Reporting Fraudalent Listings

[outfittersupport]

(I was a long time eBay seller) So now understanding how eBay works and their protocol for flagging specific listings, apparently you can get 3-4 friends or more with active accounts on eBay, and spend as much time as you like flagging competitor listings to ruin other sellers lives and their potential sales. (Also you can buy new eBay accounts online to rinse and repeat this, use a fake address/information singing up on each account, which eBay has no control over apparently until its figured out which unfortunately is too late for the damage that is done.)

This works right now and the scum of the earth are doing it.  Also Ebay shrugs their shoulders to this when you as seller confront them on this... What a curve ball, wonder how they'll stop that or will this be another federal lawsuit against eBay? ? ?

[outfittersupport]

@onefootflippersThis is great advice, I appreciate you giving directions like that to prevent problems that can't fairly be regulated. Thank you for the advice and for all others reading as well

[onefootflippers]

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@outfittersupport wrote:

@redlinear

Alright, whether its from registered users, eBay bots, or w/e the hell you want to call it, this problem is happening - I don't know from which party, how would I? My point of coming onto this eBay forum is to tell everyone that it is happening and can happen. I don't know care to know exactly who or what did it ( although it would be nice to know), the point is that IT CAN HAPPEN.

Also because this issue has **bleep** me off so much, I will be doing this exact technique, recording it all and then presenting it just to prove that its fairly easy to do. I'm not trying to argue about being a victim, just presenting nefarious activity that eBay can't regulate well. Sorry if that isn't something you wanted to read, I think its important to protect sellers

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Wouldn't posting an instruction guide on how to do it just cause it to happen to more sellers? I don't see how that would protect anyone.

Every sports thing I ever had taken down was because I used a bad combination of words that made the robot decide the item was fake. I was always able to figure out which word it was that they didn't like. 

[allisonesq77]

Amen. Couldn't have said it any better.     

[kitschy*loot]

Your proof is going to be doing the same underhanded "technique" to other sellers? Why would you do that to people who have nothing to do with your claims?

I do believe if you are getting flagged for inauthentic items that haven't sold yet; then you're probably right about someone targeting you, but it seems like it would more than likely be a disgruntled buyer. If the items haven't sold it would be really hard to know if it was authentic or not, so I think you should consider it was a past buyer who wasn't happy with something you sold them.

If by some chance it was a seller doing what you described I'm not really sure what eBay could do about that right away. It's hard to track a perpetrator if they are using various accounts and possibly VPNs. 

I hope you didn't really mean you were going to target innocent sellers to prove a point...   

[outfittersupport]

@onefootflippers 

Yes it would, but unfortunately most corporations in the US don't lift a finger until the problem MUST be remedied for THEIR business to maintain.

eBay doesn't want to listen at all, nor cares and their answer was to shrug their shoulders on this? (They could of at-least said something like we hear you and we are working on this issue.. its being documented or let me take this to my manager or something but that didn't even happen. Just shrugged shoulders)

Thats ok, the work will be done for them and then anonymously  presented on a golden platter for everyone publicly - whether everyone uses it to their advantage or not is up to that person. If this practice is deemed fair by eBay then every seller on eBay should know about it and be able to use it consistently based on eBay's non-caring responses?

Appreciate everyone who gave solid advice here, and for those of you with doubt, well don't worry because the truth will be posted soon

[rockystradingpost]

Thank you, and I hope this situation works out for you. 

[crazystuff4sale]

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@outfittersupport wrote:

@onefootflippers 

Yes it would, but unfortunately most corporations in the US don't lift a finger until the problem MUST be remedied for THEIR business to maintain.

eBay doesn't want to listen at all, nor cares and their answer was to shrug their shoulders on this? (They could of at-least said something like we hear you and we are working on this issue.. its being documented or let me take this to my manager or something but that didn't even happen. Just shrugged shoulders)

Thats ok, the work will be done for them and then anonymously  presented on a golden platter for everyone publicly - whether everyone uses it to their advantage or not is up to that person. If this practice is deemed fair by eBay then every seller on eBay should know about it and be able to use it consistently based on eBay's non-caring responses?

Appreciate everyone who gave solid advice here, and for those of you with doubt, well don't worry because the truth will be posted soon

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You said you are going to get evidence by videoing yourself using this nefarious method to takedown legitimate listings? Are you really going to flag legitimate listings? I certainly hope you aren't doing that! Video of listings that are in violation being taken down would only prove that the system works like it should.

