@leawinter84_seller / thegatherer2307,
@leawinter84_seller wrote:
[...] this time I think I really need some advice on what to do as this situation is quite peculiar.
[...]
Any advice will be appreciated!
If you truly do want some advice, I'll be as frank as is consistent with giving some advice without berating you.
@leawinter84_seller wrote:
[...] the last thing I thought I would get from eBay is a restriction but here I am, getting restricted for some reason.
The first thing to do is to man up or woman up (as appropriate). It isn't "for some reason"; the reason for the restriction is apparent. Rather than assume the mien of innocence, you would do better to frankly admit your faults. You would not be the first and you won't be the last to set up other accounts with the intention or practice of bidding on your own items in order to get a better price. I am aware that some people consider this sharp business practice, a way of avoiding selling an item for too low a price. However, I would be surprised if you weren't aware that shill bidding was against eBay policy.
You're allowed to have multiple accounts. However, each account must meet eBay's "buyer and seller standards". Shill bidding is very definitely against eBay policy, and eBay have a specific policy addressing this.
❝Shill bidding is when sellers—or someone they know—place a bid on their item to drive the price up and create an artificial bidding war. Often the people placing bids have certain information about the seller's item that other shoppers aren't aware of. To make sure no one gets an unfair advantage, shill bidding is prohibited on eBay.❞
The policy also outlines what sorts of consequences can be meted out by eBay if a seller is caught out violating eBay policies such as this.
❝Violations of our policies may result in a range of actions, including:
- Listing cancellation
- Limits on account privileges
- Account suspension
- Forfeit of eBay fees on canceled listings
- Loss of PowerSeller status
- Referral to law enforcement❞
You would also read under the seller rules in that policy that:
- ❝Although a seller is allowed to have more than one eBay account, there can't be any interaction between the accounts, especially involving bids or Feedback. Your information also has to be accurate and consistent.
- Sellers can't bid on their own listings.❞
So... ditch the claims of innocence because
- you won't be believed,
- you will do further damage to your credibility, and
- even if the shill-bidding occurred with you being ignorant/innocent of it, you're still held responsible. (❝If you bid on some of your own auctions, but you didn't know this was shill bidding, you're still responsible.❞)
That means there's no gain for you in claiming innocence. It's hard to swallow one's pride and admit that one's flouted the rules, and many eBay community members are not going to be shy about saying what they think. If you can take a deep breath and admit that you were doing the wrong thing, it will not get you into any deeper trouble. At this point, what have you to lose?
It's up to you if you want to be frank with eBay CS. I'm not going to tell you what to say or do; not my business! But what is apparent is that you probably cannot provide eBay with the proof of delivery that they have requested. eBay worded their communication to you in such a way that it suggests that, if you can't provide the tracking numbers / proof of delivery for ALL of the items you sold on this account, you can't appeal the temporary restriction. You have provided eBay with four proofs of delivery, which is a far cry from "all". eBay said "all". The four that you've provided would be for items that you sold to genuine unrelated buyers, yes...? That means that those receipts are not only not "all" of the proofs, but are in respect of transactions that are not the ones which eBay probably has highlighted as the problem ones.
What can you do? Perhaps tell eBay that you admit that you have done wrong, and ask how long the restriction will be if you don't appeal. Bear in mind that sellers can be (and have been) suspended indefinitely - i.e., for life - even when they have done nothing wrong, so this could get worse very quickly.
Maybe the best possible result for you is sitting out the temporary restriction (assuming that it doesn't become permanent), and taking this as a learning experience. The lesson to learn is not that you would be more careful in future to avoid being detected in shill bidding, but rather that you should abide by eBay policies in the future. It's not fair to other sellers, and it's not fair to buyers, if you try to circumvent eBay's rules, and that's quite apart from the moral aspect. eBay say ❝Your accounts can't be reinstated before completion of the suspension period.❞
eBay do not promise that they'll forgive eBay shilling, even for a first offence - although they hold out a carrot of hope. ❝We understand that some members may not know that shill bidding is wrong. So we're open to giving them a second chance, and to ensure they fully understand the seriousness of the violation, we may issue a temporary account suspension or any other action that's necessary. Keep in mind, though, that sellers may be suspended from using eBay permanently, even if it's the first time they violate our shill bidding policy.❞ (My bolding.)
How serious has your shill bidding been? (You don't need to reply here about this. It's more something for you to consider.) If you come clean, and admit that you've been shill bidding, and perhaps say that you have only recently been made aware of the seriousness of this, you may - may - be able to negotiate successfully with a CS rep who judges that your shill bidding was not in the most serious category, that you now understand that violating the policy is a grave issue, and that you will never repeat that behaviour in the future.
May your future decisions be honest, and if you manage to hang on to your eBay account, I hope that you'll appreciate how very fortunate you are, and be a better seller for the future. People do recover from bad decisions and behaviours, and you are not the first seller who's tried to ensure maximum profit and no selling at a loss. You can learn from the many excellent sellers on these boards, but a few points to keep in mind are:
- you can't set a reserve price for most items, except by listing the item at the minimum price that you are happy to accept;
- ensure that your listings are attractive;
- if you list auctions, you must be prepared to sell at the price at which you've listed the item;
- think about fixed price listings;
- provide excellent service;
- your listing prices must take into account every fee and cost that is involved - otherwise you cannot make a profit;
- take pride in selling fairly;
- abide by eBay's User Agreement; and
- always be ready to adapt and learn.
so I do believe you have probably been shill bidding. And, by the sounds of it, with quite a sophisticated set up if you have multiple accounts.
