eBay

kenbo233 · ‎03-06-2023

eBay has removed two of my listings for an OTiS military gun cleaning kit, claiming it has violated the firearms and accessories policy. When I called customer service, the CS rep. stated the issue is that I put the word "Military" in the title and that flagged the listing for removal. The CS rep. couldn't tell me where in the policy that It states that using the word military is in violation of the policy. Further I had him do a search for current listing using the key words military cleaning kit that produced over 400 results, he still could not give me a valid reason other than to remove the word military in the the title. I even showed him that I sold the exact same item last month and there was no issue then. I got the answer "the only solution I can provide is to remove the word military from the title".... and that a customer service supervisor will call me back, Anyone else experiencing the same or similar issue?

blingfling123 · ‎03-06-2023

There are eBay policies and then there are Fed policies. Putting anything with the word military and the word gun in the same title or description is likely to make the AI twitchy.

Their AI is adjusted all the time. What happened yesterday can be different than what happens today. What happens to you may not happen to others until later. Not everything is covered in eBay's policy.

There is stuff that just cannot be sold online, and other stuff that cannot leave the country. There is a dictionary size set of requirements around all that and it overrides any eBay policy.

You might want to read the eBay military policy as well.

Follow their advice and list without the word military.

deltilogical · ‎03-06-2023

I've been selling machine guns and artillery shells - on postcards and I'm just waiting to get shut down by the psuedoAI. Its not an AI, its just a software program that looks for key words and then CENSORS.

Its a software sensitivity reader. Who even knew people were getting paid to be sensitivity readers and censor us.

You may not think this is related but it is directly related: the rewriting on books by sensitivity readers, the censoring of writing, the theft of bank accounts by online processors and the inability of those attacked to respond.

blingfling123 · ‎03-06-2023

@deltilogical

While I understand where you are coming from, what tripped this is far more likely to be overly aggressive ITAR compliance vs any sensitivity.

simba6 · ‎03-06-2023

eBay only goes by key words. Their reps are clueless and have no idea what your selling. I would not list it again as you can be suspended from selling for life if they keep removing. Just have to find another place to sell it.

dbfolks166mt · ‎03-06-2023

I can't believe the number of postings on this forum everyday regarding calls to CS. You would think by now people would have figured out that the eBay CS is totally useless these days. I am not sure why eBay continues with it. A lot of sellers would be better off not having CS than getting bad and often adverse financial impact advice/guidance from CS.