Account Unfairly Restricted

[malvernusedgardenmachinery]

Our business account has been restricted for something I don't think we've done. eBay have alleged that we've been trading outside of eBay (which is factually incorrect). We've been told that we've passed contact details via messages. eBay have sent me 3 item numbers that they allege are involved. I've reviewed all the messages in our inbox, sent items and recycle bin and can find no message sent from us that contained our contact details. Someone made an enquiry about an item and asked us for a contact number. We did not give our our number in our response to them but we did tell them that our contact details our on eBay shop page. I can't find any record that we have done what eBay alleges we have and now we're restricted! 

[hidy-hoo]

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@18704d wrote:

"In the third we gave the landline number for our shop. This is the same number listed under our business seller information which anyone can see anyway."

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I thought that was a violation of eBay policy:

Offers to buy or sell outside of eBay
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/rfe-spam-non-ebay-sale.html

Not allowed
"Posting or displaying contact information in a listing, including email, phone number, and mailing address, without the permission of eBay or except as required by law"

fwiw,

Lynn

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@18704d wrote:

"In the third we gave the landline number for our shop. This is the same number listed under our business seller information which anyone can see anyway."

---------

I thought that was a violation of eBay policy:

Offers to buy or sell outside of eBay
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/rfe-spam-non-ebay-sale.html

Not allowed
"Posting or displaying contact information in a listing, including email, phone number, and mailing address, without the permission of eBay or except as required by law"

fwiw,

Lynn

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Is anyone else surprised by the "new" not allowed wording regarding phone numbers in a listing?  This has been discussed several times on the Wednesday Chat with the same answer ~ although there has never been a "written" policy, phone numbers have always been allowed in a listing.

I did find a question from a seller when searching, stating that eBay sent out emails to sellers stating that as of the 2nd quarter of 2017, phone numbers would no longer be allowed in listings...I am a seller, albeit, a very small seller, but I didn't receive this info email ~ did anyone else?

Shouldn't there be some central location where changes to eBay policy are displayed along with the date of the change?  How are the responders to know when a policy change has been made...very frustrating!

[wendybac]

Hidy-hoo said this:

"Shouldn't there be some central location where changes to eBay policy are displayed along with the date of the change?  How are the responders to know when a policy change has been made...very frustrating!"

I could not agree more!  It is very difficult to find answers to so many questions.

I don't know how to do it...but could someone let the blues see this very important comment?

[dhbookds]

@wendybac@hidy-hoo

Understand that the original poster is in the UK.....so there, I believe the phone # is REQUIRED to be in the listing........

[hidy-hoo]

@dhbookds  Yes, I realize that the OP is in the UK ~ however, the link that Lynn provided is from the eBay.com site policy pages and is evidently a "new" change, as phone numbers have always been allowed to be inserted in a listing ~ so I am just wondering how the volunteer responders are supposed to know about these changes

    ?

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/rfe-spam-non-ebay-sale.html

[timzbiz]

This is a serious ebay glitch that is now starting to retrict and shut down sellers. It is important for all sellers to go to your prefernences. In preferneces select manage communication with buyers. Then select NO for allow buyers to contact you (from active listings).

[chrysylys]

"Shouldn't there be some central location where changes to eBay policy are displayed along with the date of the change? How are the responders to know when a policy change has been made...very frustrating!"

I don't believe they want us to know. Keep in mind how they've messed up the boards and how traffic has been cut back.

[chrysylys]

"In preferneces select manage communication with buyers. Then select NO for allow buyers to contact you (from active listings)."

No, that's absolutely the wrong thing to do and it shouldn't even be an option. ASQs are essential and all sellers should be required to accept and respond to them.

[timzbiz]

"No, that's absolutely the wrong thing to do"

Okay, then if you want your selling priviledges retricted because of something you did not do, leave your communication setting on. Mine will be off until ebay solves its glitch!

[ymeagainlord]

I for one am not about to shut down potential buyers from contacting me through my active listings.

[chrysylys]

I buy $5.00 sunglasses.

But if I were considering spending $200 on a pair, I would want to know that the seller was responsive. If I couldn't even send them a question, I would bypass them and find another seller.

[timzbiz]

I'm not thrilled about turning off the communication with my buyers, and I do not plan on doing it permanently. But until this gets fixed I think it is the best thing for sellers to do to protect their accounts.

[iart]

wylieleatherwyo

You're saying a buyer sent you contact info and you were penalized for it?

[iart]

There's always a little bit more to the story.

[timzbiz]

"You're saying a buyer sent you contact info and you were penalized for it?"

Yes, that is what he is saying. This is a known ebay glitch. Sellers are receiving warning messages directly from ebay for simply receiving letters from buyers that are hinting towards doing a transaction off ebay.

[fab_finds4u]

I know business sellers on eBay.co.uk are required by the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 to display their contact details in the LISTING. But eBay UK also says
Not allowed
Your listings and other eBay pages can't include:
Links to web pages that offer to trade, sell, or buy goods or services outside of eBay or eBay Inc. subsidiaries, including other auction-style websites.

Providing the url to their non eBay store that advertises they buy sell or trade equip is against policy.

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/listing-links.html