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?

eaux-de-vie · ‎09-14-2017

And on the flip side, isn't there a new thing coming up when they think an item has been listed for too LONG? We cannot win on here.

moondogblues · ‎09-14-2017

Yep, that new 'rule' cracks me up...I sold high end signed 1st editions and Golden Age illus childrens books, big bucks worth. Some had to sit for a year of more till the right buyer found it.

kattinsanity · ‎09-15-2017

Why am I so mean and nasty to people? I don't believe in sugar coating the fact that the OP HAS received his warning from ebay and should NOT just ignore it as others are telling him to do. IF what he is doing in listing expensive items and then ending the listings early has him on ebay radar he needs to pay attention to that warning or he will be suspended from selling--period. IF you want to keep telling him & making him believe ebay doesn't have any right to restrict him from selling he can thank all of you when he gets that final fatal message from ebay. It will come if he continues listing and ending listings.

If you look back to his original post he says NOTHING about ebay charging him fees for his ended listings~~he ONLY states that ebay told him there are no restrictions on his account at this time. IF ebay had indeed told him that he surely would have mentioned that in his original post.

omgitlightsup · ‎09-15-2017

Interesting.. I pulled 4 items this week and got nothing. Maybe because it was everything I had listed?

turquoisetulips · ‎09-15-2017

Then obviously they've forgotten me . However that could be because of the type of stuff I sell [ handmade jewelry ] .I've cancelled many listings over the years because of lack of interest in an item ,, but never received a warning notice about outside trading . Beats me ,, or maybe my stuff is so inexpensive it doesn't matter much ?

kattinsanity · ‎09-15-2017

Maybe it's because you don't list items worth thousands of $, get offers & then end listings as no longer available? I ended 100+ listings all in one morning a month ago and I didn't get a warning either like the OP. When I was back home on a regular basis again I relisted many of them & have been listing more ever since. Maybe there is more to this than is being disclosed? The fact is the OP has received a warning no matter what he may have done to get it.

*madison · ‎09-15-2017

@dakotasmoke wrote:
Im still looking to see if I can find it elsewhere. I would swear it was a rule a few years ago that you cant list on two sites at once but maybe they removed it since it would take a ton of man power to search every site to see if a seller was selling elsewhere.

That rule did exist. I remember it well because I posted the policy link in the answer centre loads of times when sellers said they had their items listed on ebay and elsewhere..

@dakotasmoke

rixstuff · ‎09-15-2017

@emerald40 wrote:
@katiecamelfoot wrote:
@kattinsanity wrote:
So--You had the item listed at just short of 3 grand. You turned down the offer of 25 hundred. The buyer came back at 27 hundred & you DID NOT RESPOND to that offer and ENDED THE LISTING SHORTLY AFTER. THAT is where ebay sees you may have sold it for 27 hundred.

Ebay policy is that if you make a habit of ending fixed price listings your account can be restricted. That's why you got the warning that there are no restrictions on your account YET but saying more or less~~"keep up the habit and there will be". You are on ebays radar now.
Why are you always so mean and nasty with people? Seriously, you've done nothing but berrate this OP from the get go.

As for his issue, Im sorry, but ebay doesnt own HIS items, and he can pull them down as he pleases. I think ebay would have a hard time defending this one in court. Its actually laughable, its like putting some one in prison for SUSPICION of the crime and never being able to prove they commited the crime.

@fortyfive2lifeDont let the nasties in the thread get you down, most are so brain washed by ebay they believe ebay owns them and would charge them fees if they ever stopped cheerleading
Does this OP want shaking heads or real advice.

Keep telling him he is doing nothing wrong and he should continue as he feels. And you will put him on the fast track to losing his account.

It is definitely doing something wrong to end items with bids if it looks like that is the only bid you will be getting and you started too low or because the offers are too low. We used to see a rash of sellers who would end listings early if there were no bids until most found out that the majority of the action happens in the last few hours and they were probably missing out on sales by ending it too soon. Next time just let the listing run THEN end it.

Also remember that it is "best offer" - and that the buyers may be telling you that those "lowballs" are the "best offers" you are going to get.

rixstuff · ‎09-15-2017

@castlemagicmemories wrote:
@aeamc-tx wrote:
It is also against ebay policy to have an item listed on ebay while you have it available for sale somewhere else

Where do you come up with this? I've never seen anything close to this. They know people are selling on other sites, their own sites, in B&M shops. They also know people would be stupid to rely completely on them for their livelihood until they so dominate the market that no other site makes sense.

Amazon wants the same thing....and they also know that this isn't how the world works.

Please post the policy so I can read it. Thanks!!

I know it used to be against Ebay policy to have anything listed here listed elsewhere as well. But I don't know if that is still the policy. I know a lot of sellers list other places, too, but maybe they are ok with taking a chance. I don't know.

I have HEARD this but never seen any actual Ebay rule against it. I even acknowledge that there are practical aspects to it as I did once sell the same item on two different sites and had to disappoint at least one of hte buyers. Neither site liked folks to sell items they couldnt deliver but the penalties were harsher here.

rixstuff · ‎09-15-2017

@moondogblues wrote:
"Im still looking to see if I can find it elsewhere. I would swear it was a rule a few years ago that you cant list on two sites at once but maybe they removed it since it would take a ton of man power to search every site to see if a seller was selling elsewhere. "

I sold books here...I was also on Bonanza, Etsy, Ruby Plaza, 3 big book sites and owned a B&M and never had a problem keeping my inventory straight. If a book sold elsewhere (which RARELY happened) I came here and ended the listing. Never a peep from the Bay. If it sold here then I ended the listing everywhere else. Worked just fine for me, and there is no 'rule' against it.

