Why are my listings suddenly being deleted not following policy?

[mikec12]

I am selling gift cards that are not e gift cards to places like Panera and Chipotle which I have sold before and I am getting messages saying they wern't following policy. I just sold Starbucks gift cards with no problem. What is going on??

[mikec12]

I also read their policy and I have not broken their policy??

[slippinjimmy]

Did the notice give you a link to the specific policy?

What exactly did the notice say?

[pikabo-icu]

Here's the policy

Perhaps read through it again just to be sure.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/gift-cards-policy?id=4294 

[mikec12]

This doesn't tell me the specific poilicy. 

Hello mikec12,

Your listing didn't follow our Gift cards policy. While gift cards that follow our policy can be listed, certain types of gift cards aren’t allowed.

What activity didn't follow the policy

 More specific details are provided below.

What you need to do next

You can't relist items we've ended. Please ensure your current and future listings follow this policy.

What is the policy

- The following types of gift cards aren’t allowed:
-- Electronically delivered gift cards (from non-approved third party retailers)
-- Prepaid credit cards (or money cards) from American Express, Discover, Mastercard, or Visa
-- Store or merchandise credit in the form of a receipt
- Sellers can list the following types of gift cards:
-- Sellers can list the following types of gift cards:
--- eBay gift cards that are sold by authorized sellers
--- Collectible gift cards with no redemption value, as long as the listing specifies that there's no monetary amount on the card
--- Gift cards for stores or companies going through bankruptcy, or going out of business, if the cards are still accepted as a form of payment. If there's an expiration date, it must be specified in the listing.
-- Sellers must meet all these requirements when listing eligible gift cards:
--- The total face value of all their gift card listings at any given time must be $500 or less
--- The gift card must be in hand at the time of the listing, and it must ship within 5 days of the date the card is sold

Note: Approved third-party retailers or service providers can sell electronically-delivered gift cards on eBay, provided they are vetted by eBay.

[mikec12]

I have I can't figure it out?

[lacemaker3]

@mikec12;

Here's the gift card policy (see below). This is the same wording as in the email notice you received.

As I understand it, your listings did not meet the policy because you were not selling any of the 3 types of gift cards that are permitted. I don't believe any of the companies you sold gift cards for are in bankruptcy, or going out of business, so they don't fit the 3rd type of eligible card.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/gift-cards-policy?id=4294

[coolections]

Sellers can list the following types of gift cards:

--- eBay gift cards that are sold by authorized sellers
--- Collectible gift cards with no redemption value
--- Gift cards for stores or companies going through bankruptcy

Is the stores you are selling the gift cards for going bankrupt ? Are you an authorized seller of those gift cards ? The way I read it, you cannot list gift cards.

[pikabo-icu]

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@mikec12 wrote:

I have I can't figure it out?

---

@mikec12 

Did all the cards total more than $500?

Did they have expiration dates? If yes, did you list the dates? 

Was your handling time under 5 days?

Those are the ones that stand out. 

[coolections]

@pikabo-icu 

The way I read it the OP must FIRST meet the 3 criteria, THEN they must also meet the criteria you provided.

[pikabo-icu]

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@coolections wrote:

@pikabo-icu 

The way I read it the OP must FIRST meet the 3 criteria, THEN they must also meet the criteria you provided.

---

It's possible..

Honestly this policy is about the least clear of any that I've read.. It's confusing just to read let alone abide by.

Clear as mud.. 

[gkn29]

Someone probably reported you (legit or not it makes no difference) and now you're on their radar.

[lacemaker3]

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@pikabo-icu wrote:

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@coolections wrote:

@pikabo-icu 

The way I read it the OP must FIRST meet the 3 criteria, THEN they must also meet the criteria you provided.

---

It's possible..

Honestly this policy is about the least clear of any that I've read.. It's confusing just to read let alone abide by.

Clear as mud.. 

---

This is correct.

The "first three criteria" are the 3 types of gift cards that are permitted to be listed and sold.

Unfortunately, OP's gift cards did not fit any of the 3 types of gift cards that are allowed. They were:

• not eBay gift cards, and not listed by an authorized seller
• not collectible gift cards with no redeemable value
• not for companies that are going through bankruptcy or going out of business (in this case, the cards still have to be usable for making purchases at those companies while they are still open)

I think the biggest problem people have with this, is that the last type of gift card seems to be backwards, or people just can't believe that it means what it actually says. But, it does.

The bottom line is, unless you're an authorized seller who is permitted to sell eBay gift cards, then you can't list and sell a gift card that can actually be used to buy something, unless it's for a company that is going out of business.

There was way too much fraud associated with selling gift cards, and too often, the cards were emptied by scammers after they were listed/sold and before the buyer received them. Not usually by the seller either. There were crime rings committing fraud on online buyers and sellers of gift cards. Insiders at the companies that administered the cards (not necessarily the company where the cards could be used) were suspected.

[fashunu4eeuh]

You may have successfully been selling gift cards previously, but that doesn’t mean they were allowable by eBay at the time of listing. Lots of listings fall through the cracks here. I agree the policy, as written, is confusing and unclear. But it looks to me like you may have crossed the $500 threshold when looking at your completed listings. Sorry this is happening to you.

[lacemaker3]

@fashunu4eeuh,

OP's gift cards were not allowed to be listed or sold at all, so the $500 threshold doesn't really apply. 

I did the same as you ... I was trying to figure out some daily totals for how many gift cards had been sold that day, to see if they went over $500 on any days. But then, I read the list of what types of gift cards can be listed at all, and realized that's what the problem was.