eBay

fortyfive2life · ‎09-13-2017

I had an item listed for sale, and didn't have much interest after a couple weeks (1 offer, but it was too low). So I pulled the listing tonight, and immediately received a warning email from Ebay about selling outside of Ebay.

I'm not selling outside of Ebay, and I have no intention to. In fact, I get offers to do so and always turn them down; I won't even ship to an address that is not the verified PayPal address, and I always require a signature.

Most of the few items I sell are pretty expensive, and I don't take the risk. But it's a little ridiculous that as soon as I cancel an item, Ebay decides I'm selling off the site and warns me. The email says "at this time, no restrictions are being placed on your account". Fantastic. So if I list another item and in a couple weeks decide to cancel it, will it be different?

I really wish there was a good alternative to Ebay. I've sold thousands of dollars worth of items just as most of you have, and Ebay has profited greatly from it. I appreciate the opportunity to reach a lot of potential buyers, but not the strong-arm tactics.

Thanks for letting me vent. First world problems right?

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎09-14-2017

@d-k_treasures wrote:
@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:
Bottom line is, end your listing if you so choose, and don't let the bots frighten you.
If you're using ebay to do off ebay sales, you already know you could get caught through the messaging system. The rest of us that aren't breaking this rule need not be alarmed by these bot messages nor intimidated not to end our listings if that is our choice. It is still our item, we own it, not ebay, and bottom line is we get to decide what happens to that item.
As for auctions with a bid, I believe even those can be cancelled as long as it is not within 12 or 24 hours, I don't remember which.

Actually, the bottom line is that ebay can charge you a FVF without any proof at all of wrongdoing.

This is maybe true. What we don't know is if the seller in these cases of fees charged has sent the potential buyer phone contact or email contact through the messaging system. I can see how ebay would in those cases believe that a potential sale is going off site, but PROOF of an off ebay sale is not in just exchanging contact info is it? No it's not.

The problem I suppose lies in ebay proving there was any sale at all. That's something that ebay would back down through arbitration I bet......assuming there's no further suit taken against ebay after arbitration. But we know most sellers, even innocent ones, are going to do absolutely nothing. So for sellers then, don't send your contact info through the messaging system.

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎09-14-2017

@*eponymous* wrote:

Is that proof enough?

Yes it is. This has been settled with the quotes from lacemaker while you were off doing something else. No need to reitterate it.

rw011164 · ‎09-14-2017

The notice is generated not from removing a listing, it is from removing a listing which has had interest in the form of messages or offers. EBay makes a giant leap there in assuming you are taking the sale off ebay.

When ebay underperforms (such as only ridiculous offers) it is not hard to understand that a seller might have to remove the listing and sell elsewhere.

Others are right that you are not alone, there is much of this with lots of sellers since they implemented this new method of accuse first to eliminate folks taking sales off of ebay.

I do agree that eBay needs to address the problem of some bad sellers who do take sales off of ebay, they should be stopped, but I in no way agree with the accusatory practice toward all sellers that they currently employ

iart · ‎09-14-2017

If ebay is the entity to introduce a buyer to a seller, they definately deserve their cut. This seems to me to be common sense.

But if you sell an item to someone at a yard sale, without any connection to ebay I can't see how they can claim a commission.

There is a history to this. Maybe about 15 years ago ebay made headlines by saying they were going to clamp down on sales outside ebay - meaning they were going to prevent buyers and sellers who connect here from making their side deals. But the press wrote it up like ebay was taking a cut on all sales, everywhere, everything!

The stock market went nuts and ebay stocks shot up. It was hilarious.

*eponymous* · ‎09-14-2017

@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:
@*eponymous* wrote:

Is that proof enough?
Yes it is. This has been settled with the quotes from lacemaker while you were off doing something else. No need to reitterate it.

Your post was to me, and I of course have the right to respond, as do we all.

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. ~ Anais Nin

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎09-14-2017

Fair enough 🙂

mr_lincoln · ‎09-14-2017

@fortyfive2life

@voodoorada wrote:
I had an item listed for sale, and didn't have much interest after a couple weeks (1 offer, but it was too low). So I pulled the listing tonight, and immediately received a warning email from Ebay about selling outside of Ebay.

I'm not selling outside of Ebay, and I have no intention to. In fact, I get offers to do so and always turn them down; I won't even ship to an address that is not the verified PayPal address, and I always require a signature.

Most of the few items I sell are pretty expensive, and I don't take the risk. But it's a little ridiculous that as soon as I cancel an item, Ebay decides I'm selling off the site and warns me. The email says "at this time, no restrictions are being placed on your account". Fantastic. So if I list another item and in a couple weeks decide to cancel it, will it be different?

I really wish there was a good alternative to Ebay. I've sold thousands of dollars worth of items just as most of you have, and Ebay has profited greatly from it. I appreciate the opportunity to reach a lot of potential buyers, but not the strong-arm tactics.

Thanks for letting me vent. First world problems right?

I think the combo of the lone offer plus the cancellation tripped the PVBs (Policy Violation Bots).

Best regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

emerald40 · ‎09-14-2017

@kattinsanity wrote:
Your listing shows you ended the listing because the item "is no longer available". Ebay, of course, believes it isn't available because you sold it. I guess I don't understand why you would list an item and if you "think" there is no interest in it you decide to cancel it before it ends on its own?

