Price gouging for Minnie Mouse The Main Attraction Ear Headband Mad Tea Party

[collectiblesdude*]

Im totally shocked, is this an Essential item?

[loveshopforthings]

I agree with your observation (re automation and keywords).

I also agree with the eBay rep that we must contact CS, because each case is different. 

I have been following this thread (and similar ones) trying to sort out and make sense of the information I received from CS, because I do not want to do anything to risk my account.

Needless to say, it has been very frustrating, and I am sure the CS are doing the best that they can.

Not blaming anyone, I simply want to know what I can and can't do under the current situation.

I am sharing my story in the hopes that someone can give me some insight.

Since friday, I have received 10 different messages, with 10 different replies. A few of them actually contradict everything that has been discussed here (re: price gouging and collectibles).... 

I sell a variety of items, discontinued items, limited edition, HBA, food, clothing, collectibles... old, new... 'flea market, thrift stores, resell, etc... If it sells on ebay, chances are I will list it.

I also live in a mountain resort, and we have one supermarket, so I purchase all my groceries online (walmart and target), at times I will order a case of something for our consumption, take what we need, and sell the rest.

Never had an issue with listings.

Just like the person that sells Flour (above), I list "price of item + shipping" and list the item as 'free shipping', it is easier for me than calculating the cost of shipping and additional shipping for that second item.

Never had a complaint about the price of the item, or the shipping, or anything.

For items that are heavy, (popcorn boxes, cereal boxes, canned food), I take a Flat Rate, fit as many items as I can, and create a listing for A LOT. Lot of 6 cans for $40,  (includes price of 6 items, ebay fees, shipping, and a small profit for me... what is why we are all here, isn't??!)

When pricing my items, I look at what items have sold for, what items are listed for, and always (always) list $1 less... basically, basic Business 101: Supply and Demand.

All of a sudden (friday) 70+ listings were removed for price gouging.

they were all random listings... no face masks... no lysol... nothing related to the restrictions...

some listings were for food, some HBA, some collectibles... I noticed that all the items were the LOT listings, so my thought was, people saw the price and assumed I was price gouging... so I sent my first message to CS... and I received a canned reply...

I sent a second message... I received another canned reply...

I didn't know if it was for 'price gouging', which I felt I was not.. for example, I had a listing for 12 boxes of pasta for $75... I had paid $3 each box, plus $24.50 S&H, plus ebay fees, plus $5 profit for me...  but I can see how someone might see $75 pasta and think I was price gouging.

I didn't know if it was 'restricted items'... I read everything eBay sent and posted, and, with the above example, pasta was nowhere in the definition of essential, neither is it considered 'essential'.

I wasn't sure what to fix, because both messages suggested that I make changes to the listings to conform with the policy, and to relist.

I sent a reply to one of the messages I received asking "if I separate the shipping from the cost of the item, will the listing pass?"

the answer the CS sent was "yes".

I sent yet another message to confirm:

"IF I create new listings for items that are allowed to be sold in eBay, show the 'reasonable price' and show the USPS shipping rates, high or not, it is not a price I set, but the actual price, then the listings will not be removed, correct?"

The reply I received from a different CS was "Yes you are correct, if the item is in reasonable price without using the opportunity from the current situation, yes you can list it on our site."

So I did... I spent all Saturday, took all the LOT listings (the deactivated ones and the ones that were still up), and separated the shipping from the price of the item. 

Went to sleep.... Sunday morning, same thing... another 50+ random listings were deactivated for 'price gouging'... jam... peas... peaches... deodorant... victoria secret...  maps... 

I sent another message to CS... again I received another canned reply...

I sent another message asking that someone please read all messages that had been sent to me, and provide me with some type of guidance,  because listings kept being removed. I specifically asked, should I not list LOTS but rather quantity of 1?

The reply I received was "I've checked and it shows that you are only selling the item in a minimal price. However, based on the review that eBay is doing we have decided to sweep any necessity items related to the spread of the Corona virus. We are allowing the sale of certain items with certain restrictions."

