Seller has violated policy... who to contact?

[ramadsebas]

After purchasing an item I've received an email from a third party associated with the seller, indicating that they've divulged my information to a third party. Surely this is a major violation of eBay seller policies. If not then it is a violation of laws in various countries as I'm sure you're aware... so who do I report this issue to? The police? Because the guy lives not more than an hours drive away; I can have him legally charged for spam if I like...

[lyndal1838]

If it is spam advertising there should be a link to unsubscribe...just hit it and see if it stops.   If it doesn't stop then you may need to take it further but why use a sledgehammer to crack a walnut as the saying goes.

You can also report the seller but to me that is overkill. 

[gutterpunkz05]

How do you know it is a third party associated with the seller.  May just as well be the seller, as a lot of ebay sellers do not use there

offline trading details online.  Some also have multiple trading names, online and ebay trading accounts.

[ramadsebas]

> If it is spam advertising there should be a link to unsubscribe...

You seem to be missing the point. This member has 1/ violated the law and 2/ violated eBay policies. I assume those legislations and policies aren't there to be thwarted, right?

I suppose it's all well and good until someone violates a policy against you, and then you'll be all up in arms while other people brush it aside, just as you're doing to me... How would you like that?

Please, don't waste your time with further responses unless you have an answer to my question (to reiterate: Who do I contact regarding this breach of privacy?)

> How do you know it is a third party associated with the seller.

Simple; they're not being one bit subtle about it. Assuming the spammer hasn't given away the details of my purchase how else could the spammer know the details of said purchase (i.e. the sellers name in correlation with my full name and email address), in order to use those details in the spam email? Some form of information disclosure had to have occured, and their name is all over it.

> May just as well be the seller, as a lot of ebay sellers do not use there offline trading details online.

The business has an Australian Business Number registered, and as such they're bound to Australian legislation, which means (by law) they're not allowed to spam. I put it to you that this Australian user has blatantly violated both their own local law and the following eBay policies (as found here😞

While using the eBay services, you will not:

• take any action that may undermine the Feedback or ratings systems (such as displaying, importing or exporting Feedback information or using it for purposes unrelated to eBay);
  The email received was an attempt at soliciting feedback (as well as displaying advertisements) on a website external to eBay.
• distribute or post spam, unsolicited or bulk electronic communications, chain letters or pyramid schemes;
  The email received was spam, unsolicited and I bet automated (bulk), too; it ought to be easy to prove the guilt of this user.
  
• harvest or otherwise collect information about users, including email addresses, without their consent.
  See above.

[ramadsebas]

Correction: Assuming the seller hasn't (illegally) given away the details of my purchase how else could the spammer know the details of said purchase (i.e. the sellers business name in correlation with my full name and email address), in order to use those details in the spam email? Some form of information disclosure had to have occured, and their name is all over it.

[davewil1964]

However, if it is the same entity as your seller, you have already had a transaction with them. As such such communications are, I believe, legal. As long as there is an opt out option.

if you want to know who to complain to, why are you asking here? We are members, not eBay, and the information seems to have come from the seller, not eBay, so why do you think eBay should or would do anything?

It is your (perceived) problem, so it is incumbent on you to spend the money to take legal action, if you're so incensed inclined.

[lyndal1838]

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@ramadsebas wrote:

> If it is spam advertising there should be a link to unsubscribe...

You seem to be missing the point. This member has 1/ violated the law and 2/ violated eBay policies. I assume those legislations and policies aren't there to be thwarted, right?

I suppose it's all well and good until someone violates a policy against you, and then you'll be all up in arms while other people brush it aside, just as you're doing to me... How would you like that?

Please, don't waste your time with further responses unless you have an answer to my question (to reiterate: Who do I contact regarding this breach of privacy?)..

---

No not misssing the point at all.

I have had plenty of spam emails....some associated with ebay, some not.  I just did what I suggested you do.....hit the Unsubscribe link and most of them just disappeared.  Some took a second go before they stopped.

Who do you contact?   Haven't a clue.  It really is not necessary until you have tried the simple fix that I suggested.

[ramadsebas]

Do you do this every time you see a forum post you don't know anything about? Just butt in as though you're an expert when you're actually disgracing your own intelligence?

> As such such communications are, I believe, legal.

You should refrain from giving legal advice on facts which you have no understanding. Disclosing personal information like this has recently become highly illegal in Europe, for example. Australia isn't the only place where this kind of conduct is considered a scam.

