eBay account permanently suspended

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Hiddendragon, Mar 3, 2021.

  1. Hiddendragon

    Hiddendragon World coin collector

    I sell some coins on eBay and I have a few accounts. Recently I decided to pare down my French and Canadian collections, so I ended up with a lot of coins from those two countries to sell. I decided to start a new account to sell those since it was so much and they're not hugely popular. So I created an account and maxed out the free listings, with 200 coins for sale. This was maybe 5-6 days ago.

    Today I got an email saying my account had been permanently suspended "because we noticed activity that we believe is a risk to our community." My first reaction was to think it was a phishing email, so I tried to sign into that account, and sure enough, it's suspended. I'm totally at a loss about what could have brought this on. I checked and there's no prohibition against having multiple accounts, and the coins I was listing were not from banned countries and no one would call them counterfeit. The only thing I can maybe guess is that I had some of the coins listed on another account previously, and I ended those listings to move them to this account, so could they have some AI that thinks I'm stealing someone else's photos? I've done this many times before with no problems however.

    I did a little research on the internet and it seems like eBay will refuse to tell you why your account is suspended if you contact them. (The people on the eBay forums seem to be jerks when people ask about this as well). I'm thinking about trying anyway but the email they sent also says that any other accounts I have have also been permanently suspended (they have not) and I don't want to rock the boat. But if I don't know what I did wrong, how do I avoid doing it again?

    Anyone on here have any experience with this? I don't care so much about this account but it seems like I can never create another new account after this, and I don't want whatever went wrong here to happen again.

    Here's the email they sent:
    Your eBay account has been permanently suspended because we noticed activity that we believe is a risk to our community.

    This means the following:
    - You can’t buy or sell on eBay any longer. Any other accounts that you own or that are associated with this account have also been suspended.
    - Outstanding selling fees are due immediately, and any amounts that you haven’t previously disputed will be charged to the payment method we have on file.

    The safety of our community is a top priority for us, so our decision to permanently suspend your account is final and can’t be appealed.

    If you have any concerns or questions regarding this matter, select Help & Contact at the top of most eBay pages.
     
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  3. non_cents

    non_cents Well-Known Member

    Were there other listings on your other accounts? Perhaps having multiple accounts maxing out free listings is seen as circumventing paying fees for 200+ listings on one account
     
    Etcherman, LA_Geezer and Beefer518 like this.
  4. Hiddendragon

    Hiddendragon World coin collector

    Yes, but I've done the same thing for years. I've never seen anything to indicate it would be a problem.
     
  5. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    That’s probably the reason. You may have just gotten unlucky and got randomly selected for an additional security check
     
    serafino likes this.
  6. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    That's probably it right there! :D It just doesn't seem like a seller could create a second account and get 200 free listings, create a third account get 200 free listings, create another and keep going forward like all is good. :kiss: I know you didn't do a third and fourth account but it sounds like they just caught up to you this time. good luck, oh and don't rock the boat! ;)
     
  7. dltsrq

    dltsrq Grumpy Old Man

    I found this a moment ago. The 2nd and last bullet points seem to apply:

    "On eBay, you are allowed to have multiple accounts, assuming you fulfill the following requirements:
    • A separate email address for the new account.
    • Clear intention to use an account for different products’ niche.
    • Abide by the seller and listing policies prescribed in eBay selling policy.
    • Uphold the standards & rules concerning performance, risk, and best practices for eBay Sellers.
    • No cross-reference of other accounts is allowed.
    • You are not attempting to avoid buying and selling restrictions or limits."
    https://community.ebay.com/t5/My-Ac...as-Suspended-Without-Warning-or/td-p/31486108
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2021
    AuldFartte and fretboard like this.
  8. Hiddendragon

    Hiddendragon World coin collector

    Maybe that's it. But I found several articles about things that can get you suspended and none mentioned this. It would be nice if they'd explain it and maybe give a warning before using the nuclear option.
     
    paddyman98 and UncleScroge like this.
  9. baseball21

    baseball21 Well-Known Member

    This part isn't true. People go around reporting legitimate things a counterfeit on eBay ALL the time. It may be someone has a grudge against you, you may be competition to them (far to many people report their competition as fake to try and get rid of them), or they could just be fools. It's not out of the question that someone went through and reported a bunch of your listings.

