Inconsistent Treatment by eBay

[clarry100]

We operate two basic stores.

In the past 24-hours we have been given a selling restriction on both stores. For 3-days we cannot make any new listings. This is for listing items in the wrong category.

We have some products that are a baby headband and matching set of barefoot sandals (foot flowers).

In the past week we have made up some new Xmas listings for these sets.

We were unsure which category to list them in. Either baby Headbands or baby Shoes since there is an element of both in them.

So we searched thru the categories to find out where other sellers were listing them.

It seemed that the Baby Shoes was the most common with somehere near 2,000 of these listed on ebay Australia. So we added them into this category thinking this would be OK.

Yesterday all our new listings were removed by ebay and the selling retriction slapped on us. We cannot relist into the "Other" category as they suggest since we are currently banned from making new listings.

We have looked thru the category again and find that all of the same 2,000-odd listings from other sellers are still there.

Wondering why they have targetted both our stores and not these other sellers?

Could I be smelling a rat here and somebody or a competitior has reported our listings?

[harley_babes_hoard]

what was the actual reason given regarding the listings being removed? was it just for wrong category? and how many warning have you had?

[clarry100]

The reason given was listing in an incorrect category.

Several months ago we made a couple of "newbie" errors and put a couple of items into the wrong categories. They pinged those. Our fault and we corrected those. Maybe this error has been counted on our accounts.

But this time no warnings just BAM! Listings gone and a 3-day ban from listing on both our stores.

[harley_babes_hoard]

it does seem strange that if you have only had a few that it would affect your account like that. I have had a few so called wrong categories warnings (even though they weren't) and I haven't had a ban at all.

[horizon1907]

I find it hard to believe that ebay restricts your listing, when you put them in the so called "wrong" catagory.  Surely a polite message from "Top Dog" that we believe this catagory is best, would be appropriate. A bit of common sense from the powers that be, is just the case. IMO they let the scammers & fraudsters run amok, while the decsent guys have to be slapped across the hands like naughty children. Ebay, get a grip !!! 

[horizon1907]

eeeeekkkk best you not do any naughties soon clarry or else they may really beat you up. 🙂

[clarry100]

Mwahh! That sounds ominous Horizon...

What's the next violation? jail?

[i-love-my-sheep]

This is absolutely outrageous. I have repeatedly reported our resident shill bidder for listing in the wrong category. She lists her Nepalese paintings under the Aboriginal paintings category. She also lists under antique art and then says the paintings are new and produced in the 2000's. You guess it, not one single listing has been removed, EVER. 

She gets reported for putting links in her listings. They stay. She gets reported for keyword spamming. They stay. Maybe you need to flounce the rules and say to hell with it. The scammers seem to get away with constantly breaking the rules, maybe that's the road you should head down.

I'd set up a few new accounts as shilling accounts too, because it seems that shill bidding is acceptable these days.

[2011.narelle]

Oh i just saw how her auctions are all private now so that bidders can't detect the shill bidding now.god bless maria for that little change since she got caught out for shilling before.

Funny how an item like that needs to be a private listing.

O.P looks at where to list the item & puts it where many others are & gets punished while the other listings remain.Seems very unfair to me.

[thecatspjs · Accepted solution]

I agree that there is inconsistent treatment by eBay in relation to listings - always has been, and will continue to be I reckon, if it annoys you report the other sellers listings, that is an option.

But .. clarry IMO i'd steer clear of listing those foot decoration thingos for babys feet in shoes

just because other sellers do it, does not make it the way to go on eBay, if you keep getting policy violations the selling restrictions will keep coming, and get longer in duration as well.