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?

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.

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emerald40 · ‎09-13-2017

All I can say is you are not alone in receiving this message.

We have seen many similar postings on this board lately.

fortyfive2life · ‎09-13-2017

And I understand the reason for the email, it's just the tone and inference that I'm probably guilty of breaking their rules; if the email just said "hey, please be aware that cancelling to sell outside of ebay is against our policies and here's why" (because it's dangerous for the seller, but also because we want our cut) then I'd appreciate it more.

coolections · ‎09-13-2017

They say that to everyone. Go take a walk or relax in a pool. Something to keep you from getting aggravated over nothing.

motorgirl63 · ‎09-13-2017

I decided to put items in yard sale eBay is dead of course I tried to sell them off ebay after I took the listings down I paid for and the items did not sell after being listed on here for cheap ..by the way I ended up selling 3 and donating 3 items

So we are going to be repremanded for choosing not to sell things on here now ?

Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the seat

*eponymous* · ‎09-13-2017

@coolections wrote:
They say that to everyone. Go take a walk or relax in a pool. Something to keep you from getting aggravated over nothing.

Maybe not nothing since eBay policy changed recently. eBay can decide a seller took a transaction off eBay and charge fvf.

Any sellers who do not respond to an offer to take a transaction off eBay for negotiation or payment with a definite no can be accused. Likewise, any seller who has contact info in the listing, in the store, or provides it in messages ..and then takes that listing down can face the same consequences.

Those are my interpretations after asking community staff back in July to clarify the policy but receiving no response from them...so there it is, IMHO the policy reads as above. If eBay community staff have corrections or insight to share, please do that.

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

the_fancy_fox · ‎09-14-2017

Same concern I have. I have some listings I want to end and just donate to get rid of them. Even eBay is telling me to revise them. What I want to do is change the duration from GTC to 30 days and surprise surprise... no can do.

I can revise the listing but I can not change duration as it's grayed out. So I have to just cancel them outright? Yeah when I do that to 100 items I expect my mailbox to explode from eBay having another false fit.

The Race is over
The Rats won.

kattinsanity · ‎09-14-2017

Just last month I ended over 100 listings due to a family emergency. I never heard a peep out of ebay for having done it. When things settled down I just relisted a bunch of them~~not all. If you only want to change the duration to 30 days instead of good til cancelled you should be able to just end the listing and relist it changing the duration time.

kattinsanity · ‎09-14-2017

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.

*madison · ‎09-14-2017

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.

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

Did you decline the offer before you pulled the listing ?

@fortyfive2life

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎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.

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.

sharingtheland · ‎09-14-2017

So, the moral of the story is never use "item is no longer available for sale" when ending a listing?

What team group of a division of a department in ebay found that off-ebay sales were creating a huge impact on ebay's bottom line? I'd say, to ebay, that it's just the cost of doing business.

Sherry

=^.^= =^.^=
( ) ( )
" " =^.^= " "

fortyfive2life · ‎09-14-2017

I chose "no longer available" because I was pulling the item, which means it's no longer available to buy. I guess I need an option that says "I want to end my listing because I want to end it."

It would not ended on its own, I listed under the default Good Until Cancelled, and I exercised the option to cancel it. Should be end of story.

"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."

I had the item in hand for the duration of the listing, and I still have the item. I don't make a habit of ending the listings early, why do you infer that I do?

" 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."

Yes I did put that, and did I include a personal email address? I did not. People can contact you (email) through Ebay, which the guy who made the offer (through ebay, which I declined, through ebay) did. I responded through Ebay's email system. What else do you want me to do?

fortyfive2life · ‎09-14-2017

"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.

*madison · ‎09-14-2017

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..