Listing Removed Due To Brand Name Misuse, i.e., THE RECORDING ARTISTS NAMES WERE LISTED IN TITLE

[sunsync]

After selling vinyl records and CDs on eBay for over 10 years, this is a new one to me, anyone else experience something this idiotic? I realize this is due to a search or algorithm pointed at a specific brand (artist's) name but seriously, shouldn't there be some discrimination before blindly removing the item, and adding insult to minor injury an eBay CS service rep defends the action by telling me NOT TO USE THE MUSICIANS NAME WHEN I RELIST THE TITLE! All musicians were listed on the cover and were inherent to the product. Not a big deal but eBay's response is simply amazing. 

"We've determined that some of your listings haven't followed our Brand Name Misuse policy. Therefore, we had to take the following actions:
- Listings that didn't follow our policies have been removed. A list of removed item(s) is available further down in this email.

Here's a list of the item(s) that were removed:
264335504161 - TODD RUNDGREN: Initiation LP Bearsville BR 6952 Edgar Winter Rick Derringer "

(Not that huge a deal but I guess the GTC fiasco has just pushed me over the edge with respect to a multitude of eBay problems I'd been previously ignoring)

[mr_lincoln]

@sunsync   Truth is stranger then fiction ... I have a die cast tractor trailer with Intercourse, PA on the side of the trailer and I am wondering if I use that in the title if the listing might be flagged for Adult content or something ...

[sunsync]

Just don't mention shipped from Blue Ball, PA and you'll be OK!

[sunsync]

OH, and eBay wants me to remove a link that points to a specific category in my eBay store, here's the link: https://www.ebay.com/str/sunsync/CDs-/_i.html?_storecat=15865476017

Here's their message. At one point I had 5 of these notices on my Seller's Hub page:

Remove contact info and/or links to non-eBay websites from listings

There is definitely a problem with eBay's scanning tools...

[richard1rst]

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@sunsync wrote:

OH, and eBay wants me to remove a link that points to a specific category in my eBay store, here's the link: https://www.ebay.com/str/sunsync/CDs-/_i.html?_storecat=15865476017

Actually you do not to remove it. You just need to follow their guidelines. What the html coding should look like is this:

<a href=“ https://www.ebay.com/str/sunsync/CDs-/_i.html?_storecat=15865476017” target=”_blank”>

 Notice the addition of target=”_blank” on the end. That way the link opens in a new page.

I have a ton of those and never a question or complaint.

[Anonymous]

@sunsync- I wonder if they sent a brand name misuse warning when they intended to send a search manipulation warning? Or maybe a competitor reported you using the wrong report reason?

It's a Todd Rundgren solo album and the other artists made guest appearances. I think the problem was listing the other artist names in the title, not Rundgren's. Just guessing here.

[gramophone-georg]

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@Anonymous wrote:

@sunsync- I wonder if they sent a brand name misuse warning when they intended to send a search manipulation warning? Or maybe a competitor reported you using the wrong report reason?

It's a Todd Rundgren solo album and the other artists made guest appearances. I think the problem was listing the other artist names in the title, not Rundgren's. Just guessing here.

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If those artists appear on the album, then how is it 'search manipulation'?

[Anonymous]

I was throwing out a guess. I didn't say I think it's search manipulation, I said a competitor could have reported it and claimed it was misuse/manipulation to put the other artists in the title and eBay went for it. I've seen eBay take down listings for a whole lot less.

[bigdeals.etc]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@sunsync   Truth is stranger then fiction ... I have a die cast tractor trailer with Intercourse, PA on the side of the trailer and I am wondering if I use that in the title if the listing might be flagged for Adult content or something ...

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I gotta visit that place. Sounds like a hap'nin town.

[berserkerplanet]

>>There is definitely a problem with eBay's scanning tools...

You have a "CLICK FOR MORE CDs" link with an href = http://ebay.to/2rKq6Nq in a listing I picked at random. (The Todd Rundgren listing has the same issue)

That's an offsite link - prohibited for close to 2 years (shortened links have been prohibited for 5 years)
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-policies/links-policy?id=4248
(arguments that the obfuscated link points right back to eBay are invalid. The bots can't know that, and the target can potentially be changed, unless eBay and Bitly have partnered, locked that shortened URL domain down, and coded the bots with that exception)

Even if it were an allowed link, it is still in violation: not HTTPS, missing the target="_blank" attribute
https://pages.ebay.com/sell/itemdescription/bestpractices.html#faqs

And with all that, it is incredibly bad practice - it's an obfuscated, Bitly URL shortened link that can take the user anywhere (even if hypothetically locked down, the user wouldn't know that, and can't judge the safety of the link)

[dtexley3]

Deringer as in a gun.