> if you want to know who to complain to, why are you asking here?

eBay officials seem difficult to contact, so I'm hoping that one of those will be reading this forum entitled technical issues that I assume official eBay technicians follow... Are you one of those officials?

> We are members, not eBay, ...

Ohh, wait, never mind... so you don't have an answer to my question, then? Why are you responding? I'm writing about a technical issue in a forum entitled technical issues I assume official eBay technicians follow... you're not an official eBay technician... right?

I hate to repeat myself for a second time: If you don't have an answer to my question, please refrain from answering as you're wasting your time and my time.


> It is your (perceived) problem, so it is incumbent on you to spend the money to take legal action, if you're so incensed inclined.

Actually, these are criminal charges. I already filed reports to the ACCC and the ACMA, so the police will investigate, prosecute and I might get victims of crime compensation.

> I have had plenty of spam emails....some associated with ebay, some not.  I just did what I suggested you do.....hit the Unsubscribe link and most of them just disappeared

So you bend over and let them sell your personal info... nice... I don't. Please take your brushing aside elsewhere; it's pointless here (do I need to repeat myself a third time?)...

> Who do you contact?   Haven't a clue.

Then why are you responding? No, don't bother answering... you're wasting your time and my time... In case you missed it the second time: If you don't know the answer to my question, please don't offer input. 

[davewil1964]

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@ramadsebas wrote:

Do you do this every time you see a forum post you don't know anything about? Just butt in as though you're an expert when you're actually disgracing your own intelligence?

> As such such communications are, I believe, legal.

You should refrain from giving legal advice on facts which you have no understanding. Disclosing personal information like this has recently become highly illegal in Europe, for example. Australia isn't the only place where this kind of conduct is considered a scam.

> if you want to know who to complain to, why are you asking here?

eBay officials seem difficult to contact, so I'm hoping that one of those will be reading this forum entitled technical issues that I assume official eBay technicians follow... Are you one of those officials?

> We are members, not eBay, ...

Ohh, wait, never mind... so you don't have an answer to my question, then? Why are you responding? I'm writing about a technical issue in a forum entitled technical issues I assume official eBay technicians follow... you're not an official eBay technician... right?

I hate to repeat myself for a second time: If you don't have an answer to my question, please refrain from answering as you're wasting your time and my time.


> It is your (perceived) problem, so it is incumbent on you to spend the money to take legal action, if you're so incensed inclined.

Actually, these are criminal charges. I already filed reports to the ACCC and the ACMA, so the police will investigate, prosecute and I might get victims of crime compensation.

> I have had plenty of spam emails....some associated with ebay, some not.  I just did what I suggested you do.....hit the Unsubscribe link and most of them just disappeared

So you bend over and let them sell your personal info... nice... I don't. Please take your brushing aside elsewhere; it's pointless here (do I need to repeat myself a third time?)...

> Who do you contact?   Haven't a clue.

Then why are you responding? No, don't bother answering... you're wasting your time and my time... In case you missed it the second time: If you don't know the answer to my question, please don't offer input. 

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I'm not wasting my time as I don't do scrollers.

As I've highlighted in red in yours, therein lies your problem. An assumption that is demonstrably false, along with a lack of proof that it has anything to do with eBay.

If you've already contacted the ACCC and ACMA (why ACMA? eBay is not a media company), why do you not wait for their responses? Which, if you have a case, would be more relevant. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for either of those to respond, though.

[ramadsebas]

> As I've highlighted in red in yours, therein lies your problem.

You highlighted two words... perhaps those are the only two words you understood? Is it unreasonable to assume that a forum entitled "Technical Issues" will be followed by eBay staff? I think not... come back down to planet Earth, where sense is made.

You seem to be a stiffler for repetition, so here, allow me to quote the terms for you yet again, from a different (yet equally official; you know what that word means, right?) source... which of these words do you not understand?

We don't allow our members to:

• Make offers to buy and sell outside of eBay
• Send spam 
• Threaten others, or use profanity or hate speech
• Exchange email addresses, phone numbers or other contact information, web addresses or links

Three of those restrictions have been violated. You're arguing with the rules, here... like, the legit rules... see how I linked to them? See how you're not linking to anything official at all? See how you're wasting time making yourself look stupid by arguing against official resources?