AI incompetence is making eBay unusable

[microimagepartners]

eBay's AI Bot is incompetent in regard to industrial X-ray technology.     I have owned a small business Refurbishing Industrial X-ray equipment for 23 years.  I have been buying non-functional X-ray equipment on eBay and many other places , rebuilding them then reselling them on eBay (and other places) for more than 20 years.   The partnership with eBay has been mutually beneficial for 20+ years.   Now however, eBay has allowed their incompetent AI Bot to Wrongly remove listings for my X-ray systems, saying that "They are medical devices that require a prescription and are therefore not allowed to be sold on eBay".   Apparently, just like some people, eBay's AI is ignorant of the fact that X-ray technology is used in many fields other than medicine.    For 20 years, My listings actually say that they are for Non-medical,  industrial X-ray inspection only.  The human Customer Support people have their hands completely tied.  They can't do anything to teach anything to the incompetent AI Bot.   Because of its' ignorance, the AI Bot has twice suspended my account for this errant reason.   AI has destroyed the 20 year long partnership between eBay and my company.    I'm now in the process of migrating my advertising to other companies and to my own website.    AI is like having a new employee.  You must first train them before you let them interface with customers or make any decisions. Right?    eBay will learn that letting incompetent AI run the whole show is only going to force customers to search for competition.   If there's a smart entrepreneur out there, NOW is your GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY to REPLACE eBay because their incompetent management no longer cares about their customers.

[soh.maryl]

Maybe I am not understanding something, but it seems to me like refurbished Xray equipment would be too limited a market to make it a good fit for eBay selling.  Is there no other venue, like one more directed to medical sales, that would be better, like the Radiology journals.  

And, just idle curiosity, but if anyone, or anyy company, plans to use ionizing radiation, don't they have to get a license from the NRC? 

[eburtonlab]

Is there no other venue, like one more directed to medical sales, that would be better, like the Radiology journals.

The OP is selling entirely non-medical X-ray equipment with business and industrial applications.

If the OP is running into this issue, then likely so are the OP's direct competitors in selling X-ray inspection equipment, which means that eBay may not really be serving this market effectively any longer.

There may be a better market where buyers and sellers are going for such items, or someone may have to create a new one.

[microimagepartners]

I'm talking about NON-medical X-ray equipment.   There are scores of non-medical X-ray uses.  Chemical analytical.  Crystallography, etc.  Every bridge you have ever driven over has been X-rayed all over it.   Every security checkpoint in every US airport has them.  Every courthouse uses security X-ray scanners.  Every aircraft you've ever flown on is X-rayed on regular intervals.  Every cell phone or similar electronic device is X-rayed.  Every piece of electronic equipment that is sent into space is X-rayed.    Medicine is just one of many uses for X-ray technology.   This is exactly what eBay's AI is ignorant of.   I use the word ignorant because eBay chooses to ignore attempts to be taught.  They apparently don't care if their AI breaks the site.  They don't want to let their AI learn.

[microimagepartners]

Yes, you're quite unaware if you think there's too small of a market for refurbished industrial X-ray equipment.   A new systems can vary in price from about $90K to as much as $700K for more complex X-ray microscopes.   I deal with a product line of industrial X-ray microscopes that when new sold for $160K to about $200K.  After refurbishing these and selling the systems including installation, Training and a 1 year warranty, I have found ways to make the instruments function like new and even better than new with modern updates then, sell it for between $38K to $45K.  I have owning customers all over the US, Canada, Mexico, Indonesia, Belgium, France, Germany, The Ukraine and Australia.    After selling these, I typically will travel to these customer's facilities to install the instrument and train their employees.    Several have purchased long term service contracts so I have traveled to their locations twice each year and they pay for everything as well as several thousand dollars for the work and replacement parts.   Trust me, there's a lot of businesses using these too.  eBay isn't just a yard sale or household goods shop.  There are a lot of industrial sellers of large and valuable equipment.  At least there used to be until AI began spoiling things.

[microimagepartners]

Yes, there is another very good professional site that I am migrating to.  I'm also using my own website and planning on building another one.    I don't want to but eBay is forcing me to leave them after 20+ years.

[microimagepartners]

  I'm sorry but your comment hardly deserves a reply because you apparently have the same lack of understanding that the AI has. 

  I'm dealing with Industrial X-ray equipment.  Do you see?  That's NOT medical equipment at all.  It's built inside of radiation shielding Cabinets that are electrically interlocked so that the X-ray source can't be energized if the access door is opened and the source will de-energize if the door is opened during operation.   You couldn't get a person inside most of these systems.   

   Believe it or not, over the years, eBay has been a great marketplace for all sorts of things.  It's not just a Yard Sale site.  People have sold million dollar homes and businesses on ebay and others (including my company) have sold many pieces of industrial X-ray equipment costing well over $100K.

  Of course, I and my company are and have for 22 years been registered with the State of Arizona's radiation regulatory authority.  We're also bonded for $2Mil.    If you're driving a car it's only common sense for everyone to assume that you have a driver's license and are insured to drive and that your car is registered with your state.  Right?   

   You learn something new every day but eBay's AI never learns anything more than an ignorant owner knows.

[microimagepartners]

eburtonlab

   You're right.  For many years I have been advertising on our own website.  I've since added a few other outlets as well.  eBay however has been a wonderful site to get good sales.  Of course mostly "lookie lous" as in real-estate jargon but we have made some great sales on eBay and sometimes people will ask about this or that type of system and I can say , "here, look at this eBay description" and they can read a very detailed description.  Unlike most others, my eBay descriptions are very long and detailed.     I don't know if eBay will allow it but you can see my site here:  xraymicro dot