Question
Hi Everyone,
My Dad died on 10/30/06 and was known as Reston_Ray.
My brother and I wished to continue his store in the short term and then turn it over to my daughter to run.
Ebay will not allow us to continue the store because we did not "earn" the feedback points and we are not him.
I'm sure if we were Best Buy and a merger happened then the "feedback points" would not be an issue.
I don't give a rats *$$ if they take away away the feedback points.
It was stated in his will that he would like to turn the site over to his Grand-Daughter after she becomes 18.
Has anyone run into the issue of a "Store" not being a store after the death of the principal owner?
I can't access the store now because I am using the wrong ISP (internet service providers,my work DSL, AOL etc.) I have paid the fees for the store.
This has become a kinda-nightmare.
Any help would be gladly appreciated.
On a lighter note, I know my Dad enjoyed the company of the people he talked to here. I want to thank you for sharing your memories and I look forward to meeting each and everyone of you.
I see I've kinda rambled like my Dad!
Thanks,
Hunter
Answer
Hello, Hunter. Welcome to here!
Sorry to hear about your father. He was a highly respected person.
As you have discovered, eBay will not allow you to continue your father's store. You probably could have continued to run it in his absence for a while, but I'd hate to think of the problems that could arise from that.
Realistically, his account should be closed out.
Since you don't care about the feedback, then whoever is going to carry on the tradition needs to essentially start over, with a new account with their contact info etc. They can then open a new store.
I realize that that is not what you want to hear, but eBay is not going to allow anybody to continue to use the account of a deceased person.
Again, my condolences.
Answer
Hi Hunter,
It's great seeing you here. Many (if not all) here'ians enjoy conversing with your Dad. We were fortunate to have known him.
Can you not just start using the site? I saw that you provided feedback after your Dad's death so you do have the password. That's strange that eBay will not allowing you to continue.
I do not know eBay's rules regarding the death of a seller, but would be interested in finding out for myself.
Thanks for bringing this subject to us.
to here
Answer
Hunter,
I don't have advice for you.
However, I do want to welcome you. I admired your dad and enjoyed his posts. He was always insightful and often amusing.
Answer
Generally speaking, if one doesn't make a big splashy entrance and quietly goes into the account, changes the contact and billing info and commences selling, how would ebay know?
Just saying.
That's what I would do. You may or may not be comfortable doing it that way, but I see no harm in it, either to ebay nor your father's past customers or your potential future customers.
My condolences about your dad. He was one of the good ones.
Answer
I still don't understand why eBay will not allow one to have the store of their relative. In a B&M, children inherit their parents businesses all the time and continue running the businesses that their parents established. Any business that develops a fine reputation becomes an asset to pass down to the owners' heirs.
Hunter, maybe if you open a new account; work it a little; change all of your father's information on his account to your information; and then combine both accounts to use your Dad's account as the major account.
Combining two accounts
If you have two eBay accounts with two different User IDs, you can request eBay to combine them into one. Merging accounts can simplify your activities on eBay - you'll have just one account to keep track of.
Before you merge your accounts, you must decide which account will be the "new" (preferred) one and which will be the "old" (non-preferred) one.
Fill out the Account Merge Request form to combine two eBay accounts.
http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/closing-account.html
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Edited to add: I was typing while fountainhouse posted. I agree with fountainhouse.
Answer
Hunter ! It is a real pleasure to "meet" you! I have no advise on the store(too bad you told Ebay. )
Were you able to see the long thread about your dad here?
We tried to contact his residence to have his friends read it,but there was a communication problem.
Sorry to derail this thread,but it's soo nice to see you here. Please stick around!
Answer
Hi Elizdale,
I agree with you. If it was a "Brick and Mortar" store, I would have no problem.
We continued to run the store after my Dads death with no new listings. We sent out products or returned money to over 130 customers that were pending after his death. This was while trying to figure out his personal affairs.
Just thought a store was a store.
I would think a will has precedent over some corporate rules.
Answer
I know that there has, in the past, been stores/ids that have been taken over by family members or outright given to others. The only thing would be to not try to go through ebay to do it but just do it
I'm very sorry about your dad-we thoroughly enjoyed having him here and he will be very much missed.
Answer
Welcome Hunter, your dad was much loved and respected here.
As for the store, it's unfortunate that they will not let you continue it as is. Only thing I can suggest is to open a new store, set it up to mirror his old store, using the same graphics and colors, name it something similar, and then (from Ray's MePage) route cutsomers to the new store with a short explanation and a link.