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

[collectiblesdude*]

Im totally shocked, is this an Essential item?

[collectiblesdude*]

And this what they send in Email :

Your account has been restricted because activity on it didn't follow our Price gouging policy. Offering essential items at a price higher than is considered fair or reasonable is not allowed on eBay.

What is the policy
Price gouging is not allowed.

To prevent price gouging, during the COVID-19 crisis, only authorized sellers can list:

- Medical masks
- Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes
- Toilet paper
- Diapers, baby formula, and baby wipes
- Tampons
- Lysol disinfectant spray and Clorox bleach

All other essential items must be offered at a price that is not inflated.

I never listed any of those items. So frustrated.

[dhbookds]

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@collectiblesdude* wrote:
And this what they send in Email :

Your account has been restricted because activity on it didn't follow our Price gouging policy. Offering essential items at a price higher than is considered fair or reasonable is not allowed on eBay.

What is the policy
Price gouging is not allowed.

To prevent price gouging, during the COVID-19 crisis, only authorized sellers can list:

- Medical masks
- Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes
- Toilet paper
- Diapers, baby formula, and baby wipes
- Tampons
- Lysol disinfectant spray and Clorox bleach

All other essential items must be offered at a price that is not inflated.

I never listed any of those items. So frustrated.

@Anonymous 

Again, confusing signals...........  "All other essential items must be offered at a price that is not inflated."  would indicate that non essential items can be offered even if the price is inflated.

I really don't know how ebay expects sellers to "adhere" to a policy that makes no sense and is NOT clearly explained to a seller who is suspended for not adhering to it.........  It doesn't say any, all items, it says only essential items.........so we are back to a Minnie Mouse headband is essential........and heaven knows what else is essential........because sellers sure have no guidance from ebay as to what is essential other than the 6 types of items specified. 

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[ittybitnot]

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.

I am so sorry.  This is another fine example of the altered "reality" of ebay that we all must OBEY or else.  There are no words. Kafka/eBay mini series season 20? 

[collectiblesdude*]

I will 101% OBEY if there is a CLEAR list which items we cant list.

Minnie Mouse Ear Headband and Minnie mouse PIN Set are just ridiculous example for me.

eBay should edit the Report item function to ONLY allow on Essential items, im pretty sure Buyers or Competitors just abusing that function when they see the price they dont like.

[a_c_green]

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@collectiblesdude* wrote:
I will 101% OBEY if there is a CLEAR list which items we cant list.

Minnie Mouse Ear Headband and Minnie mouse PIN Set are just ridiculous example for me.

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Given that clearly no human at eBay ever reviewed the removal of a Minnie Mouse headband as being an 
"essential" item, I suspect that the word "headband" might have been the trigger for an automated removal process. Certainly the canned email you received does not relate to it in any logical way.

Is there any other way that collectible can be described (other than "headband") to make it clear that it's just a hair decoration, without losing your potential market by not showing up in routine searches for it?

[collectiblesdude*]

Sorry but i have to disagree with you.

If the "headband" word triggered the bot, what the explanation about Minnie Mouse The Main Attraction Pin Set Mad Tea Party 3-Pin Set March then?

I still believe its not automated, its based on how many peoples report your listings and there is human factor that reviewed and removed them.

I wish eBay limited the Report item function just to Essential Items, peoples really abusing that feature.

[featherfootfarmfinds]

Crazy indeed.. bids on a  can of lysol is going over $19,000.00 (yes you read it right) but others are price gouging?

Im waiting to see if it will actually sell or get pulled

[collectiblesdude*]

This is what i just found on BBB :

To enforce our policies against price gouging, we have deployed a two-pronged approach to facilitate the removal of prohibited items: (1) automated block filters for new attempted listings; and (2) manual sweep of the website. We have also committed additional resources dedicated to coronavirus-related sweeps and takedowns and have hired new employees to help with the increase in volume.

NOTE : this is a response from eBay on BBB site.

[bar-29368]

It would appear that the price gouging option on the report an item drop down is being abused.

[a_c_green]

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@collectiblesdude* wrote:
Sorry but i have to disagree with you.

If the "headband" word triggered the bot, what the explanation about Minnie Mouse The Main Attraction Pin Set Mad Tea Party 3-Pin Set March then?

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No idea. I was offering a theory for that listing, but not one for all occasions. 😉 Nevertheless, if other Minnie Mouse listings are being taken down without any remotely-relevant connection to the Coronavirus pandemic or price gouging, then that would indeed seem to prove that the reported listings are not being reviewed by any human eyes, and instead are getting removed by some kind of popular vote based on the number of separate reports received.

[gracieallen01]

I think that a main problem is that when one compares a common hair headband to a Minnie Mouse collectible anything headband, the price difference is seriously significant and may have triggered the problem.  Nothing to do with the particular word 'headband', or whether it is Minnie mouse or not, but to the vast price differences.

[bar-29368]

Well considering the first Minnie headband was sold retail for $34.99 and the OP sold them for $160 I guess you might call that gouging, but ebay never had an issue before this with selling for whatever the market will bear for sold out limited edition collectables.

But then was also before they added a price gouging reason to the report an item drop down so disgruntled would be buyers could abuse it.

[gracieallen01]

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@bar-29368 wrote:

Well considering the first Minnie headband was sold retail for $34.99 and the OP sold them for $160 I guess you might call that gouging, but ebay never had an issue before this with selling for whatever the market will bear for sold out limited edition collectables.

But then was also before they added a price gouging reason to the report an item drop down so disgruntled would be buyers could abuse it.

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But .... but .... but .... but, ebay says that they have always, forever and ever, had that claws in the policy about overcharging.  Of course, everybody wasn't in the spotlight back then, so no need to use it and cut profits/revenue.

[bar-29368]

Oh rubbish (but you knew that lol).

ebay has always been about get whatever you can for whatever you list and they have NEVER had an issue with it.

[ainpie-10]

Actually in this case I don’t think it’s a competitor! They wouldn’t want the attention on this product! They are more likely on your side as far as selling these kind of items! I have no doubt it was or were the busybodies on here going around reporting everything! I had an alcohol listing and some nobody with no life reported it and messaged me to say she reported me! Now I did sell it bc it was pulled after they paid and I had shipped! The reason some other people still have their listings up is not bc they haven’t been reported (trust me they have bc there are a bunch of people on this forum announcing they do nothing but report) but some sellers are vetted to sell these items! So don’t be one of those people that report just bc you were reported. That’s hypocritical and they probably are authorized to sell anyway! It’s very easy to tell when ebays boys pull the listing and when someone reports you! It’s probably multiple people! If you read these forums you’ll see who the mass majority are. And there are ways to find out who reported you! I can’t tell you how, but there’s always ways!