Need some seller input

[kiltnkaboodle]

Hi Fellow sellers

I really need some input on a question regarding an issue I had that had my account restricted for 7 days.

I have been listing some vintage sleaze pulp vintage erotica paperbacks recently which is not my usual forte and therefore I had to look up all the Ebay policies regarding the sale of such items. My first attempt at listing these books had most of them pulled by the powers that be for various reasons including the cover art that showed drawings of the breast area where the nipples were visible, bear in mind these were drawings and not actual nudity....okay my bad...lesson learned.

However the issue I need input on is the second round only one of the books was pulled that gave me a 7 day selling suspension because of a user report about the subject matter....imagine my surprise when low and behold I found this item ....233906184392 ....which was the exact same book that got me my suspension !!

The only difference I could see was that the seller that has this item listed has a huge inventory of books listed whereas I only had 20 listings....my price was $9.99 and their price was and is still available at $39.99 buy it now....is this one rule for the big inventory sellers that obviously generate more revenue and another rule for the rest of us?????....has anyone else had a similar experience??....would welcome any theories as talking to an agent was a complete waste of time and all I got was a scripted response from some gal who was rude and wouldn't give me a straight answer and eventually hung up on me when I asked to speak to her supervisor....Thanks for any and all input in advance.

[fashunu4eeuh]

This is about as offensive a listing i have ever seen. Glorifying violence, in this case against women, is something eBay does not allow, regardless of who the seller is.

This listing obviously fell thru the cracks and should be removed. While this is an “adult” item, it is the more serious policy below that has been violated.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/offensive-materials-policy?id=4324

[ckimodog]

@kiltnkaboodle 

Better read this.  Big no no on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/offensive-materials-policy?id=4324

[fbusoni]

I'm glad to know that sellers with poor judgment sometimes get placed squarely on eBay's radar.

I'd be extremely careful henceforth if I were you.

("Encourage" was the word I wanted to use below but settled for something a bit more neutral in the hope the numbskulls at eBay central will not accuse me of exercising too much judgment and decide to leave up the listing.)

 

 

[baantiques]

Wow, what a difference 20+ years makes.  I built a 20x24 garage at my old house in 2002 using profit from sales of vintage sleaze paperbacks.  Back then Ebay would take stuff down if it was offensive enough but you could put it right back up and maybe slightly misspell a word or two and it would sell.  I call those the wild west days of Ebay.  You could sell almost anything and I don't think they suspended anyone.

Most of the true vintage sleaze pulps (late 40s to late 50s) are pretty innocuous though, no more offensive than your typical romance novel.  The sleaziest thing about most of them is the cover art.

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@baantiques wrote:

Wow, what a difference 20+ years makes.  I built a 20x24 garage at my old house in 2002 using profit from sales of vintage sleaze paperbacks.  Back then Ebay would take stuff down if it was offensive enough but you could put it right back up and maybe slightly misspell a word or two and it would sell.  I call those the wild west days of Ebay.  You could sell almost anything and I don't think they suspended anyone.

Most of the true vintage sleaze pulps (late 40s to late 50s) are pretty innocuous though, no more offensive than your typical romance novel.  The sleaziest thing about most of them is the cover art.

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Sleaze paperbacks are allowed and still a good seller on eBay. In this particular case, it is not the fact the item was a sleaze paperback that was the problem, it was the offensive title and blurb on the cover.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

There is a lot worse available on Ebay than the listings you have sold BUT much of it is listed as Adult and does not appear in the search were it can be seen by the young and impressionable.

I find not only your books and your covers to be sleaze but the techniques you are using to list them.

[baantiques]

Didn't I just say that?

[reallynicestamps]

I got as far as the title.

Sweet Flying Spaghetti Monster and all His noodley appendages!

[fbusoni]

Is the listing still up?  eBay wrote to me to tell me it had been removed. 

(This --> "Sweet Flying Spaghetti Monster and all His noodley appendages!" made me laugh out loud.)

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@baantiques wrote:

Didn't I just say that?

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You absolutely did, @baantiques  and apologies for not clarifying my agreement.

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@fbusoni wrote:

Is the listing still up?  eBay wrote to me to tell me it had been removed. 

(This --> "Sweet Flying Spaghetti Monster and all His noodley appendages!" made me laugh out loud.)

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It has been removed for a couple of hours.. That was quick!