Permanent Restriction, with no obvious reason.

[Anonymous]

What can be done about a permanent restriction from selling? I believe I gave eBay everything they asked for. They asked for all kinds of documents, like they didn't believe it was really me. They then asked for information about my business, which I explained that I didn't have a business, and that I just sold from my home. At the time I was only selling Forever Postage Stamps. After I told them that I didn't have a business, they started talking about me uploading tracking numbers. In the past I sold a lot of Velcro wire/cable ties, a few at a time, which I sold without tracking numbers. I just shipped them in a #10 envelope, but I explained to buyers, how they were being shipped, and if anyone didn't receive their order (or claimed they didn't) I always gave them a refund. As far as I know, it is not wrong to sell without a tracking number, or at least I see others selling things like that. I explained this to eBay, and told them that I couldn't go back and upload a tracking number for the things that I had already sold. I never got an explanation, for the actual reason for the restriction. I thought I would try this posting, to see if that helped.

[alcoforever]

First off, ebay never divulges the exact reason for a suspension.

Second, there are plenty of other sellers selling stamps.   Unfortunately, many of them are counterfeit.

Finally, not providing tracking numbers, in ebay's view, is not a good buyer experience.

Permanent restrictions are permanent.

[lacemaker3]

@Anonymous,

You sold a lot of Forever stamps in just a few months. 22 listings that are still available to see, and when I opened one that was selling for almost $50, there were 199 items sold from that one listing.

In the last year or two, the market has been flooded with counterfeit Forever stamps.

Sorry, but even without knowing anything about your source for the stamps, we can tell they were fake. There's no way that a private seller could have sourced that many legitimate books of stamps, at a price where you could make a profit. So, you were restricted because you were selling fake stamps.

[redmodelt]

If you listed "Velcro" by product name, that could get a VERO removal of the listing(s). VELCRO is very tight about who sells their product if you are not an approved seller. 

[Anonymous]

I have already thought about that. I have taken them to the USPS, and had them checked and scanned. They are legit. 

[lacemaker3]

@Anonymous,

I don't think that eBay would be willing to take your statement on that at face value. And you couldn't have all of them checked. You sold far too many of them.

How were you able to source almost  1,000 books of Forever stamps at a price that allowed you to sell them for 20% below the face value, in just that one listing? And what about all your other listings for Forever stamps?

Didn't you wonder why you were able to purchase so many stamps at such a deal? It was too good to be true.

[Anonymous]

I was approved to sell those Velcro items. When I first selling them, a few years ago, I had to prove to eBay that they were genuine Velcro brand.

[Anonymous]

I saw the other listings of stamps. I just kept my listing a little cheaper than the others. There was not that much profit, even though I did sell a lot. 

[sierras1160]

About tracking numbers. As a buyer I appreciate tracking numbers being uploaded. I like watching the tracking of my item, and seeing when it gets to where I live.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate all you guys for posting information about my situation. I believe I am fighting a losing battle with this. I am permanently restricted and I accept it. Thanks to you all, and God bless you all.

[mrfindit · Accepted solution]

It's possible they were fake, but you have no proof really.  And it is very possible to source legitimate stamps to sell below face and still make a profit.

I once went to an estate sale and purchased over $1000 in face value of unused sheets of stamps, for $40.  Most were old, and in denominations of $.20 (1st class) or less (makeup postage).  It was a crap ton of sheets of stamps.  It was too much hassle to sell, so I'm still putting on full sheets of stamps to mail with!  I just mailed my Fed and local IRS filings with 7 $.20 stamps plus additional makeup postage.

You can sometimes find large amounts of postage at way below face.

But with forever stamps, a 2nd thing happened.  Investors purchased a crap ton of Forever Stamps, like they were bonds!  With the goal to make money on them as an investment, as they predicted the cost of postage would rise.  The first Forever stamps were issued for $0.41 each, and today each stamp is worth $0.58.

There were people who bought THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS of forever stamps as investment vehicles.  So you could simple have someone looking for a way out and so they sold off their books to recoup the original expenditure, with no gains.

Even at 20% below today's current face, an OG Forever Stamp investor could sell them for $0.46 each, still make a nickel on every stamp sold.  Or someone looking for an out could dump them for their original $0.41 and the person that buys them still makes some money on resell.

Now, I haven't looked at this persons listings to know what they were selling, and they certainly haven't volunteered additional info.

But from first hand experience, it is possible to buy bulk amounts of stamps far below face value.   And Forever stamps have been purchased in bulk quantities as an "investment".  Also consider in 2008 when the economy was collapsing, a Forever stamp actually seemed like a very stable investment that could yield a return, when all the rest of the market was crashing!