fees

[frasehemingway-ihl0]

I had an item listed for auction and received a bid on it, however before the payment could go through, ebay removed the item (a ww2 german helmet) for violating their hateful items policy and deleted the listing. I have since been charged an insertion fee of $100.

This seems utterly ridiculous for me to be charged by ebay for an item that sold and they then removed before I could finalise the sale. 

Do I have reasonable grounds to not pay this fee? I understand the item was "sold" on their system but they were also the ones who removed it and blocked the sale..................

[lyndal1838]

If you had received the buyer's details you could have gone through with the sale if the buyer was agreeable.

If you refuse to pay the fees ebay will only send in the debt collectors eventually.

[frasehemingway-ihl0]

I know the buyers name but I couldnt open a dispute or report the item as not paid for as ebay removed the listing immediately after the auction ended. The buyer also appears to have been the one who reported the listing.....it seems they bid on it to keep it from actually being sold and then reported it and ignored all communication with me.

[enigmabear]

how could they pay if eBay removed it? and as such, why would you report the buyer for not paying?

*Edit, since you edited whilst I was typing

How do you know the buyer is the one who reported it? (other than just your opinion they did not want it to be sold)?

[frasehemingway-ihl0]

I dont know for certain, a small assumption on my part. I looked at the bidders profile and it is a woman whose only purchases on ebay were makeup items and she ignored every friendly message I sent her regarding the item. I figured it was a bit odd and it seemed surprising she would be interested in ww2 german collectibles, so I thought it was possible she reported the item, as there are certainly people who actively try and stop potentially offensive historical items being sold. My guess was this could be one of those situations, however it could have just been an ebay moderator that removed it.

I understand ebays policy for potentially offensive items, I am definitely not arguing about the removal of the item as third reich militaria are sensitive and potentially offensive to some. However I hope ebay will remove the $100 insertion fee which certainly seems unreasonable for the circumstances.

Thanks for your reply

[enigmabear]

You might need to contact eBay about the fee, but I would be speaking to someone higher up than just calling the call center (mostly they just tell people what they want to hear to get rid of the caller as fast as possible) so the 'have us call you option might be best

I don't know about these days, but several years ago when there were water restrictions in my state, I had listed a Tap King drinks dispenser

I got a notice from eBay they had removed it because it violated some policy or another for water usage in a time of water restriction

After a pause for a what the ??? moment, I got onto eBay who had said because the word 'tap' in the listing it was removed

The item did not use water,or connect to water but the word tap tripped the eBay key word bots

So it is possible this person (buyer) may have reported it (although odd anyone would bid,especially that much) and then report it, when anyone can report anything without bidding. Certainly risky for them if eBay don't remove it and they either have to pay up or cop a non payment strike

Or it is possible the eBay key word bots are still alive and well 

[imastawka]

I don't get it.

OP already sold a Geman WW2 helmet.

Why was this one removed?

Policy -

Nazi and Nazi-related

We recognise the historical significance of World War II and that there are many militaria collectors around the world. We allow some related historical items, but ban others, particularly those that amount to Nazi propaganda, or that may be disrespectful to victims.

Allowed

• Stamps, letters, and envelopes displaying Nazi postmarks
• Currency issued by the Nazi government
• Historically accurate WWII military model kits that have Nazi symbols
• Historical and religious items that bear a swastika if they're made before 1933 and are not related to Nazism

Not allowed

Items that are not permitted include, but are not limited to:

• Holocaust-related items, including reproductions such as:
  • Uniforms and personal belongings of concentration camp prisoners
  • Jewish identification (armbands, Star of David)
  • Holocaust photos that depict dead bodies, executions, or other violent or degrading scenes
  • Nazi-issued documents (passports, travel papers)
• Nazi-related items, including reproductions such as:
  • Uniforms, uniform components, weapons, or other items that bear Nazi symbols, whether visible or covered
  • Listings and products in which images are edited or cropped to try and hide Nazi symbols
  • De-Nazified items (items that originally had Nazi symbols that have been removed)
  • Any items that were owned by or affiliated with, including books written by, Nazi leaders such as:
    • Joseph Goebbels
    • Hermann Goering
    • Rudolf Hess
    • Reinhard Heydrich
    • Heinrich Himmler
    • Adolf Hitler
• Any item made after 1933 that bears a swastika (e.g. jewellery, clothing, rugs, fabrics), unless listed in the allowed section above. We are sensitive that the swastika is commonly and legitimately used in religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. However, given the highly offensive nature of the Nazi swastika, we have decided not to allow any non-historic items bearing a swastika.
• Media identified as Nazi propaganda, or that otherwise promote hatred or racial supremacy, including historic or current items

https://www.ebay.com.au/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/offensive-material-policy?id=4324&...

[davewil1964]

I imagine a helmet would come under - 

• Uniforms, uniform components, weapons, or other items that bear Nazi symbols, whether visible or covered

[brerrabbit585]

Insertion fees? Or final value fees (selling fees)?

Many husbands and wives (partners) use the same ebay account. Hubby could be a collector of miliary items while wife buys make-up so absolutely nothing suspicious there. If the listing disappeared just after it ended, the buyer was probably suspicious of you, not knowing what happened to the listing.

[brerrabbit585]

Is there a link somewhere to cancel the sale?