Secure classification of individual items according to eBay principles
Summary: A participant expressed concerns about inconsistencies in eBay's policies regarding the sale of decorative weapons. They argued that while some sellers have their listings removed, others can sell similar items without issue. The participant accused eBay of not adhering to equal treatment principles and suggested that this could be potentially unlawful. They urged eBay to take action beyond making statements to ensure a fair marketplace.
Hello dear eBay team,
I have a question about my product assortment and about the safe classification of individual items according to the eBay guidelines.
In the past, some of my listings were removed and my account was temporarily restricted because the items were apparently repeatedly classified by the system as a violation of the eBay guidelines. In some cases, this was not understandable to me, especially when, from my point of view, they were purely decorative or collector's items.
So that I don't have to proceed on the principle of “try and error” in the future, I would like to clarify in advance whether certain items may be offered or not.
I often see comparable listings already on eBay, but in the past that unfortunately was not a reliable indication that my own item would not be objected to.
Is there a way to have uncertain items reviewed by the specialist department in advance before I list them?
Thank you very much for your support.
Best regards
Marcus
imperial-modellbau
·1 month agoWell then @fangoorn
as one can see from the non-answer from @miriam@ebay DE to my question posed two days ago, "where do the offers come from if it’s supposedly forbidden," the eBay employees are apparently a bit at a loss in this regard too! 😉
The fact remains that eBay does not adhere to the principle of equal treatment - which can be proven at any time - see, as in this case, DEKOWAFFEN on eBay.
It simply cannot be that one seller’s listings are deleted (or worse) while other providers are allowed to happily sell identical items (or worse)!
Not to mention the ridiculous and embarrassing discrepancy between axes as decor and axes as tools!
Dear eBay executives,
either you want a "clean" marketplace or you don't!
If you do want one, then lip service and flimsy arguments are not enough - action must follow too!
In any case, this blatant unequal treatment must stop; it is not only unfair and inappropriate for a globally operating business - it is most likely even unlawful!
miriam@ebay
Hello @imperial-modellbau, @fangoorn and everyone - we see your further reactions and will discuss this topic internally again soon.
Best regards
Miriam
miriam@ebay
Hello @fangoorn! For legal reasons, eBay does not carry out advance checks. We also do not make any statements about the permissibility of items and therefore refer you to our policies. Based on these, you must decide for yourself what may be offered on eBay.
Thanks for bringing this in, @perfect-sally!
Best regards
Miriam
fangoorn
OP2 months agoHello eBay team,
today I listed an item that, from my point of view, had been unproblematic so far. Shortly after that, my account was restricted again – so not only was the listing removed, but my account was suspended again.
I have already formally filed an appeal, but I also wanted to mention the case here, as I can no longer really understand the criteria being used for the assessment.
Reference number: 2-105960828977
Item: https://www.ebay.de/itm/336621415805
If possible, I would be grateful if someone could take a concrete look at this. My explicit concern is to comply with eBay policies. At the same time, as a seller it is very difficult for me when simply listing an item immediately leads to another suspension, without any reliable assessment being possible in advance.
I would be very grateful for specific feedback on which part of the listing is supposed to have caused the violation here. Only then can I reliably adjust my inventory in the future and avoid further suspensions.
Best regards
Marcus
miriam@ebay
Hello @fangoorn - do you already know our policy on replicas of weapons that I linked here earlier?
Best regards
Miriam
fangoorn
OP2 months agoThank you very much, not in detail. On closer inspection, I also wouldn't know why the article in question should fall under that, it doesn't even have a blade... or are principles now being thrown around indiscriminately?
fangoorn
OP2 months agoimperial-modellbau
·2 months agoor are principles already being thrown around willy-nilly now?
Hello @fangoorn
yes - that's exactly what the eBay algorithm does ! 🙄
You probably used the word ... sword ... somewhere in the listing.
Of course, how else are you supposed to describe an item like that properly ! ! !
But the algorithm found that word, panicked (Help, a weapon on eBay 😲) and kicked your listing out !
Example from me:
This listing (and/or others of the same kind) of mine gets kicked out every few months too, because the algorithm trips over the (part) word "grenade".
German 8.8 cm tank shell (King Tiger), WWII, RC tank accessory scale 1:16
There’s no pattern to it here either - it just happens every now and then !
By now I don’t even complain about it anymore - with eBay’s abyssmal customer service, that doesn’t help in 9 out of 10 cases anyway !
I just relist it and have some peace and quiet again for a while !
Hmmm - but please don’t get the idea now to leave out the word "sword" and only use the actual word for a sword "sheath" !
You can see from your last reply that you’re not even allowed to write that word here.
