asian agents, they finally told me I had to use a Japanese issued credit card (Not an international card). They also said once my seller fees were paid, my account restrictions would be lifted. Still waiting. What a huge waste of time.
stephenmorgan
·Sep 6, 2026 at 5:55 AMYou may need a Court order to get that information. You could start with a Notice of Dispute and see if you get any resolve. eBay may or may not reply to your Notice. If no resolve after 45 days then consider a Court Hearing or an Arbitration Hearing.
Go here to file a Notice of Dispute.
https://www.ebay.com/legalhelpcenter
Read Legal Disputes Section 19 of the User Agreement.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/user-agreement?id=4259&st=12&pos=1&query=User%20Agreement&intent=arbritration&docId=HELP1313#18
krazzykats
·Sep 6, 2026 at 2:48 AMDid you follow the rules for selling Roblox codes on eBay? Did you put the listings in the correct category?
eBay Policies on Digital Goods
eBay’s Electronically Delivered Goods Policy restricts most sellers from listing digital items like game codes unless they are:
eBay-approved digital sellers.
Selling in the correct category (e.g., Everything Else > Information Products for non-approved sellers)