Ah see I think that is it. It isnt the "multiple site" issue so much as accurately juggling inventory. I know all the ads and articles I see make it sound so brain dead easy to sell that many folks probably just think they list hundreds of items and forget about them till they get a payment notice, THEN they realize they dont have any more or the item is broken or the XL is really XS so the buyer will just return anyway. Buyers bid/buy then pay but when we dont have the item SOMEBODY (Ebay/Paypal) has refund and it gets to be a pill with the money flowing in and out. I just wouldnt want the negs and I like the money coming in.

rixstuff · ‎09-15-2017

@moondogblues wrote:
I sold books here...I was also on Bonanza, Etsy, Ruby Plaza, 3 big book sites and owned a B&M and never had a problem keeping my inventory straight. If a book sold elsewhere (which RARELY happened) I came here and ended the listing. Never a peep from the Bay. If it sold here then I ended the listing everywhere else. Worked just fine for me, and there is no 'rule' against it.

I think you probably do like me and juggle items or post them and choose the selling format where and how it will hit the right kind of buyers. Some items sit here but fly out the door there or it takes longer to sell but I get better money here or there are more buyers of a craft/vintage somewhere else or you cant sell second hand clothes or any less than 20 years on another site. A couple of other sites arent set up for international sales (which is weird cause one is CANADIAN!)

Remember the old joke? A reporter asked a criminal why he robbed banks. He replied "Because that's where they keep the money!" So why do we sell the items like that or on that site? Cause that's where it sells.

dakotasmoke · ‎09-15-2017

@*madison wrote:
@dakotasmoke wrote:
Im still looking to see if I can find it elsewhere. I would swear it was a rule a few years ago that you cant list on two sites at once but maybe they removed it since it would take a ton of man power to search every site to see if a seller was selling elsewhere.
That rule did exist. I remember it well because I posted the policy link in the answer centre loads of times when sellers said they had their items listed on ebay and elsewhere..

@dakotasmoke

@*madison I was pretty sure it did, I remember buyers throwing fits because they found the same item from the same seller cheaper on other sites

*madison · ‎09-15-2017

And I remember sellers posting in the answer centre saying they had been negged because they no longer had the item to ship, it had been sold elsewhere.

The sellers said the negs were unfair, because it wasn't their fault the item had sold on another site and they just forgot to end the listing on ebay.

And that is when I posted the policy link informing them what they did was against ebay policy.

@dakotasmoke

cleaning.the.attic · ‎09-15-2017

A few times when I wanted to end a listing because something was accidentally relisted, etc, I wasn't sure what/if any penalties there are when you end an item, so I just revised it and marked it up ridiculously high. And then it ended, unsold.

I guess the OP is talking about items listed as GTC though. I read through all 6? pages of responses--can you end a GTC listing without any penalty/ding etc, as long as there aren't bids, offers, etc. going on with it?

lacemaker3 · ‎09-15-2017

@voodoorada wrote:
...

I ... put the FiberInspector up for sale. The offer I received (again, through Ebay) was for $2400. My bottom line was $2900, so I let the buyer know that through Ebay's email system. He then offered again at $2700, and I never responded.

Shortly after I ended the listing; you don't know much about this equipment, but not everyone and their brother needs or can afford these. I just saw this was not going to move quickly, and so ended the auction.

Can I see where Ebay might be suspicous? Absolutely. But the email warning caught me by surprise, and I was upset by the statement that they could charge me FVF on the item.

...

I think I can see why this ended listing triggered the eBay bots.

@fortyfive2life, I want to assure you that I don't think you did anything wrong here, but for the record, I would like to explain what I think caused eBay to issue the warning on this ended listing.

The first offer (of $2,400 on a $2,999 listing) was made and declined on the eBay listing, about a week before the listing ended. So far so good. I think that just ending the listing a week after declining an offer would probably not have triggered the warning.

You said that you then told the potential buyer your bottom line ($2,900) by eBay message, and he then offered you $2,700, and you didn't respond.

The problem is that only the first offer was made on the eBay listing. Your counteroffer of $2,900, and then the buyer's last offer of $2,700, were made by eBay message. They aren't on the listing (there was only one declined offer), and the listing was then ended very shortly after the buyer's last offer, which you had not rejected.

eBay is looking at eBay messages and emails for evidence of potential off-eBay sales. That's how they detect if an off-eBay sale might have taken place, and how they determine what they believe the sale price was (link to the FVF policy). So making offers by eBay message and then ending the listing looks suspicious, as you acknowledged. That's what happened in this case that triggered the warning.

I can understand that you didn't like the tone, or the implied threat of being charged fees. A lot of members have complained about that. So many, in fact, that eBay staff have responded and stated that while they can understand that members don't like it, they are very serious about stopping fee-avoidance and off-eBay sales, so they don't plan to tone down the message.

As I said, I don't believe that you did or were trying to do anything wrong. And it was just a warning. Hopefully, you bringing this forward publicly will help others avoid getting charged unexpected fees in the future.