There was a member who posted here who was selling a lot of used car parts both on ebay AND from his parts store. IF the item sold in his parts store he would just end the listing on ebay. He was in all kinds of trouble with ebay for doing that. Once you list an item on ebay you are suppose to have that item in hand and available for the duration of the listing. When you make a habit of ending the listings as no longer available for sale what do you think ebay is going to do? They think you are using ebay to sell the item and making the sale off ebay. You do say in that listing that if anyone has any questions to "email" me~~"email" is not contact through ebay. Each listing has a place for potential interested buyers to ask questions that are visible to ebay.

Ebay is not entirely wrong in suspecting that some of these auctions for no longer available are going off of ebay.

wifetrained · ‎09-14-2017

Surprisingly I recently received one of these emails and I haven't sold on this platform in over 10 years. I received it after I won an auction on this site so it was kind of a head scratcher....whatever, I just ignored it and hit the delete button. I'm inclined to believe that fleabay simply sends these messages out automatically from time to time in an effort to keep people towing their line.

emerald40 · ‎09-14-2017

@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:
@kattinsanity wrote:
Your listing shows you ended the listing because the item "is no longer available". Ebay, of course, believes it isn't available because you sold it. I guess I don't understand why you would list an item and if you "think" there is no interest in it you decide to cancel it before it ends on its own?

There was a member who posted here who was selling a lot of used car parts both on ebay AND from his parts store. IF the item sold in his parts store he would just end the listing on ebay. He was in all kinds of trouble with ebay for doing that. Once you list an item on ebay you are suppose to have that item in hand and available for the duration of the listing. When you make a habit of ending the listings as no longer available for sale what do you think ebay is going to do? They think you are using ebay to sell the item and making the sale off ebay. You do say in that listing that if anyone has any questions to "email" me~~"email" is not contact through ebay. Each listing has a place for potential interested buyers to ask questions that are visible to ebay.
Where do you get that idea? There is no place on an ebay listing form that states that I have given up ownership of my item and must keep the item listed for the duration. No such wording anywhere.
Ebay does not own our items even though they will try their best I am sure to weasel word the user agreement to try to find a way that once you have listed an item here ebay OWNS it for the duration of the listing. Funny stuff. Probably the future of ebay. What else can they do? Always trying to find a new way to own the item and the seller.
Anybody who wants to end a listing on ebay because they decided to sell it elsewhere, throw it away, give it away, keep it, or are just bored of relisting that item for now, has the right to do so.

__________________________________________________________________

And because you are doing it under a 3rd party venue, ebay also has the right to question it.

Yes, they may be a little paranoid, but I have seen it many times with high priced fine jewelry, that all of a sudden it is no longer available.

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎09-14-2017

@wifetrained wrote:
Surprisingly I recently received one of these emails and I haven't sold on this platform in over 10 years. I received it after I won an auction on this site so it was kind of a head scratcher....whatever, I just ignored it and hit the delete button. I'm inclined to believe that fleabay simply sends these messages out automatically from time to time in an effort to keep people towing their line.

LOL

Apparently there's both "wifetrained" and "ebaytrained".

emerald40 · ‎09-14-2017

@voodoorada wrote:
"Did you decline the offer before you pulled the listing ?"

Yes I did. The offer was made through the Ebay system, and I declined it through the system. I also made all my responses to the person who made the offer through ebay's email system.

This wouldn't demonstrate anything anyway. If I just pulled the listing with the offer still on the table doesn't show any intent any different than if I declined the offer, and then pulled the listing.

JMO, but merely having contact with a possible buyer sets off ebay's alarms.

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎09-14-2017

@emerald40 wrote:

And because you are doing it under a 3rd party venue, ebay also has the right to question it.

Yes, they may be a little paranoid, but I have seen it many times with high priced fine jewelry, that all of a sudden it is no longer available.

I don't care if ebay is suspicious all day long.

If they don't have contact information being sent back and forth with a seller mentioning some kind of price or some clue to an off ebay sale through ebay messaging, then ebay is in the wrong same as any assumption we make of others is wrong. What is said when we assume? Something about donkeys.....

emerald40 · ‎09-14-2017

@voodoorada wrote:
@*madison wrote:
Anybody who wants to end a listing on ebay because they decided to sell it elsewhere, throw it away, give it away, keep it, or are just bored of relisting that item for now, has the right to do so.

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True.

But if ebay are not happy about that, ebay has the right to take whatever action they feel is appropriate..

They do not have the right to take "whatever" action they feel is appropriate. It's their site; they can decide you can no longer be a member of Ebay and utilize their site, but they cannot just arbitrarily decide to do whatever they want, including charging people FVF's for items that were listed and then removed. If they wish to do so, they would need to charge up front to list an item, non-refundable if the item is canceled and refunded if the item is sold.

Ebay already warned you. So you are now on notice. So yes in the future they can take whatever action they want.

emerald40 · ‎09-14-2017

@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:
@*madison wrote:
Anybody who wants to end a listing on ebay because they decided to sell it elsewhere, throw it away, give it away, keep it, or are just bored of relisting that item for now, has the right to do so.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

True.

But if ebay are not happy about that, ebay has the right to take whatever action they feel is appropriate..
You may think so, or support that idea, but I would prove that wrong with a lawyer if there are final value fees charged for ending a listing.
I have the right to end a listing and stomp on the item to my heart's content if I so wish. Ebay has the right to end our relationship, and I have the right to end our relationship also.
Never give your power away willingly without an agreement that you have given up said power. Only fools give others their power without a good trade for doing so. This case is one where the seller has the ownership and has never agreed to give up that ownership, and ownership is the power we are talking about here. Ownership to do with an item as the owner wishes to.