I sent another messages asking for clarification:

is a 60oz Blackberry Jam, jar of French Caviar, bottle of Imported Balsamic Creme considered necessities? (those were the type of listings deactivated)

where is the list of what is considered 'essential', so I can insure not to list those items? 

I received a helpful reply:

"From what I am seeing, you are selling canned and packaged goods for the most part and these are also the items being removed for "price gouging". I looked up the prices for these items, and they are all being sold at retail price, so I'm not sure why these are being counted as "price gouging". I do want to reach out to my Prohibited Items team and see why exactly these items were removed so I can get a clear answer for you, because by the clear frustration in your email, you have been given unclear information.

If you wouldn't mind, I would ask for your patience in this matter while I wait for a response from that department so I can get the correct information from you. Once I hear back from that department, I will reach out to you via email explaining why that was removed and if we can get those reinstated for you. It is possible this was a malfunction with the site filters. I have reached out to that department, and I am awaiting a response from them. I will reach out to you as soon as I hear back."

This was Sunday... so with this last reply, I was feeling a bit better, because as I was reading in the Community, there were a lot of inconsistent and random take downs (video games, minnie ears, etc); I thought it was a glitch, and it will get fixed, and we will all move on.

Sunday evening, all my listings were changed to quantity of 1, with separate S&H. Lots of work... since everything had to have new photos, inventory quantities were messed up, it was an ordeal, but I felt confident I had fixed my listings!

I woke up Monday to find more listings had been deactivated for price gouging (peaches, Collectible KCups, discontinued men deodorant, random collectibles)... so I sent another message to CS.

I received this reply:

"what we are seeing is that this is not your particular type of item you sell and therefore come to the concussion that you may be taking advantage of the health and economic crises we find ourselves in"

I now got upset... not with the response, but because it  contradicted  everything else that had been sent before.

I replied that I have always sold these "type of items"... one of the listing that was taken down was for one can of Del Monte Peaches, for $2.99 (way below any other listing), with S&H of $8.95 (way below any other listing)... so basically, selling this at a loss....this was is no way shape or form price gouging or selling an essential... 

so how is this listing any different than $150 Limited Edition Supreme Oreos, or $200 Discontinued Twinkies, or $300 NIKE Shoes? if one creates a listing with true retail cost and true shipping cost, and the customer chooses to spend that type of money,  why are listings being penalized? An account like mine, that sells a variety of random items (limited edition popcorn, limited edition cereal), who determines what I can and can't list? 

and to this I received yet another reply from a different CS:

"I can see the point that you are making, in regards to people choosing to bid/pay for limited edition shoes, or another product, but our decision comes from the fact that these items are not limited edition because of a manufacturers choice, these items are limited because of the current health crisis. If somebody is looking for a can of baked beans, or peaches, they are looking to have to pay 9+ dollars in shipping from your listing, alongside the store price of the items. While I understand you can't ship the items for free, nor do we expect you to, we are deciding that these listings are not permitted on the site."

so I sent one last message and asked

"basically, it is not price gouging..

it is not restricted items..

it is not essential items...

it not the type of listing (bulk, lot or individual)...

it is not charging appropriate or disproportionate shipping...

the reason is completely random.

Is it brands? can you please send me a list of the specific brands that cannot be listed?

because the prior canned responses I received that direct me to eBay links do not discuss anything of the sort, and neither did the prior replies from CS, that gave me completely different reasons.

Where is the list of what can and can't be listed and in what format and price?"

to which I received another explanation:

"The list of items that we are removing from the platform is expanding daily, and these listings are not just being removed due to price gouging. These items are being removed due to susceptibility to price gouging behavior. If we believe that certain items are susceptible to price gouging, then, on that basis, we will remove the listing. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, and in an effort to avoid confusion and excessive effort for both sellers and eBay, we have decided to simply block these items from the site. We are following the fast-moving circumstances of this situation and may adjust in the near future, but this is the action we are taking at this time."

