nevermind
Summary: In the discussion, several participants express frustration with eBay's enforcement of policies regarding the sale of used cosmetics and perfumes. anaistwin notes that their listings were removed post-sale, pointing to issues with AI enforcement. Others, like christworks, advise on compliant listing practices, emphasizing the sale of bottles rather than contents. Several participants share experiences of similar challenges, attributing issues to arbitrary AI actions and questioning eBay's policies. The conversation is moderated to maintain civility, with some expressing dissatisfaction with eBay's customer service and AI implementation.
nevermind
41 comments
lal-7497
·2 weeks agoEBAY is Horrible, they take your Idem sell it, charge a crazy amount of money then put your payment on hold for possible 30 days WTF. I will Never use this again!! Not only that but now you can't speak with a person only AI that basically says it can take a month. what a scam....
shire123
·2 weeks ago@lal-7497 Good luck with wherever you end up.
But one misconception you have. Ebay does not sell your item. You do. And that "crazy" amount of money is in the ballpark of any of the other places.
A lot of people will agree with you though about the AI thing. It's indeed horrible.
lal-7497
·2 weeks agoI agree and I did sell something why does it take 30 days to pay you for your goods
mod-jean
·2 weeks agoHi everyone,
This discussion has gotten a bit heated. Please remember that, while it is fine to disagree with others, discussion should always remain friendly and respectful as required by the Community Guidelines.
You can review our Community Guidelines here: https://community.ebay.com/forum/about-the-community-57910/topic/ebay-community-guidelines-465340/
Thank you for your cooperation.
eBay Community Moderation Team
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 weeks agoWhen you have multiple listings removed for policy violations, there is a threshold beyond which you are a repeat offender, and as well as threats of suspension, you ARE marked for higher scrutiny and more policy violations usually follow.
I worry about exceptions for "collectibles" many items are not collectible, and it seems like having AI determine whether it is truly collectible is just around the corner.
anaistwin
OP2 weeks ago · Editednevermind
frugalmarketplace
·2 weeks ago · EditedThis whole thing is nonsence. I used to sell only cosmetics. People didn’t care if lipstick was in a box…even on Amazon it isn’t an issue. They did it to me also.
As far as the perfume that shouldnt be an issue. Who cares. It is busy work. . I am sorry you are dealing with this as it is stupid.
anaistwin
OP2 weeks ago · Editednevermind
mypostingid15
·2 weeks agois there some flag on my account? they told me a user did not flag it,
No flag on your account, just your products
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but how come it immediately finds mine and not others?
Must be something in your title or item specifics.
anaistwin
OP2 weeks agoi don't think so, but ok.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks ago · EditedI have rarely bought lipstick in a box and I wear a lot of it, so that stricture makes no sense.
ETA: Many cosmetics are not sold in boxes, they are sold in sealed tubes and other containers. A box does zero for cosmetics, anyway - it's just window dressing - what proves they are new is the seal.
frugalmarketplace
·2 weeks agoWe were on a cruise last Fall and I bought about 20 Estée Lauder BOXED lipsticks. I have them for sale, but no one buys them they buy the GWP (a gift with purchase) as they are less expensive..most boxed lipsticks do not come boxed and in plastic sealed wrap. It is all nonsence.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agoIt's like the clothing sizing - I don't think eBay really knows what they're doing and doesn't particularly care as it doesn't affect the bottom line and is not 'magical.'
frugalmarketplace
·2 weeks agoOh yes..they really don’t..had a couple of clothing items they did that to.
christworks
·2 weeks ago@anaistwin I'm sorry you have had these any issues. I would not list any more cosmetic products at the moment. Take a break from that stuff.
Regarding perfume, you cannot sell used perfume. eBay has been cracking down on this practice over the past year. The key to listing that type of item is to always list it in the category Collectibles>Vanity, Perfume & Shaving>Perfumes followed by the appropriate sub category. Since you cannot sell used perfume, partial bottles, etc., you must only sell the bottle. The actual perfume can be in it, but you cannot market it as part of the purchase. If someone buys your bottle, dumps the perfume out and returns to you the bottle, you cannot report the buyer or reduce the refund since the buyer did not pay for the perfume. That's never happened to me, but I'm simply letting you know so if you decide to relist that item, this is how it must be done. Again, I'd stay away from listing/relisting any cosmetic items for a while. When you do relist you do not want to use the same listing, photos, or anything else from the listings that were removed. This is because even if you are in complicance the AI has stored the digital fingerprint of the image. Reusing photos will most certainly result in an immediate take down and perhaps a long term account ban given you are already on 7 days.
Regarding lipstick that stuff must be new in the box, if not sold as a collectible. I realize eBay offers a "used" condition option. I do not know why they continue to offer that. It is possible they do allow some high volume or select sellers a pass on that policy, which eBay is allowed to do when you carefully read the Terms of Service you agreed to. You barely meet the definiation of casual seller so it is doubtful you would be able to ever get a pass on that.
In addition to some sellers being given permission (even if only with a wink and a nod by eBay) to sell items that are otherwise against policy, some do it and simply don't get caught because not everybody is going to be caught. Once you are caught, the AI will pay closer attention to you and will be quick to catch you again. That's why I told you take a break from that type of stuff.
