| EBAY SUSPENDED ME FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN BEING HONEST! I registered on eBay last Monday, 10 JULY 2006. I wanted to sell so I gave eBay my Credit Card number and Checking Account number as well as my billing address and telephone number. I listed 20 items the first day and 8 items the second day. On the third day, Wednesday 12 JULY 2006, I listed another item. About 15 minutes after receiving the "Congratulations! You've listed an item!" email I get another one telling me that...I was suspended! Here's the email I got from eBay about the suspension: Dear old_store_man (oldstoreman@gmail.com), We regret to inform you that your eBay account has been suspended due to concerns we have for the safety and integrity of the eBay community. "Abusing eBay" of the eBay User Agreement states, in part: "...we may limit, suspend, or terminate our service and user accounts, prohibit access to our website, remove hosted content, and take technical and legal steps to keep users off the Site if we think that they are creating problems, possible legal liabilities, or acting inconsistently with the letter or spirit of our policies." Due to the suspension of this account, please be advised you are prohibited from using eBay in any way. This includes the registering of a new account. Please note that any seller fees due to eBay will immediately become due and payable. eBay will charge any amounts you have not previously disputed to the billing method currently on file. Regards, Safeharbor Department eBay, Inc. ABUSING EBAY -?!?!?! What the HELL??? Now...right off the bat, there is NO REASON given beyond the vague accusation of "Abusing eBay" nor is there any link to information about how to appeal the suspension in the suspension notification. Going back to the eBay website, through the long and tedious Q&A ordeal, I find the link where you can ASK why you were suspended which I did. After 3 emails and 52 hours later, I get the following message: Dear ebay member, Thank you for writing eBay in regard to the suspension of your account. Your account was suspended under the "Abusing eBay" section of the eBay User Agreement. This section states that eBay may suspend a user's account if we think that the user is creating problems (legal or otherwise) or acting inconsistently with the letter or spirit of our policies. To have your account considered for reinstatement, please fax us both of the following: - *Completed* Request for Reinstatement form (To be processed, the form must the include User ID and email address of the suspended account that you're appealing, as well as a working phone number.) - Copy of your driver's license or other government issued ID with your name and address clearly visible. Also include *one* of the following: - Copy of a recent credit card statement (copy of the actual credit card is not acceptable) - Copy of a recent bank statement - Copy of a recent utility bill To print a copy of the Request for Reinstatement form, go to: https://pages.ebay.com/help/community/poisec9reinstform.html Please submit copies of invoices or any other documents, such as a sales receipt, showing purchase or possession of the items listed for sale before your account was suspended. If this type of documentation isn't available, you can submit your photograph with the items. Please make sure that your User ID is clearly displayed in the image. Mail your documentation to the following address: eBay SafeHarbor Dept. Attn: PA Appeals PO Box 1469 Draper, UT 84020 ***Important*** Please make sure that all documents include the User ID and email address of the suspended account you're appealing. This information is necessary to process your appeal. ***Important*** All contact information listed on the documents that you submit with your appeal must be consistent with the contact information listed on your registered eBay account. If any differences exist, you must provide an explanation for these discrepancies, as well as documentation that confirms your explanation. If your eBay contact information is your work address, please send official documentation to validate this. ***Important*** Be sure to include the User ID and email address of the suspended account that you're appealing on the Request for Reinstatement Form. If your fax doesn't contain this information, we won't be able to process it. Please fax all documentation to: eBay Attention: Abusing eBay Appeals U.S. Fax Number: 1-877-349-1798 International Fax Number: 001 + 801-545-2700 Please allow 48 to 72 hours for your request for appeal to be processed. Sending us an email us before that time may delay your request. ***Privacy Note*** Any documents submitted to us will be destroyed after the information has been reviewed and verified. If you're concerned about including your credit card number, you can black out all but the first and last four digits. However, your full name and address must be legible for us to process your request. To review the eBay User Agreement, go to: https://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/user-agreement.html Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Daisie eBay Customer Support Copy of my CREDIT CARD BILL??? Copy of my BANK STATEMENT??? COPY OF MY UTILITY BILL-?!?!?!?!?!?!?! And after NO EXPLANATION of exactly what it was I allegedly did wrong??? Now folks- that is just plain invastion of privacy. And yes, it IS invasion of privacy if eBay does not demand those documents from EVERY user and refuses service to a select few (in this case me) if I won't provide them especially when there was never a reason given for this whole debacle! A clue exists in the section about how eBay wants to see reciepts for the items to prove they were/are actually in my possession at the time of listing...but that doesn't explain the demand for credit card, bank or utility statements since none of those would go toward proving I actually had/have the items in my possession. As I explained to eBay in my reply: This is just plain stupid. First of all, it should not take eBay 52 hours to respond. Regarding this new demand for additional personal financial information, when I registered this account, I provided a telephone number (which I saw received a call from eBay but when I attempted to reply I got a recorded message telling me the number does not take calls), a credit card number, and a CHECKING ACCOUNT number. There is NOTHING in my listings that should raise a 'flag' or indicate I'm selling stuff I don't actually have on hand. None of them include photos copied from other listings (or 'stock images' from manufacturers), none of them are for high dollar items or items that should sell for high dollar amounts like Rolex watches, digital electronics, etc. I only listed 29 items over a 3 day