EBAY has a defect in their software that does not remove sold items.

[jbrierly]

I have filed many complaints repeatedly over the years about Ebay not removing sold unique items only showing ONE available.   So, after the unique item is sold Ebay leaves it in my store for someone else to buy what I do not have.  Ebay calls this my store's defect when it is their defective software.   I have been fighting over this issue for 10 years at least.  And it has done no good.  The error still pops up regularly causing Ebay to call it my store's defect when it is Ebay's defect.   Ebay then says my store is below standard and kills many of my best listings.  They put an artificial limit on what I can sell.  So, I'm backed up with potential sales that cannot be listed due to restrictions placed because of their wrongful assigning a defect to my store.   What can I do to finally get them to fix their system for removing items that are sold and gone forever.  Their system keeps saying that it is a restocking defect when the item is not restockable.  One of their technicians said  that Ebay has a way to disallow restocking of sold out items.  I'll be damned if I can find any such capability in Ebay listings.   

[simply-the-best-for-you]

I have heard rumors of this "bug" for years.   I've been selling since 1997 & I have never once had it happen.  I am firmly convinced that these are user error & unfortunately there are many, many ways a user could accidentally do this, making it impossible for someone to diagnose without being in a place to observe said user.  

[reallynicestamps]

Could you provide any examples of listings that were duplicated?

No, because the relistings happen after a  sale of a unique item.

• Every stamp in the world is catalogued and listed.  I have two Canada #158 (Bluenose) listed, for example,  but they are quite different in both appearance and grade.

And then the re-purchase of the sold item can happen weeks, or, given my long-tail items, even months after that.

I keep paper records, and finding Sold listings is possible. More likely, I go to pull the new sale and there it is gone, with only a vague memory of having packed and shipped a year ago.

[lacemaker3]

OK, thanks. I was going to ask if you could find an example that had relisted within the last 2 years. Presumably, the relisted items will use the same title and pictures, so it should be possible to identify them through Terapeak. It was just a starting point. I wondered if they would have different item numbers, or if the original listing had somehow been reactivated.

[jbrierly]

Thanks for the advice.   Today I received an offer for two jadeite plates sold a long time ago.  I only had two of them.  Because it was an offer I was able to stop a sale from going through.   If it had gone through with a full price sale then I would have gotten still another defect that i don't deserve.  Ebay keeps on saying I'm under standards because of  their erratic software.   I'll try getting through to Ebay by Facebook.   I have complained many times over the years about this error in Ebay.   They do not seem to care to fix this screwup.   

[gwens*4saleitems*]

It's not necessarily a glitch in the system/programming.

I've found that items are put into the Unsold/Not Relisted category. EVEN if they have sold. Because these items have been listed for a long while and ended and listed and finally sold. (I would have been able to give you an example of this, but I just went through and deleted all the Sold items out of there). And well because it's been there it's now Sold and Not Relisted.

These items do not go into the Unsold category at the left side of the screen under ACTIVE.

These items go into the Unsold and Not Relisted area in the Listings section of Seller Hub.

Now, if you do like I do, you are going to Unsold and Not Relisted clicking on any number of items and hit relist, you get what you click on relisted, sold and unsold. **AKA ghost listings**

(I wish I had the example of what I'm talking about for you)

[allen1853]

This has been happening to me FOR YEARS. It was bad enough to learn eBay was disappearing listings they did not think were interesting enough for buyers. Just POOF the "stale" listings were gone. But the relisting of sold items causes real headaches. You have to explain to disappointed buyers this is an eBay glitch. They do not want to hear it. And OF COURSE eBay will tell you it is our fault. I only create new listings, all of my existing listings AUTO RENEW. I have nothing to do with going to a sold item and relisting it. Sadly, you cannot fight stupid. 

[ruma_9235]

I am pretty sure I have this same problem. I get a notice in an item sold but  99.9% sure I’ve already sold it. When  I go to look for the item it in inventory; it can’t be found. 

[audredarby]

the same thing has happened to me.  I sold a painting for 400. and can't gget it removed. from being up for sale.  I'm beginning to think it's a way for ebay to get more listing fees,  audrey darby. audreyinhberg@gmail.com