    It could have even been someone from eBay who deemed them fake. I once had a PCGS CAC coin (that I had submitted myself both places and was 1000% real) almost get my account suspended because one of their "experts" deemed it to be fake
     
    Chris Winkler likes this.
  10. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    I think this is the problem. I think that if you are getting what you want or are making decent income from your sales, you should be willing to pay the host company for its services. I believe that what you did was working the system, and given the number of lots you posted, it started to become obvious to those who control the site.
     
    serafino and Alegandron like this.
  11. kanga

    kanga 65 Year Collector

    eBay has gotten so big and changed hands or employees so much that they often don't have a clue what their site is doing.
    If something seems to be a problem they just "rubber stamp" their solution even though it laps over into "no problem" areas.
    Using the name "Cuba" is the one I'm familiar with.
    The US banned items from Cuba made during Fidel Castro's presidency.
    So eBay banned ALL items using the name "Cuba".
    Items made:
    -- in the US
    -- for US use only
    -- by US personnel stationed in Cuba
    -- during the US administration of Cuba after the Spanish-American War (1899)
    are banned from being listed on eBay.
    You do that and your account(s) are permanently suspended.

    They don't have a clue.
     
  12. baseball21

    baseball21 Well-Known Member

    Thart's a bad example. They absolutely are well aware that some Cuba things are allowed. They made a business decision to protect themselves legally from facing violating embargo fines/charges by banning everything instead of spending significant resources checking every listing to make sure it is actually legal. They likely would end up spending more making sure the listings are fine then they would make from such a small insignificant market
     
  13. Maxfli

    Maxfli Well-Known Member

    I laughed.
     
  14. Mr.Q

    Mr.Q Well-Known Member

    Ebay is in the process of making several changes with some being unfavorable in my opinion. Oh well, it is what it is!
     
    philologus_1 likes this.
  15. Hiddendragon

    Hiddendragon World coin collector

    EBay takes about 10-15% of the total amount of every sale, which includes the shipping costs. So they're not exactly giving their services away. I've looked into getting a paid account and I just don't see the benefit of it.

    I'm mostly listing coins for $1.50 or less and the only way its profitable is if I don't pay listing fees. With the French coins I was going to sell on this new account (1920s-1950s base metal) people will buy them but it might take several months. I'm not paying 35 cents to relist those every month hoping someone will buy them. I don't see the harm in creating an account dedicated to selling them.
     
  16. Hiddendragon

    Hiddendragon World coin collector

    Yeah, I've been expecting to be told I need to switch to their managed payments but it still hasn't happened. I think this might be the month though.
     
  17. baseball21

    baseball21 Well-Known Member

    Way more than that, eBay just doubled the fees. Coins are now 12.35% just for the eBay fee alone
     
    charley likes this.
  18. charley

    charley Well-Known Member

    That is just how ebay people will do ya.

    EBAY = "Enjoy Being Abused Yokels".

    COPYRIGHT 2021 BY CHARLEY.
    DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION (that means pay me).

    Sue me, ebay...I need the $. The t shirts are doing well, but I can always use more.
     
  19. Chris Winkler

    Chris Winkler Well-Known Member

    My hatred for ebay knows no bounds. I purchased some gold French coins and later when i needed the $, i tried to sell them & they did the same thing, even though i bought them on ebay!!!!!
     
    charley likes this.
  20. baseball21

    baseball21 Well-Known Member

    Apparently pretty much everyone is banned from making new listings without a business account until the 9th or something like that from the switch over to their system. I haven’t tried it but I’ve seen people reporting that.
     
    charley likes this.
  21. Chris Winkler

    Chris Winkler Well-Known Member

    Is there another place to buy & sell coins besides eBay & overpriced websites? I see i can sell them here, though I have seen moderators say expect to be ripped off. Anyone care to chime in?
     
    charley likes this.
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