period and all but the last one started at $9.95 with NO RESERVE, and no BUY IT NOW. None of the listings included photos copied from other listings (or 'stock images' from manufacturers), none of them are for high dollar items or items that should sell for high dollar amounts ( i.e. Rolex watches). If there's a "limit" to the number of items a new user account can list, eBay should state that up front or limit the number of items...NOT wait until someone has time and effort invested in the listings, gets bids and so forth. Besides, an easier way than faxing even MORE personal information (utility bills -?!?!) would have been for eBay to require me to show the item with listing of that same item on eBay in the background or perhaps print out a message from eBay and show it in a photo of the item or something similar. In addition, the list of required documents states I could "black out all but the first and last four digits" of the credit number. What good is THAT supposed to do? EBAY ALREADY HAS THE ENTIRE CREDIT CARD NUMBER AS WELL AS THE BILLING ADDRESS! I think the best thing is for me to turn this over to the Alabama State Attorney General's office. I'm sure that agency will be able to verify my identity and address to eBay. In addition to my mailing/billing address and telephone number, eBay demanded and was supplied two very personal pieces of financial information and then turns around and refuses me service for no good reason...and now expects me to FAX even MORE personal information! And no, I don't see anything in the "User Agreement" that says eBay will randomly select certain new users to harass and require such ridiculous and draconian degrees of 'proof of identity' or 'prove ownership' of a rinky dink old drink bottle starting at $9.95 by showing a utiity bill. My credit card number and the bank account number are verifiable with those institutions (Chase VISA and Army Aviation Center Federal Credit Union) as well as the telephone number I provided (ALLTEL); the billing for all of those match the address I provided to eBay. If eBay was so concerned, a simple 'test charge' or 'test deposit' to the bank account with required response by the account holder -as eBay does to verify new PayPal accounts- would be understandable and probably much more effective. I believe that eBay's actions in this matter constitute unreasonable business practices and an invasion of privacy. CR Here was eBay's reply (2 days later): Dear CR, Thank you for writing eBay in regard to your suspension. I apologize if this process has made you feel like we do not care. Although I cannot go into any specifics of the suspension, as to keep the integrity of that process in place, I can tell you that we never intend to make our member feel singled out in any way. This process is not perfect, and unfortunately in that process, a few honest members may be required to take one or two extra steps before they are allowed to participate on eBay. I can tell you that without this process, eBay would not be the marketplace it is today, and the act of bidding and selling would be greatly compromised. We do appreciate your presence on eBay, and hope that you continue with the reinstatement process. We fully understand if you would not like to follow through with your suspension appeal. However, if you decide to not provide the information that we have requested, your account will remain in the blocked status that it is currently in. If you wish to pursue this situation through legal channels, please direct all future communications to the eBay legal department. Please send your correspondence to: eBay Inc. Attn: Corporate Counsel 2145 Hamilton Avenue San Jose, CA 95125 If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reply to this email and let us know. Sincerely, Alora eBay Customer Support Well...here's my reply to THAT: "I can tell you that we never intend to make our members feel singled out in any way." and "...a few honest members may be required to take one or two extra steps..." and "However if you decide not to provide the information that we have requested, your account will remain in the blocked status that it is currently in." Those statements are in direct contradiction to one another and are blatant evidence of inequitable and thus unfair handling by eBay. There are MANY new sellers on eBay with LESS THAN 3 DAYS MEMBERSHIP, NO FEEDBACK, AND NO COMPLETED TRANSACTIONS and who are selling items with much higher starting bids than what I have. eBay has steadfastly refused to provide a single legitimate reason for singling me out and as such, that is blatant discrimination. I most certainly WILL be pursuing this matter through legal channels and no, it won't be through arbitration. It will start with the consumer fraud divisions of Alabama, Idaho and California. eBay has in its possession several vital bits of personal financial information that it should not have requested if it was going to refuse me the same service offered to other customers. I am also going to contact as many media outlets as possible to see what interest they may have in this matter. CR Again, I'll point out that my auctions were for common 'yard sale-type' items, low starting prices, reasonable shipping costs, no reserves, no buy it nows, no 'stock images or photos' of items taken from catalogs or manufacturers' websites, etc. In fact, almost all of the items had multiple photos (front and back, side and closeup shots, etc.) and I think anyone could tell they were photos taken in a 'home setting', etc. I say this because evidently the 'concern' or 'suspicion' is that I as a new seller was selling stuff I don't actually have on hand. We've all heard stories of crooks who do that, set up an eBay account, use stock images taken from websites, get payments and scram. But I'm not one of those guys and there was nothing about my auctions that should have alarmed anyone. So what do you guys think? Was eBay unfair in suspending me based on some vague suspicion they refuse to even articulate? Did eBay do anything ILLEGAL by demanding the additional documentation- especially since it admits those are "an extra 1 or 2 steps" not required of all sellers? CR oldstoreman@gmail.com Free shipping for this item! User Reviews : Rating :  Review: 1 |
| this is a test EBAY AGAINST HONEST SELLERS under cover - USA (Sunday, January 21, 2007) EBAY TREATS HONEST SELLERS LIKE SHIT. PERIOD. THEY DO YOU WRONG. THEY ARE ALL ASSHOLES. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHERE THEY HIRE THE TRUST AND SAFTEY CREW OF EBAY THEY ARE THE BIGGGGGGEST CROOKS ON EBAY SELLING! THEY BREAK ALLLLLLL THE RULES AND IF YOU ARE GOOD WATCH THE HELL OUT THEY WILL CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNT! |
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