So I am now baffled... because if my listings are "Buy it now" for retail price and retail USPS, there is no price gouging, neither are they susceptible to price gouging.  It is a fixed price.

Yet,  am still seeing $100 Lysol But It now listings, Auctions that run up to $200-$300, and if you look at the SOLD listings, they are indeed complete and sold. THAT I consider price gouging... a bot should easily be able to identify that and remove the listing... but a listing for one can of Del Monte peaches for $2.99, charging $8.95 shipping, what keywords or price list was fed into the algorithm to cause such a listing to be removed?

to me, it seems like there is an error in the automation or flagging, but am not sure, and hence the reason for my post... I realize there is no phone support, and CS are overwhelmed, and as you so well explained, most of this is automated, and CS get messages, and tries their best to reply based on what they see.

But am wondering if users with more experience can help. 

All the messages I received contradict one another, so I am hoping this can shed some light, and we can all make heads or tails and come up with some sort of explanation of what is acceptable and what is not.

thanks!

[a_c_green]

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@loveshopforthings wrote:

I realize there is no phone support, and CS are overwhelmed, and as you so well explained, most of this is automated, and CS get messages, and tries their best to reply based on what they see.

But am wondering if users with more experience can help. 

All the messages I received contradict one another, so I am hoping this can shed some light, and we can all make heads or tails and come up with some sort of explanation of what is acceptable and what is not.

thanks!

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It appears that what's going on is that eBay has launched an automated attempt at flagging and/or removing listings that it perceives to be price gouging, and Customer Service is struggling to keep up with plausible explanations for all the misfires and mistaken removals in its wake.

From reading your chain of events, it looks like your frustration comes from approaching these messages as if trying to have a dialogue with one person, when in fact (per your notes) every response from their side comes from somebody different. While I assume they have the ability to review past messages between you and them, not all of them do, and thus you see some responses that seem coherent and aware of your situation, interspersed with others that seem to be popping off on random tangents or explaining something that's not relevant to your situation, or to the items you're listing.

I spent many (many) years in Tech Support, fielding problems from customers, and we made heavy use of a problem tracking system (previously Remedy Solutions; more recently Salesforce) in order to document the customer's problem, and make sure that if a different rep had to pick up the case, he or she wouldn't come off sounding like they just fell off the turnip truck.

If you are able to get someone on the phone (such as using the Call Me option, if that's still out there), then you can have an actual give-and-take dialogue where each side's reply is based on the previous exchanges in the same conversation. In email messages, you're not necessarily going to get that. Even on the phone, one representative's statements can get contradicted by another in the next conversation, and even if you hang up after hearing whatever you wanted to hear, that doesn't necessarily lock in a conclusion that can withstand or prevent the next removal of the same item.

[gracieallen01]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@jerzee908 wrote:
I'd agree with you, but there's over 2,000 listings up now when you search "Minnie Mouse headbands".

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That's true; perhaps Step 1 in this fiasco was a rival seller reporting the Minnie Mouse listing(s) for price gouging, after which the removal process rolled downhill all by itself, with no further assistance needed.

Nevertheless, I would not relist those until the current flap over price gouging has subsided. I assume those collectible ears have been sold here for years without a price gouging complaint, and will resume at some point in the future to be determined, but for right now, I would say that immediately relisting an item that's been removed (rightly or wrongly, and for whatever reason) would be too much of a risk.

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I wouldn't bet on it.  Well, at least, not until the platform changes hands - if ever.

When was the last time seller outrage caused a change on ebay?  Seems that there was a heck of a lot of vocal comment about GTC.  Made a lot of difference, right?  Counterfeits, returns?  Again, made a difference, right?

[nc-daydreamer]

I feel for your predicament. And thanks for explaining it well. I appreciate the logic and thoroughness of your situation and the documentation of steps taken.

May I suggest you entertain the idea that all food, regardless of brand, might be considered as 'essential'? That might be the trigger for the removal. Personally, I'd refrain from selling all food products, at least for the time being. Although you stated that some collectible (non-food) items have been removed too - for which I cannot come up with any plausible reason for that happening.