I don't know where you think you are going to sell that stuff. Other platforms do not allow for used cosmetics and new ones must also be in the box.
pickapaper
·2 weeks ago@christworks I remember reading before where you suggested selling perfume bottles as just the bottles (not the contents). About a month ago, I listed some empty miniature perfume bottles as empty bottles in the collectibles-perfume-commercial miniatures category and they still got taken down. I appealed and they still refused so I just put them away.
As far as I am concerned, the cosmetics category in general is a mess. It seems like eBay doesn't know what to do with it.
christworks
·2 weeks ago@pickapaper I'm sorry they got removed. Whenever AI is doing the removing, anything is possible. My post here and elsewhere isn't about whether AI will or will not remove a listing. Everybody should know by now AI can and will do whatever it wants because AI doesn't know what it doesn't know. The issue this post and similar posts addresses are what is allowed by eBay policy. You cannot sell used perfume. You can give it away and only sell the bottle, or sell empty bottles. That keeps you factually within eBay's policy so if something happened and you were suspended or banned, you could likely get your account back.
anaistwin
OP2 weeks ago · Editedthis is what i think, i think AI has been unleashed and doing this weird stuff.
pickapaper
·2 weeks ago@christworks Oh, I know all that. I was just relating that my attempt at selling empty miniature perfume bottles didn't work. Even though it is stated within policy that one can sell empty perfume bottles, and mine were actually empty and they were listed in collectibles (in small lots, not individually), they were removed. I'm never surprised at anything that happens anymore and I don't get upset and usually I don't even appeal if something gets removed; this time I did appeal but it didn't do any good, so I just put the bottles back in storage and listed other things.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agoMany cosmetics do not come in boxes - they are sealed.
christworks
·2 weeks ago@chapeau-noir eBay’s policy technically requires perfume to be in its “original packaging.” If the manufacturer did not sell it in a box, a new, factory-sealed bottle should comply. AI enforcement often relies on probabilities though rather than context, so a legitimate listing for sealed but unboxed perfume could still be removed by mistake.
I'm glad I got out of HBC products before AI took over. I will still list the occasional perfume in the collectible category.
anaistwin
OP2 weeks ago · Editedhow do you sell "just the bottle"? i have moved a lot of perfumes to other sites, i listed the lipstick not having any clue it would be flagged. for clarification, the lipstick was not used, but just did not have a box. and other platforms do allow used cosmetics, as i have seen it.
kensgiftshop
·2 weeks agoDon't know about lip sticks, but you can't sell used perfume as new.
anaistwin
OP2 weeks agoyes i know you suddenly can't when you could for 20+ years. the point is they arbitrarily enforce it.
kensgiftshop
·2 weeks agoIt's not suddenly, it's been that way since Covid.
anaistwin
OP2 weeks ago · Editedi never had an issue till the past year. and it seems the point is being missed.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoIf you search 'perfume' here in the Community you will find countless posts going back many years, by sellers whose used perfume listings were taken down. It's not just you!
anaistwin
OP2 weeks agoi didn’t say it was, but i guess the internet does not foster understanding of nuance. that didn’t hapoen to me until the last couple years and you can still choose “used” under perfume collectibles even though it’s not “allowed.” good day.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoThey definitely should fix that so there's no perception of permission.
kensgiftshop
·2 weeks agoRight, under collectables, you're selling only the bottles, which is used.
inhawaii
·2 weeks agoI got pulled over and cited for speeding the other day.
There were other cars also speeding.
How come they weren't pulled over?
anaistwin
OP2 weeks agoyou should learn how to do an analogy properly before posting something so nonsensical. good luck.
inhawaii
·2 weeks agoI was hoping you would get my point, but I guess not.
anaistwin
OP2 weeks agoyou have no point. that is my point, which you don't understand. good day.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoSorry but it is kind of a crappy analogy, lol. A (human) police officer can pull over only 1 car at a time, whereas eBay software theoretically should catch all prohibited item listings. And I mean quickly, like computer processing quickly.
@anaistwin Very often the people getting away with it are using some kind of trick in how they set up the listing, to camouflage it against bots. For example selling used perfume in the Vanity Collectibles category as if the bottles are empty, but really they have some % of the fluid still in them, which the sellers prominently state and show, because the perfume really is the item for sale, not the bottle (some bottles are so boring nobody would collect them anyway).
anaistwin
OP2 weeks agoyeah i don't understand how it works, i am just saying i have listed like a partially full bottle of vintage guerlain and then see 50+ of the same thing. that's why i think it's AI/flagged account/something. i have been on here for 27 YEARS and i have never seen this kind of weird stuff happen.
they once took something down as counterfeit, and it was NOT counterfeit.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoYou don't understand how it works? I"m saying there are items in categories that aren't the most accurate, and that is (sometimes) how those sellers don't get caught by the bots.
Do you know where to find which category an item is in? It's in the Item Specifics of every listing.
anaistwin
OP2 weeks agoi have listed vintage perfumes in the secidically perfume collectibles section as used, as they allow to use in the listing. I see many others listed with basic titles like mine was and nothing to evade anything. That’s what I’m saying.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoWhat is secidically perfume?
anaistwin
OP2 weeks agonevermind.
powell-collectibles
·2 weeks agoThey must be very lax in Hawaii. You have been pulled over several dozen times - at least.