eBay

tyler@ebay · ‎02-18-2020

Join the Community team here at 1 PM PT on February 19th for our Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. We don't have a specific topic this week, so please bring any general questions you may have about buying or selling.

The chat will be open for questions from 1-2 pm PT, at which point we'll close thread from additional responses. After this time, we'll continue to work on responding to any queries that might still be unanswered.

If you're new to the chat, welcome! Simply Reply to this post with your question from 1-2 PM Pacific Time and we'll be happy to look into it for you.

*Please note that we're not able to address account-specific queries. Questions regarding your account should be directed to eBay Customer Service.

Tyler,

Anonymous · ‎02-19-2020

Hi everyone, the chat is now open for replies! Looking forward to hearing your questions today 🙂

quipper100 · ‎02-19-2020

A telephone help-center employee gave me bad information, and prompted me to make a duplicate purchase of an item.

There seems to be no way to resolve this through normal channels. Does anyone have any advice about who to contact and how?

mam98031 · ‎02-19-2020

I hope you all had a FANTASTIC Valentines Day!! I know this wish is late, but

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY !!!!

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

fineartphotographs · ‎02-19-2020

*Please Read The Entire Question*

Ok, So I am beyond frustrated at the moment. I've been selling on Ebay for going on ten years and have had some nice success as a side income selling my own photographs. A lot of figure studies, outdoor nudes, etc. Nothing sexual or lewd (subjective I know...) and in my opinion all classy stuff. I've always listed in the Art > Art Photographs category and never had a problem in over a decade.

Over the last few months eBay has suddenly taken issue and now they want me to list everything in the Adults Only category. Trouble is, nothing, and I mean NOTHING sells in that category. It's a complete waist of time. I can list something in that category and over the course of 30 days it will get less than 10 page views. In the Art Photographs category the same listing will get thousands of views over 30 days.

According to eBay's policies; "Nude art listings must include the item specifics attribute Subject: Nudes, and can only be listed in the Art categories, or the following Collectibles categories..." From there mentions categories such as pre 1940 pinups, etc.

I've followed the rules and put Nudes as the subject in all of my listings. Why even have that subject as an option if I'm not allowed to post anything with nudity?

I also notice there are plenty of other listings out there similar to my own that don't seem to be affected. These items are very similar to my own style that keeps causing my account to be restricted.

I've tried contacting customer support but they just more or less shrug their shoulders and don't seem to grasp how much of an issue it is to limit my listings to the Adults Only category. Does anyone have any advice? Maybe it is certain words in my title or my description that is bothering eBay? It is extremely frustrating that I keep getting punished and others don't.

If I'm stuck with the Adults Only category then my days with eBay are done. I don't sell enough there to even cover the cost of having an eBay store. I'll survive without it but after a good ten year run the idea of that is more than a bit disheartening.

Please feel free to contact me directly through eBay messages if that is easier.

tyler@ebay · ‎02-19-2020

Thanks @mam98031! It was a good night. I made a nice steak on cast iron and it turned out so good but boy did it smoke the kitchen up something awful.

Hope you had a nice day too!

Tyler,

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎02-19-2020

Will next week's Town Hall be available on the Community, or the ebay for Business Facebook page? Or both? And will it be available as a "rerun" for those who can't be present for the live Town Hall?

gracieallen01 · ‎02-19-2020

Hello Trinton,

If Khoros-associated personnel, besides the moderators, post to the Community forums, will they be identified in any way?

Not saying 'NO' doesn't mean 'YES'.

The foolishness of one's actions or words is determined by the number of witnesses.

Perhaps if Brains were described as an APP, many people would use them more often.

Respect, like money, is only of 'worth' when it is earned - with all due respect, it can not be ordained, legislated or coerced. Anonymous

mtss300 · ‎02-19-2020

Good Afternoon Ebay Team,

I have been a small ebay seller for the past five years, selling in a niche market, of mainly high end, descriptive comic books. I am at the point where I would like to take my store from a hobby to an actual side business, and I am concerned about how to fully connect to not only my current customer base, but my possible customer base, and how to truly develop a side business that fits my lifestyle. So, my two questions are these:

Over the last few years as a seller, I have seen little in what seems to be marketing that the corporation is doing to try and bring new buyers to the website. As a seller I can only market directly to my direct customers, or customers who might follow my account or store. But when it comes to potential customers who might do searches within my market, or outside of Ebay, I cannot do any marketing to them through Ebay. So, my question is how does Ebay plan to advertise to get more people to visit the site, and how do you plan to advertise to specific markets within Ebay, like comics, or collectibles?