[outfittersupport]

Also note two of 5 items that were recently taken down on  1 of my accounts, were previously purchased on eBay a week or so prior and then I relisted them with my own unique listing - with my own words/pictures. The other 3 items were unique and never had been sold on eBay prior. ( ALL AUTHENTIC ITEMS)

The problem of why the listing was taken down ( was not wording or issues with the template) but authenticity of the actual item. They had the audacity to claim that even the 2 items that I previously purchased a week ago on eBay  "were not authentic either and they had no further comments on the subject." Both of which were not sold either. Other items were cards I opened out of fresh new packs

Just a quick online search will begin to show how sports memorabilia/cards selling on eBay and the unethical authenticity flag stories are littered across the internet.

I'm not going to put my head into the sand, it needs to stop.

[soh.maryl]

Again, there is fairly strong evidence that eBay does not arbitrarily remove a listing on the basis of a few reports.  

First, your complaint is that eBay does not remove fraudulent listings when reported.

Then, your complaint is that eBay does take down listings on the basis of just a few complaints.

Sorry, but I don't really understand so will refrain from commenting further.

I hope you get the problem resolved, whatever it is.  

[crazystuff4sale]

There are some very specific guidelines that must be followed when listing autographed and graded trading cards. It wouldn't be hard for someone new to selling cards to be in violation of the policy and have items removed due to a "technicality."

Read the full policy here:

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/autographed-items-policy?id=4283

[outfittersupport]

@soh.maryl 

"Again, there is fairly strong evidence that eBay does not arbitrarily remove a listing on the basis of a few reports."

^^^^ Lets see how well you know what your talking about, the results of this technique will be posted in a day or so and you'll see the truth of the matter. I never complained about fraudulent listings anywhere not being taken down, your misinterpreting this completely. Let me sum this up:

- I listed 5 list items on eBay

-two days later all items taken down for authenticity (which is completely false but happened because you can manipulate eBay's system by flagging items. Its been going on for as long as eBay has allowed you to flag)

If you search online you will find many many more horror stories mimicking mine.. (eBay taking down listings based on fake flagging). I'm sure the "authenticity" flag is a big one in specific categories of items and its a easy way to get a listing removed. < again ill prove this because it is true and is absolutely wrong,  unfortunately the majority of people want to believe this isn't true nor does eBay...  and its unbelievable.

[outfittersupport]

@crazystuff4sale  Thank you for posting this and trying to give light in the matter. I have re-read all their policies today and I am in no violation aside from what they claimed to be from my listing being flagged. (Which was the items were not authentic and they removed everything and have prevented those items from being sold and prevented two sales to go through as well.)

But I will say that the items that were taken down were not autographed nor were they graded. I literally opened up 3 of the cards that were listed for sale and the other two items were purchased from another eBay seller a week prior.

[soh.maryl]

Thank you for the clarification.  You are, of course, entitled to your own opinion as I am to mine.

Not sure how you can prove this, but ok.  I still feel that it would take more than a few reports to get eBay to take down an item unless perhaps an employee looks at the listing and agrees there is an issue.   Horror stories do not actually prove anything.  If you have clear evidence, I hope you will return here and show it.  Again, thanks for your response.  

[outfittersupport]

@soh.maryl 

Absolutely and I agree, but I am a living example of this happening to me. This is the reason I am speaking here and I promise you the results will come.

You can prove this by doing the same thing that was done to me, under a multitude of items where "authenticity" is the biggest factor of its pricing/merit. (Sports memorabilia, designer clothes, luxury goods  etc etc.) Now bring in a bunch of legit accounts on eBay all flagging the same seller account for w/e reasons with the same flag "authenticity" on a specific item, then flag the same seller possibly 1-2 days apart or 1-4 days apart and watch what happens to that eBay listing, it will be removed. Figuring out the algorithm won't be difficult just time consuming, it may take more than a day or so but after the research has been done that information will be presented.

I can't take the feeling of someone robbing something from me, disregarding my own words nor helping the situation, and then walking away from the unsolved problem = eBay today.

[outfittersupport]

Hmmm? Unfortunately can't list everything from Reddit, Facebook, and other online forums where there is countless people explaining this exact problem. But its still not happening right ?

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Deliberate-Flagging-of-Products-to-Eliminate-the-Competition/t...

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Wrongfully-flagged-as-counterfeit-What-to-do/td-p/33221678