I must have created an eBay account a few years ago. eBay seems to have saved some of my information.
Today, I decided to sell some books I no longer needed. So I signed in and listed 2 books. 1 hour and 4 minutes later, eBay sent me an email:
We wanted to let you know that you have been temporarily restricted from selling and buying on eBay because of concerns about your seller account. This must be frustrating, but measures like these help keep our marketplace safe for everyone.
Here’s what you should do
Please get in touch as soon as you can by going to the Help & Contact page below and selecting Contact Us. We’ll just need to ask you a few questions to verify your account so you can get back up and running again. If we don’t hear from you within 7 days, your account may be at risk of being suspended.
So I contacted customer service through chat. The agent did not ask me to verify my account or identity, and told me that my account is indefinitely suspended and cannot be reinstated, because 'we found indications of risk to the eBay community'. Furthermore, 'We can't provide specific information on what behaviors we have found, because this may provide risk to our site. We've found out that providing this information can also provide ways to circumvent this restrictions or review process in the future.'
The agent ended the chat immediately, and did not let me ask any more questions. I called customer service, and was told that the decision was final and cannot be appealed.
After reading others' experiences, there are a few possible reasons for my suspension:
- I had changed my address, same state, different ZIP code.
- I had edited my listings, adding some details, and making some measurements more precise (e.g., 5 oz to 5.4 oz).
- I am residing in the U.S., but am not a citizen or permanent resident. I just applied for an SSN. On eBay, I entered the SSN that appeared on my company's file of me. On second thought, it may not be a valid SSN.
I do have a U.S. driver's license, and all necessary supporting documents such as bank statements, passport, visa, etc. In an earlier discussion, someone suggested contacting eBay on Facebook. Should I bother to do that at all?
My PayPal account had been suspended. When I called PayPal's customer service, they told me why it was and what to do. My account was soon restored. But this time on eBay, I don't even know what I did wrong. My account is suspended, supposedly because I violated eBay's rules or policies. Had I known what eBay's rules and policies are, I certainly would not have broken them.
I received no warning or explanation from eBay. The only email I received said that my account is temporarily restricted. When I contacted customer service, they told me my account is indefinitely suspended, and the decision is final and cannot be appealed.
Simply-the-best-for-you Volunteer Community Mentor