I agree, it is senseless and cold on eBay's part to the point of being inane and ridiculous in most cases, but things are as they are for the moment.  Who makes these poor decisions anyway? eBay STILL cannot (or maybe will not) support their reasoning by providing a guideline as to what is or is not considered 'essential', what the MSRP is supposed to be on any given item, what a 'reasonable' markup is supposed to be, etc.  I have seen it rumored as to them removing the auction option entirely on everything to prevent "gouging" from having a chance whereas all ads will be 30-day GTS only.  We all need some clear guidance here;  instead we are all guessing.

Unless the California government or/and state attorney general steps in to correct eBay on (IMO) apparent 'price fixing' issues (as other responders have brought out to the attention in their postings) - such problems as yours (and others) will likely continue.  I understand that even if reported to these agencies, the State has higher priorities at the moment - so by the time the issue gets addressed, this crisis may be long over.  However, there may be fines to pay in hindsight I reckon.

But eBay's actions are seemingly resulting in eBay shooting themselves in the foot once again as the leaders stand on one leg, scratching their heads wondering what happened as they start falling down further in the public marketplace like a line of standing dominoes.  Sad.

If eBay has a "brain" in a storage locker somewhere, now may be a good time for them to consider having it installed.

[bar-29368]

Now that last sentence was fall down laughing funny.

[a_c_green]

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@gracieallen01 wrote:

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@a_c_green wrote:
Nevertheless, I would not relist those until the current flap over price gouging has subsided. I assume those collectible ears have been sold here for years without a price gouging complaint, and will resume at some point in the future to be determined, but for right now, I would say that immediately relisting an item that's been removed (rightly or wrongly, and for whatever reason) would be too much of a risk.

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I wouldn't bet on it.  Well, at least, not until the platform changes hands - if ever.

When was the last time seller outrage caused a change on ebay?  Seems that there was a heck of a lot of vocal comment about GTC.  Made a lot of difference, right?  Counterfeits, returns?  Again, made a difference, right?

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No, no, that's not what I meant. You're right that seller protests have little to no effect on what eBay chooses to do. What I'm saying is that the current attempt at enforcing price gouging restrictions, which is leading to laughable misfires when completely-irrelevant items such as Minnie Mouse collectibles and vintage video games are removed, will eventually fade away by itself.

The example I gave previously was the Confederate battle flag from a few years back, where eBay got into high dudgeon about removing anything and everything that showed the flag, and was removing such items as the General Lee Dodge Charger and related Dukes of Hazzard collectibles because the car had that flag painted on its roof. Eventually the whole flap quieted down, eBay went on to the next Shiny Thing, and in a quick browse of listings, I see that the battle-flag imagery has returned. (In a quick search, I did not find any listings for the battle flag itself, but it's visible on thousands of other things. The CSA Stars and Bars flags are all over the place as well, though I don't remember if those were ever banned here. I think they were not.)

[collectiblesdude*]

trinton@ebay

Apologize, can you please DM me, i can't reply your email from my registered email. Thanks

[collectiblesdude*]

@Anonymous

Apologize, can you please DM me, i can't reply your email from my registered email. Thanks

[gracieallen01]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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No, no, that's not what I meant. You're right that seller protests have little to no effect on what eBay chooses to do. What I'm saying is that the current attempt at enforcing price gouging restrictions, which is leading to laughable misfires when completely-irrelevant items such as Minnie Mouse collectibles and vintage video games are removed, will eventually fade away by itself.

The example I gave previously was the Confederate battle flag from a few years back, where eBay got into high dudgeon about removing anything and everything that showed the flag, and was removing such items as the General Lee Dodge Charger and related Dukes of Hazzard collectibles because the car had that flag painted on its roof. Eventually the whole flap quieted down, eBay went on to the next Shiny Thing, and in a quick browse of listings, I see that the battle-flag imagery has returned. (In a quick search, I did not find any listings for the battle flag itself, but it's visible on thousands of other things. The CSA Stars and Bars flags are all over the place as well, though I don't remember if those were ever banned here. I think they were not.)

