Help Needed: "Activity on your account isn’t following policy: Third Party Fulfillment" ?

[bargains_aplenty]

Hi all,

I keep getting these automated messaged every so often, and I can't for the life of me figure out why?

All my items listed are owned by me and handled by me, I have never drop-shipped etc.

I either send them myself with Australia Post or organise a pickup with a recognised courier service once in a while for very bulky items.

I have messaged customer service before about this, but they are vague and won't tell me what listing or thing exactly violated their policy.

Now it is saying my listings are hidden for 7 days, and next time 10 days.

It is driving me bonkers!

Any help or understanding about this would be much appreciated!

here is a sample of the message (Note it doesn't point out any listings, just that the third party fulfilment policy is violated somehow):

Hello bargains_aplenty,

Activity on your account didn't follow our Third-party fulfilment policy. Third-party fulfilment must not be confusing or misleading to buyers and must protect buyer’s personal data.

What activity didn't follow the policy

More specific details are provided below.

What you need to do next

Please ensure your current and future listings follow this policy.

What is the policy

Sellers can use third-party fulfilment on eBay when:
-The seller is clearly identified on all packing slips and invoices as the seller of the item, and 
-The seller ensures the safe fulfilment of the item within the terms stated in their listing, and
-The seller ensures that their third-party provider is subject to a contractual condition which prevents them from using or sharing any eBay order information (including the names and contact details of buyers) for any purpose other than the fulfilment of the specific eBay order which the seller engaged them to fulfil.

Third-party fulfilment isn’t allowed when:
- The seller purchases an item they have listed on eBay from another online retailer or marketplace who sends it directly to the buyer, or
- The origin of a purchase is misleading or confusing for the buyer (for example the packaging used makes it appear that the item was purchased from another retailer or marketplace instead of eBay), or
-The buyer’s personal data is used for any purpose other than the fulfilment of that specific eBay order.

How this affects your account

Because you haven't followed this policy in the past:
 
- A temporary 7-day selling restriction has been placed on your account (starting on the date of this notice), and your other listings will be hidden from search during this period.  Listings will automatically be restored and show up in search results after the end of the temporary restriction.
- All fees paid or payable for listings that are ended and/or hidden from search will not be refunded or otherwise credited to your account. 
 
Not following this policy in the future will result in similar actions, including a 10-day restriction on your account.

Why we have this policy

This policy helps to maintain the customer experience for both buyers and sellers, as well as to protect our customers' data from being used for purposes other than fulfilment.

More information and help

https://www.ebay.com.au/help/policies/selling-policies/selling-practices-policy/thirdparty-fulfilmen...

We appreciate your understanding.

[ozzymuppet]

Yep, I got the same last night. I spoke with eBay Chat who could not tell me anything about what I did wrong specifically, not even tell me which listing was involved - they said their system does not record any of this, and there was nothing they could do. So basically they will shutdown your business, and blame the magic box.

The only clues I got was:

1. Maybe a customer reported me for sending items from overseas (none of my stuff comes from overseas), but couldn't tell me which item, what the claim was, anything.

2. Maybe I put the location wrong on the listing. I asked, does this mean international dropshipping (which I certainly don't do), or does this mean I accidentally listen an item coming from my VIC location, when it happened to be posted from my NSW location? A simple unintentional mistake like that. But they could'nt tell me that either.

The most useful information I got was to call 1800 093 577 and ask to be connected to the account team.

To be clear - 3rd party fulfillment is OK (where you pay a warehouse to manage your stock and send for you), so long as:

- The correct location is shown on the listing.

- You have a contract that prevents customer information being used outside the intended purpose.

- The customer receives the item without any branding or pamphlets and such from a non-eBay store (ie. Amazon)

The main reason they brought this in I heard is to prevent people selling stuff from Amazon on eBay, which  I 100% support. What I don't support is the fact they won't tell you what you've done wrong,  zero detail, which makes it impossible for anyone to respond to the allegations (potentially made by a competitor), or potentially which are mistaken.

Problem is, there is ZERO protection for legitimate sellers who get caught up in these scenarios. SHows you how much they really care for businesses. Zero.

[rymu_7084]

Hi guys, i too have this issue, thank you for the info attached.  Do you think an option is to have somewhere on the listing its fulfilled elsewhere? It might sound a silly idea but im kind of stuck for ideas and it feels like permanent restriction is only weeks away which is rough considering im not doing anything wrong or at least dont know what the issue is.

During the restrictions i was making sales, was that the case for you too?

Regards

Ryan

[kh-shaun]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.

[kh-shaun]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.