Expert: Rob James - 4/1/2010

Question
i was accused of feedback manipulation -not true- and without warning got suspended and all listings removed. I've been a member since 2001, with 600 positive feedbacks.i want to know what is my recourse for their mistake. i have contacted customer service who claim they reviewed my case but will not reinstate me. Any ideas? It does not seem right.

Answer
Hello Anne,

Unfortunately I have to say welcome to the new world of eBay. Since they made major changes a couple of years ago it has been a downhill slide for sellers on the site. I, too, have been selling on the site for about 10 years. However, when they instituted their detailed seller rating system I ended up being restricted from selling because one buyer didn't understand the system and gave me a three star rating on one of the categories. I did everything promised to him in the auction and because of his actions, I couldn't sell for several months until the rating fell off the system. I did the same thing that you did. Went to customer service, tried to get a straightforward explanation as to why a seller with a perfect feedback for seven years could be restricted for one arbitrary rating in a new rating system that buyers don't understand. I'm sure you can guess what I got from them. Nothing.

It has just gotten worse over the last year or so. Limited payment options that only benefit eBay, practically requiring free shipping, no feedback from sellers to buyers (even if they charge back after they get their items) and best of all, holding payments in Paypal now for 30 days or until the buyer says he is satisfied. Ebay is so buyer oriented now that a small seller cannot function there. Ebay has positioned themselves as a direct competitor to Amazon and Buy.com by using preferred sellers and offering deep listing discounts to those sellers. They undercut pricing which drives out small sellers. Ebay isn't what it used to be.

So now that I've given you my take on how eBay treated me, here is what I did to correct it. I went over to Ebid.net. If you haven't seen them I would really check it out. They are very similar to how eBay used to be when it was good and fun to use. They have been around for about 5 years and are growing. They don't have the exposure of eBay but they do offer a lot of the same features for a lot less money and no hassles like eBay does.

In a nutshell, it's sad that eBay does not care about the sellers that made it what it is today. But, that is what happens when you become more beholden to the shareholders.

I hope you find the resolution you are looking for.

Take care,
Rob