What can be done when eBay incorrectly identifies an item as a Pesticide?

[recsupplyusa]

Hi,

I received notices last night that 54 items have been removed from eBay because they are pesticides. I can provide EPA numbers for 10 of the items, but the other 44 are not pesticides and make no pesticidal claims. These are pool treatment chemicals (clarifiers, balancers, enzymes etc.) that do not kill anything. These items are commonly lumped together with chlorines/sanitizers and algaecides simply because they are pool chemicals. However, they are not pesticides and do not require registration. eBay has given no proof of their claims. In the meantime, other sellers are allowed to continue to sell the same items. I understand eBay needs to comply with federal law, and likely errs on the side of caution. However, there should be an appeal process, particularly where there is no identifiable pesticidal claim in the listing. What is the proper workflow for reinstating items eBay incorrectly identifies as pesticides or pesticide devices?

[sextons-sweet-deals]

Maybe include in the title that the products are for pools rather than the full product name and fill out your 'item specifics' details as much as possible. I don't fully rely on the product category when I list, but it can't hurt.

Here are the other possible issues:

1. you're in North Dakota. Does it ever get that warm for pools in your area? 

2. looks like your using catalog photos

3. Are you selling product that is not in hand and depending on a second party / vendor to ship?

4. Maybe a competitor reported you to eliminate competition. 

I don't have the answers, just suggestions. 

[recsupplyusa]

Thank you for replying. A little background, my business is a nationwide distributor of swimming pool supplies and equipment. While it is cold this time of year in North Dakota, there are enough indoor facilities to stay busy. Some of our photos are provided by manufacturers, and others are our I.P., shot in our studio. We stock and ship all items we offer on eBay. We use ChannelAdvisor to create our data feeds and populate relevant item specifics.

I don't think this is an issue with competitors or the other things you described. The EPA had cracked down on online marketplaces in 2020. It makes sense that eBay would be taking steps to ensure safety of their customer base. I did notice that our ChannelAdvisor feed was not properly set up to pass the EPA Registration number into eBay where known/applicable. I fixed that issue today. However, regarding the 44 items eBay removed that are not actually required to be registered with the EPA, I am wondering if any other seller has encountered this and found a workflow that helped them reinstate the items.

I tried a Support Chat, but was given feedback that I don't trust to be accurate and I can't identify any sort of support case management tool in eBay through which I could add comments or evidence for the internal team's review. So I am kind of stuck here waiting 24-72 hours to see what they respond with. 

[belah6204]

I am having the same issue. Half of my cleaning supplies, fabric fresheners are being flagged.  Some have EPA numbers some do not. Fabric fresheners are not pesticides. Was there an announcement missed?  I do not recall reading an update referring to this requirement. Also the email states if these products do not have an EPA number we are no longer allowed to list them. I am so confused yet agry to lose so much inventory!

[nutes]

I've been going through this with eBay for over a year now. I've had several products removed that had epa registration numbers.  When I contact support I get told to change categories.  When I do, it gets removed again. I've contacted support so many times and no one can help. I finally realized that they want multiple product pics and the product label pic must have the epa number visible.  If the product is exempt because it is considered minimum risk and is registered under Section 25(b) of FIFRA (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide Rodenticide Act) you will still not be able to list it. They are NOT required to have an EPA registration number and are exempt from EPA regulations on efficacy and toxicity. However, eBay will still take down.  You can always try changing categories but if the title mentions any of the key words that ebay connects with pesticides/sanitizers it will be taken down. Also, other sellers will continue to sell the same items that you had taken down and I don't know why. It feels targeted at certain sellers and others don't have to follow the same rules.

[kh-ornesh]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.