Question
I'm so mad right now that I could scream (or cry - I'm not sure which)!
eBay has cancelled all my auctions for a policy violation that I DIDN'T VIOLATE
I suspect that someone turned me in (a competitor).
While I've answered the email that I received from Preston, I'm not sure what good, if any, it will do.
I have BIN buyers writing to me demanding their money back (of course, these requests are in ALL capital letters).
Now that eBay has ruined my credibility with these buyers, is there any way that I can get them to reinstate my auctions?
Any suggestions would be helpful.
----------------------------------
'ling
Answer
What was the claimed violation?
And how many auctions did you lose?
Good Luck, Kevin
Answer
Are ALL your auctions cancelled? What was the violation - what reason did eBay give?
Answer
Hi Kevin!
I sell coupons on eBay. I know, I know... not too many think highly of coupon sellers... It pays the credit card payments every month though!
Here's part of the email that I received:
PLEASE READ: Bulk coupon sales are not permitted on eBay. Bulk coupon
listings are defined as listings that contain more than 20 coupons for
the same item, or more than 100 total coupons. Your listings were
ended
because they contained more than 20 coupons for the same item. Sellers
may not list a total of more than 20 coupons for the same item, or more
than 100 total coupons in Multiple Item Auctions (also known as Dutch
Auctions).
Last night I listed 16 auctions. Each auction has 20 coupons and I use Dutch Auctions for 10 items. This setup falls within their 200 limit.
Well, last night, I had folks buying all 10 sets. Since I'm sitting here with 800+ coupons, I was reslisting them as the auctions were completed.
I never had more than one auction, for each coupon, running at the same time.
I never went over the 200 coupon limit.
Am I reading the policy wrong?!?!?
Answer
Yes, corrdogg. They were ALL ended.
Emails were sent out to all my BIN buyers.
I'm numb. This has never happened to me before.
Answer
You were not suspended, were you?
Sounds like soneone with their figure on the trigger is confused by the difference between "20" and "more than 20". Ebay may have a numerically impaired person running the trapdoor.
I would try to explain it to the buyers and settle with them and do the relists at 19.
Answer
No, not suspended (thank God for small favors, eh?).
I don't think that the "20" is what got me into trouble.
I think I was relisting, and selling out, and relisting, and selling out too quickly for somebody (not quite sure who that somebody is though).
A couple of my buyers have written that they'd still like the coupons if I want to send them anyway.
Some are demanding refunds.
I'm going to write to those demanding refunds and try to explain what's going on. The message that they're getting from eBay simply states that the auction is "null and void."
I agree though... someone has a trigger finger! When will eBay look first and then respond instead of the other way around?
Answer
It would appear that some eBay employee "thinks" you violated a policy.
Unfortunately, as we have seen so many times in the past, the lack of adequate staff training and the apparent absence of good common sense often creates these cancellations.
Just proving you are in compliance, no small task when the person you're submitting information to really doesn't fully understand the regulation, is often not enough as they, or their supervisor, have to accept they were wrong in canceling your auctions.
I have no personal experience but numerous other threads suggest it's even difficult to determine what exactly they find wrong. They make reference to general policies but not the exact elements of your listing as being incorrect because of a specific part of the regulation.
It seems the best anyone can do is ask and ask and ask until they finally reach someone who sorts through the issue and provides some clarity.
Then, hopefully, the element of your listings in question can be discussed. You may be correct but it still may have to be changed to get eBay to again allow listings. This is always independent of the possible thousands of other listings that may be identical to yours in this matter.
Is this fair, is this right, is this any way to treat good customers YADA, YADA, YADA ?
Of course not. This is just the way eBay Nation works.
Answer
Am I reading the policy wrong?!?!?
Now, I don't work for eBay so I can't speak for them, but the section from the email they sent you sounds like this to me:
Sellers may not list a total of more than 20 coupons for the same item
or
more than 100 total coupons in Multiple Item Auctions (also known as Dutch Auctions).
If you listed 20 coupons in 10 auctions, that would be 200 total coupons, which is over the 100 total in the second half of eBay's maximum limit.
Answer
They make reference to general policies but not the exact elements of your listing as being incorrect because of a specific part of the regulation.
Ray,
As always, your comments are right on the mark. Vague information does NOT help rectify the situation or prevent it from happening again, due to ignorance.
I'm assuming that they're thinking I had all the auctions running simultaneously - rather than one auction with multiple relists.
Of course, you know what "assuming" will get me.