Most Common Reasons eBay Sellers Have Their Account Suspended
Resources: Free eBay Appeal Letter & Plan of Action Template
Building up a business on eBay might not be as safe as you think; just one small mistake can be enough for eBay to suspend your account indefinitely without any warning.
For this reason, it’s important to know all the eBay selling rules. Here are the most common reasons eBay suspends sellers.Selling Counterfeit Products.
Before selling anything on eBay, one should ensure that all your items are genuine and original. This particularly applies to products with specific brands, say, for example, Chanel. Selling counterfeit products may get a seller suspended. This protects eBay from any copyright infringement which is a result of dealing in counterfeit goods.
How To Avoid This. eBay has a Verified Rights Owner Program (VeRO) which allows sellers to determine whether their goods are cleared for sale on eBay or not.
Shill Bidding
Simply put, this happens when a seller arranges for a person to bid on their product so as to increase the price and mislead an innocent buyer to believe that it’s on high demand. This may not only lead to an eBay suspension, but also attract some legal penalties.
Stealing Photos.
Considering eBay is an online platform, one of the most compelling factors to any buyer is the photos of the actual product taken and posted by the seller.
Because of this, eBay is strict on sellers stealing and using photos of other sellers. This will, however, not always attract an automatic suspension as it’s acceptable in some circumstances, for instance, when a number of sellers are selling goods from the same wholesaler.
How To Avoid
The Sellers should always take actual photos of the products they intend to sell, and avoid getting the same from Google or Pinterest.
Poor Performance
This the most common way to get suspended from eBay. When a buyer isn’t satisfied with the product or service from a seller, eBay May take action against that seller. This action may involve suspension, but this not always the case. If a seller is constantly disappointing buyers, hence performing poorly, then they may get suspended by eBay.
How To Avoid This
eBay has a list of do’s and do’s don’ts for each seller. An example of what no seller should do is inflate the shipping rate to make the product price appear cheaper. Each seller should familiarize themselves with this list to avoid getting suspended or banned. Conclusion. As a seller, getting banned or suspended from eBay is easy. On most occasions, one doesn’t know that they’re in violation of policy. To remedy this, one should always apply the highest degree of professional courtesy. Asa seller, always read the terms and conditions easily available on eBay.
Selling Outside eBay
eBay makes their money by charging hefty seller fees. Avoiding those fees by moving the transaction outside will get your eBay account suspended. eBay has a messaging platform which allows for buyer and sellers to communicate. This messaging platform is constantly monitored to ensure sellers don’t give out any contact details, for instance, the seller’s website where the buyer can purchase the product.
How To Avoid This;
Once a buyer requests a transaction outside of eBay, the seller should promptly report this to ensure they are not penalized.
Failure To Pay Fees.
eBay expects on-time payment of the seller fees. Some sellers forget to make the payment. This may get your account suspended, that’s why always ensure fees are paid on time. Simply making the payment may lift the suspension.
How To Avoid This:
eBay has the option of having an automatic monthly payment system set up, where the fee payments are simply deducted from a seller’s credit or debit card, thus ensuring payments are made on time
Background
eBay is the easiest way to do it. It’s open to any seller, provided you comply with the terms and conditions. Many assume they’re fairly easy to understand and follow, thus don’t take the time to go over them. Granted, combing through all of these takes hours, not to mention the fact that they’re filled with legal jargon which many might not understand, but a failure to do so may get you suspended as a seller or even banned in extreme circumstances.