Otherwise the "oh-so-great" algorithm might get the idea that it’s a pornographic item ! 😁 😂 🤣
Sorry about that - I know it’s really not funny for you, because it doesn’t help you !
But by now, the nonsense being done here with the quasi-AI can really only be endured with humor ! 🙄
fangoorn
OP2 months agoHello @imperial-modellbau,
thanks for the detailed feedback. It really helps to see that it apparently isn’t just me.
The real problem isn’t even that a listing gets removed. I could still accept that without complaint. The problem is that eBay immediately turns that into a multi-day account restriction. So not: “Please revise your listing,” but straight away: “Account restricted.” For commercial sellers, that’s simply disproportionate.
In the past I usually just rode out such blocks. But eventually you reach the point where you have to say: this isn’t really how you can treat sellers. If I treated my customers the way eBay sometimes treats its sellers, I’d very quickly have a massive trust problem — and rightly so.
What’s especially annoying is that as a seller you’re supposed to know and interpret the guidelines yourself, but if the algorithm reaches a different conclusion you’re immediately sanctioned. In some cases these are real catch-all clauses that sometimes apply and sometimes don’t. At the same time, you get no concrete, reliable feedback on what exactly the violation was supposed to be. Was it the term? The image? The EAN? The manufacturer? The category? Or just an automatic hit without any real case-by-case review?
In the end, all that’s left is trial and error under threat of punishment. And that’s not a workable basis for commercial sellers; it just creates unnecessary potential for conflict and uncertainty.
I also see that customer service probably has only limited options. But that’s exactly what makes it even more frustrating: you get automatically blocked, the appeal feels like it goes nowhere, and you can hardly get any concrete help. That’s not a viable process if eBay at the same time expects sellers to work professionally and in compliance with the rules.
I can now well understand why some sellers eventually say, “then without eBay, so be it.”
Best regards
Marcus
PS: eBay surely also has technical options to put reviewed items on some kind of whitelist so they aren’t repeatedly identified as a supposed policy violation. If an item has already been classified as unproblematic once, it shouldn’t trigger a report again the next time the algorithm runs. Mechanisms like that would help sellers work in compliance with the rules instead of repeatedly running into the same automatic sanction.
miriam@ebay
Hello @fangoorn! After a renewed review, we can confirm that the removal of Offer 336621415805 is correct. The price shows that it is the complete sword. The age restriction you set for the item is also not sensible if it is only a scabbard.
[Reply shortened.]
Kind regards
Miriam
fangoorn
OP2 months agoHello Miriam,
thanks for the feedback. Honestly, the explanation doesn’t convince me.
The item in question is explicitly an empty sword scabbard (see text and pictures), not a complete sword. That is exactly why such listings even include the note “delivery without sword.” Since this note apparently caused such a problem, I recently had to revise such a listing and remove the note.
If the price is now being used to conclude that it must be the complete sword after all, that is, for me, a contradiction that is almost impossible to resolve.
For licensed collector items from overseas, the price is not a reliable indication of what’s included. An officially licensed replica sword scabbard can also have a corresponding price without a sword, depending on material, manufacturer, license, and availability.
The age restriction was also not an attempt to circumvent guidelines, but a precautionary classification as a collector’s item. If even that is interpreted negatively, it becomes practically impossible for sellers to list such items correctly and at the same time without risk.
What I find particularly problematic is the wording that gives the impression that some current listings are aimed at circumventing the guidelines. That is a very far-reaching allegation. I did not list the matching sword and explicitly offered only accessories without a blade.
So for me the question remains: what exactly is the specific violation in the case of an empty sword scabbard without a blade?
So from my point of view it is not very constructive to impose penalties, and it annoys not only sellers but also customers, who will no longer find such listings on eBay in the future.
Best regards
Marcus
miriam@ebay
Hello @fangoorn! Thank you for your detailed feedback and the explanations about the article in question. In conclusion, we can state that decorative weapons may not be sold on eBay.
[Reply shortened.]
However, I will gladly take on board your feedback on the traceability of our decisions, as transparency is an important aspect for sellers. Thank you very much for taking the time to share your perspective.
Kind regards
Miriam
perfect-sally
·2 months agoHello @fangoorn
Is there a way to have questionable items reviewed by the specialist department in advance before I list them?
I’m afraid such a procedure would overwhelm ebay’s staff because countless requests would come in.
As for the similar items that are partially listed: either the AI or beay has not discovered them yet, or they have not been reported yet.
It could also be that they are listed on another ebay platform where they simply do not violate any guidelines.
We can also ask an ebay employee about whether there is such a function to check the items in advance, but I rather doubt it.
@mia@ebay could you take a look please? Thanks 🙂