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Yes, just another policy that they make and then can't or don't or won't enforce.  However, it will be there on the books for when and if they feel someone needs to be taken in tow and shown the errors of their ways - at their sole discretion.

[Anonymous]

Hi @collectiblesdude*, my private messages are turned off, but you can reply to the email from any email address as I only need the information requested and any additional updates would come to you through your eBay messages.

[collectiblesdude*]

Already sent from different email. Thanks

[divwido]

But it won't. The hand and the brain belong to two different people. And they are not talking to each other.

[bargaincat4u]

We all need masks, and eBay took down all of my homemade mask listings after I had several bids on all of them.  They were started at .99 cents each with calculated minimal shipping.  The reason stated was because the masks encouraged price gouging.  UNBELIEVABLE.

We all need to be wearing them, and I don't trust the cheap ones that are allowed to be sold on here by supposed vetted sellers.

Trust me, I am VERY UPSET.  My masks are now on another site and I'm considering selling on other platforms.  After 16 years, and my sales were solely on eBay, I'm branching out because of their latest mistreatment of me.  The blanket approach is completely unfair for an item people can make easily at home.  It's not Lysol Wipes or Toilet Paper for God Sakes!!

[twnpopcards]

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@equid0x wrote:

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@ainpie-10 wrote:
YES!! It has gotten ridiculous and now people seem to think they can click Price Gouging on anything that they don't want to pay for. I knew this would happen. On one of my other stores I listed a bottle of perfume and it was pulled for Price Gouging! There were people on this board that told everyone to spend their time doing nothing but reporting items and so they did, now all sellers may get the backlash from it! Be careful what you wish for!

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I've been checking in about once a week and still keep finding these ridiculous price gouging threads. All kinds of people whining and whining about price gouging on items that are not restricted... whining about items they think qualify as essential but are not... and now I've checked back this week and so far I'm seeing that a Nintendo Cube Game, bottle of perfume, a switch console, and a pair of Mickey Mouse ears have now been pulled for "price gouging." Frankly, this is a complete affront to the lawmakers who created these price gouging laws, absolutely not how they are intended to be used, and there are NO DA's offices that are coming after ANYONE for selling items like Mickey Mouse ears. 

Furthermore, I agree with your sentiment that there is account after account posting on the seller board doxxing, insulting, stalking, harassing, and slandering sellers who haven't legally done anything wrong. 

The situation seems to have escalated far beyond (allegedly) critical needs healthcare items like N95 masks to the point that buyers (and probably other competitors) are now feeling empowered to report as price gouging any price that they do not agree with, regardless of merit. 

I find it interesting that eBay seems to be stating that anything over 200% MSRP is price gouging given that I am totally unaware of any law that states that a seller must sell an item for 200% MSRP or less. I also find it frustrating that blues seem to be claiming that this is a long-standing policy when myself and many other sellers have never seen nor heard of such a policy being enforced in the multiple decades we've been present on eBay. 

I also agree with another poster's sentiments about the deflation of cash value over time leading to higher prices as well as the fact that some, particularly vintage or no longer produced items may have a true market value in the year 2020 substantially higher than 200% of the MSRP from when they were produced. 

I really have to wonder when eBay management is going to realize that these boards and the crowdsourced complaint system they've implemented are being severely abused with endless fake outrage and when they are going to finally decide to do something about it?

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Does this mean that Ebay is going to adjust their fees to be in line with such a policy when compared to what other sites charge for their services?  Just a hypothetical question.

[collectiblesdude*]

Woke up with a 3 days restriction in my account. This time they removed a different Minnie Mouse Ear Headband and Minnie Mouse PIN SET.

This happened to some other sellers that i know, multiples NON Essential items have been removed left and right (Nintendo Switch, Hair clippers, Disney Pin, Disney Ear Headband, Foggers, etc)