The elephant in the room - Adult categories and managed payments

[ayceinc]

Hi everyone. I'm a large bulk seller on ebay and have been trying to get a straight answer out of ebay about the fate of the adult categories under managed payments. Today I finally spoke to someone who seemed knowledgeable...and definitely didn't hear what I was hoping to.  According to this rep in the managed payments department, Adult, along with the other new 'restricted categories' can apply to opt out of managed payments. The CS rep couldn't guarantee I would be approved, but said I probably would be, since more than 50% of my items are in a restricted category. It's actually 100%. Now here is where he said 'but even if you are approved to opt out of managed payments, it's a temporary solution.' Eventually the adult category along with other restricted categories will be 'lifted' from the platform. That's a polite way of saying removed. I understand that merchant processing has an uneasy relationship with adult material, but there are numerous options for ebay to have a second processor who would happily process payments for every restricted category. Since literally billions of dollar a month are already processed through VISA/MC for all kinds of adult products each months, including the most high risk - adult subscription sites, why are they having such a hard time figuring out a solution for these HUGE categories? Does anyone have any newer information than this?

[simba6]

Managed payments even has a problem with coins.  Why eBay did not work that out before making us use it ?

Even wally mart  carries sex toys.  A lot of sellers are confused about it all.

[magicjohnsonsvariety]

I too am waiting for word on when I can sell in Adult again. 

OP...Consider yourself lucky they didn't end your listings and then charge you fees for ending them, like they did to me.

[ayceinc]

I got a response from ebay CS this morning and it is the same one I've had on several occasions. Basically, they're saying they have no plans to cancel ANY of the restricted categories, but migration to managed payments will happen in stages. No doubt the restricted categories are a result of their back end merchant bank, but there is no shortage of banks who will be happy to process adult sales, along with coins, bullion and all the other restricted categories. The problem is that these responses come with a lot of caveats like "From the information I'm able to see", "From what I've been told" etc. I'm a large seller on ebay (50k a month) and am in the process of trying to get opted out of managed payments until they have a solution for me. 8 months ago I was told I wouldn't even be asked to register for managed payments until there was a solution but ebay is not looking at the sites' content...they're just sending out instructions to sign up. My last email even said 'your account is ready for managed payments'... Numerous sellers have signed up only to find many of their listings violated the new policies. I'll update as we go but I now have until April 6th to opt out or I'm screwed. This rollout has been less than organized. If you're listing more than 50% items that are in a restricted category, you should probably get on the phone and try to opt out of managed payments...until (and if) they find a payment solution for these categories.

[sansc57803]

Thanks for the well written info Ayce and I appreciate the work you have put into this. From what you have just written, that is more than the total of info I have heard from Ebay ever since this has all started. I'm a little guy seller here but I do have 10-20% of my listings (adult comic books category) that I've have been waiting to list again ever since I signed up for MP. I considered a secondary account without MP (like others in my same position have done) to list these items, but I don't want to put all that work into it only to then have that account forced into MP shortly. So.... I'll just wait. 

[pronggod13]

I too am a 100% adult DVD seller on EBAY and have the April 6th deadline approaching as well. After several calls and getting nowhere it does appear that EBAY has clarified that sellers can use Managed Payments and still have adult for auction/sell. It appears after reading the link I was given which I am putting below that they will be allowed as long as the normal rules are still adhered to.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/managed-payments-restricted-items-policy?id=5009

[magicjohnsonsvariety]

So it appears from the article that MP sellers are once again free to list Adult?

[pronggod13]

From reading that link it would appear so. That was not written that way not to long ago and after a few calls from the Managed Payments operators they directed me to that as they had said it was updated not too long ago

[magicjohnsonsvariety]

Thanks for the info...I might have waited my whole life for the "official" announcement. Communication is not one of ebays strengths.

[pronggod13]

100% agree on that. I literally had to see it written down to believe it and likely still won't until after my 1st auction next month. And the words they ding you for grows daily and a seller never knows what are illegal words in EBAY's eyes. I mean I flagged for Innocent last auction despite 10 years of never having any issue with it before..smh.

[magicjohnsonsvariety]

Ebay does have a sick and twisted way of turning totally innocent people into "criminals" overnight. People try to do the right thing...but nothing is ever quite right enough for ebay. 

I will start with 1 Adult listing and see what happens...

[pronggod13]

Please keep us informed. EBAY will not I am sure

[ayceinc]

It's official. All Adult-only categories are ending effective June 15th. This, after several ebay CS assured me adult had been included in managed payments just a few weeks ago, including someone from 'leadership'. I called to confirm this morning and the first guy I spoke to put me on hold and came back and said 'no, adult categories are not going anywhere.' I thought he was wrong so called again. The next guy put me on hold and came back sheepishly saying 'you're right. We got the email the same time as all the sellers'. So now we all have 30 days to try and salvage our businesses. This is always the risk with adult, which carries a stigma many larger financial institutions don't want to assume. Expect someone large to jump in and try and capture some of the buying power ebay is saying goodbye to...but no idea who it will be at this stage.  Despite the adult categories on ebay being HUGE revenue generators for them (I pay around 6k in fees each month, ebay will be making so much more doing their own payment processing I doubt it will matter. Back to the drawing board.

[wacky4stuff]

Not according to today's message from them. It appears we have until June to liquidate. The only thing I can figure is some large stock holders got ahold of their "ear". They certainly have to be profiting handsomely from adult only. Why they would ban it is inexplicable.

[pronggod13]

Yes it appears they are giving us a 30 day eviction notice. They flat out lied to all of us and rather than tell us what was going on they continued to take our money and deceive us into believing that we would be okay with managed payments when this proves without any doubt they had no intention of allowing us sellers, myself an adult seller on EBAY for 11 years, to continue selling after that was accomplished. They did not give us adequate time to even begin to prepare for anything and even lied again and again that only the payments would change. I have gotten 2 PPP Loans and had the 1st one forgiven thus with managed payments being set up and allowing adult sellers I took a second one as my business through a lot of years of hard work and lean times (pandemic for one) was just now starting to see a big jump in sales. I was still accumulating inventory that had I been treated honestly and with respect as I do to all my customers, perhaps I could have figured something out. Now I am soon to be forced into bankruptcy as I have no alternative to EBAY and the auction format. I have been saving a legitimate bottle of imported absinthe for this kind of occasion. It appears because of this and how it is being done, I will be soon meeting the love of my life who passed some 8 years ago more quickly than I had expected. Being lied to and taken for your money is one thing, knowing that folks could have prepared and stood a chance to survive if only they were told what is now a decision years in the making and had to be aware of.....I could never do that to people and am glad I never did while alive.