My second question is about creating a business plan. I was listening to your “Selling On Ebay” podcast to try and learn as much as I can. On episode 78, an employee from Ebay (Michael Robinson) came on and talked about how he is helping sellers look through their business, and helps them increase their sales, contribution margin, etc. How do we get in touch with someone in Ebay who might be able to help us improve our store?

Thanks in advance for the help!

mam98031 · ‎02-19-2020

A little clarification needed in regards to INRs.

It is the understanding of many that an INR can not be opened by a buyer until the day after the latest ETA on the purchase record. However I have experienced that buyers have been able to open them prior to that date. It was further my understanding that they couldn't ask Ebay to close it in their favor until 3 business days AFTER the last ETA date on the Purchase.

What is the actual rule for Ebay. I could not find it in the policy pages. If I just missed it, would you please provide a link to the appropriate policy.

Thank you in advance.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

brian@ebay · ‎02-19-2020

@quipper100 wrote:

A telephone help-center employee gave me bad information, and prompted me to make a duplicate purchase of an item.

There seems to be no way to resolve this through normal channels. Does anyone have any advice about who to contact and how?

Hi @quipper100, I'm sorry you had a bad experience. Any feedback you have about that call can be shared by contacting customer service and asking to speak with their leadership. They will take your feedback and give coaching to the agent you originally spoke with.

Brian,
Community Team

mam98031 · ‎02-19-2020

tyler@ebay wrote:
Thanks @mam98031! It was a good night. I made a nice steak on cast iron and it turned out so good but boy did it smoke the kitchen up something awful.

Hope you had a nice day too!

Too much left over oil in that pan. LOL

Well it will provide a very fond memory for many many years to come !!!

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

Anonymous · ‎02-19-2020

What is eBay's position on a Buyer's Revenge Feedback for a refused return and refund? The buyer's reason was "I didn't like it".

Can the negative feedback be removed under these circumstances?

brian@ebay · ‎02-19-2020

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
Will next week's Town Hall be available on the Community, or the ebay for Business Facebook page? Or both? And will it be available as a "rerun" for those who can't be present for the live Town Hall?

Hi @my-cottage-books-and-antiques, the Town Hall will be on this page. It will also be available on-demand for those who aren't able to watch it live 🙂

Brian,
Community Team

Anonymous · ‎02-19-2020

@fineartphotographs wrote:

*Please Read The Entire Question*

Ok, So I am beyond frustrated at the moment. I've been selling on Ebay for going on ten years and have had some nice success as a side income selling my own photographs. A lot of figure studies, outdoor nudes, etc. Nothing sexual or lewd (subjective I know...) and in my opinion all classy stuff. I've always listed in the Art > Art Photographs category and never had a problem in over a decade.

Over the last few months eBay has suddenly taken issue and now they want me to list everything in the Adults Only category. Trouble is, nothing, and I mean NOTHING sells in that category. It's a complete waist of time. I can list something in that category and over the course of 30 days it will get less than 10 page views. In the Art Photographs category the same listing will get thousands of views over 30 days.

According to eBay's policies; "Nude art listings must include the item specifics attribute Subject: Nudes, and can only be listed in the Art categories, or the following Collectibles categories..." From there mentions categories such as pre 1940 pinups, etc.

I've followed the rules and put Nudes as the subject in all of my listings. Why even have that subject as an option if I'm not allowed to post anything with nudity?

I also notice there are plenty of other listings out there similar to my own that don't seem to be affected. These items are very similar to my own style that keeps causing my account to be restricted.

I've tried contacting customer support but they just more or less shrug their shoulders and don't seem to grasp how much of an issue it is to limit my listings to the Adults Only category. Does anyone have any advice? Maybe it is certain words in my title or my description that is bothering eBay? It is extremely frustrating that I keep getting punished and others don't.

If I'm stuck with the Adults Only category then my days with eBay are done. I don't sell enough there to even cover the cost of having an eBay store. I'll survive without it but after a good ten year run the idea of that is more than a bit disheartening.

Please feel free to contact me directly through eBay messages if that is easier.

Hi @fineartphotographs, it does look like the correct action was taken on your listings that were removed. While nude photographs that are artistic in nature are allowed in the relevant art category, some details or characteristics within a photo may require it to be listed in the adult section of the site. You can contact Customer Service to discuss the specific details of these listing removals, and report any concerns you have for other photos on the site that may be incorrectly categorized.