Do not rely on eBay for a source of income

[teter-9014]

eBay advertises for small businesses or individuals to sell their old items laying around.  You don’t want to rely on eBay for a source of income they can suspend and restrict your account at any time holding your money up to 6 months.  They have many reasons to restrict your account.  One for most people is they request an invoice and want you to provide proof of where you bought items from a supplier or store.  If you buy hands second hand there’s no way to provide a receipt and eBay will block your account indefinitely.  Then hold whatever money you have in your account.  Do not rely on eBay.  I’ve known many people to have their accounts shut down to never be open again at eBay’s discretion for no reason.  

[chapeau-noir]

Relying on any one marketplace these days as a sole source of income is building castles on sand. There's too much competition in the etailing space. I find eBay still an excellent and reliable source of part-time income, though.

I do think it can be tough to get started here, particularly in electronics, it seems.

[harafkac0]

The rules on ebay are many, and quite a few can catch us by surprise.

When I first started I did a lot of reading before I listed my first item.

What I gathered that made the most impact, is start small, learn to walk before you run.

And that is what I did, in that manner I was able to keep the defects for sales gone wrong under the radar.

It is a good thing, I had a lot to learn, despite having done what I thought was all the research I needed to do.

[fab_finds4u]

There's always a reason .

[richard1rst]

All generalities are bad - even this one.

There are always exceptions.

[onlinecentral]

The 1,500 diabetes test strips in 5 listings may have drawn attention.
That is a few years supply for one patient.
More than a person might inherit from a deceased relative.
These have expiration dates.
Not the type of item one would buy used, and stockpile, without a receipt.
If you bought these legitmately, you should have saved your receipt.
Providing those receipts to eBay would have gotten your restriction lifted.
eBay probably did not notice the electronics you sold. Those seem okay.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Yes, eBay can shut a seller down at their discretion. In the eBay User Agreement, it states unequivocally that eBay reserves the right to terminate any user for any or no reason. But there is usually a reason, even if eBay does not disclose it.

When selling pricey goods in at-risk categories (like gaming, electronics, smartphones, laptops, tablets, high-demand designer goods, etc.), one can now expect eBay to scrutinize such listings more carefully.

There has been recent legislation intended to crack down on nefarious activity in online retailing. This new Federal law places responsibility on internet marketplaces to verify the legitimacy of their users’ activities and identities.

The INFORM Consumers Act directs online marketplaces to verify high-volume third-party sellers by authenticating the seller's government ID, tax ID, bank account information, and contact information.

In addition, the law requires e-commerce platforms to supply a hotline to allow customers to report suspicious activity, such as the listing of suspected stolen, counterfeit, or dangerous products.

Part of the mission of the INFORM law is to make it harder for criminal gangs to set up fly-by-night stores online, or on online marketplaces, and offload stolen merchandise. For more information on this subject, eBay has set up Help pages, see link below.

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/inform-consumers-act