Ebay Experts -- Need Your Help!!

[DiznEeyore]

I just purchased a designer purse on eBay from a seller w/no negative feedback and who assured me the item is authentic w/tags and returnable if I'm not satisfied. I sent payment this a.m. in the form of a check.

This afternoon, I rec'd an email from eBay stating that the auction had been declared null and void and that I did not need to complete the transaction. I sent an email questioning this and they sent the standard reply listing the reasons auctions would be cancelled (counterfeit handbags were listed as a "possible reason").

I forwarded the message to the seller who replied that eBay had cancelled all of her auctions because of the volume she sells and were requiring proof of where she got her merchandise. She said they want to make sure she can deliver on her auctions and also said " ... it's a game they like to play to sellers who don't use there over priced paypal company for payment. "

She still wants to complete the deal, but I'm really unsure of what to do. My credit union will do a stop payment for $5, so it's worth it if I'm getting scammed. Has anyone heard of eBay cancelling auctions because of the volume a seller has?

TIA for any advice!!

 

[2Disneybuggs]

Ive heard of ebay closing auctions for copyright violations. I would be worried that since ebay nulled the auction will you be out the money if the item is no authentic? I would probably put a stop on the check.

 

[CheapMom]

That is a tough one. I do not believe that eBay penalizes sellers for not using PayPal. That comment raises an eyebrow. The fact that her auctions were cancelled also raises suspicions.

I believe that she will send you the handbag if you want to go through with the transaction but since eBay is not a player in the transaction you will get no protection from them. And since she doesn't take PayPal or credit cards you have no protection there either.

Good luck.

 

[FatCow]

eBay, in theory, don't see the difference between PayPal user vs "the other forms of payment" users. However, since PayPal is owned by eBay, they tend to be more lenient towards PayPal users.

 

[erinch]

is it a valuable handbag? one which is often known to be counterfeited? did you look at how many auctions she had going to see if there was a high volume of the same bag? You might press her for more info, and if you've spent some money on this, I would pop the 5 bucks to cancel.

Ebay must have done a "canceling sweep" today.

I had a lot of little girl (size 6!) undies, tights and socks up, all very gently worn and washed. I got canceled and a stern warning under "adult garments/erotica" which really steamed me. (Hello! These are pooh and barbie briefs we're talkin' about). It was quite evident from the language that what I got was a boilerplate warning; no human had actually viewed the transaction. I went back and read the fine print and discovered that you're not allowed to put up any "pre-owned" undergarments.

So it could be a filter got her, not an actual circumstance. But I would grill her thoroughly, and if you're into it for much, I'd get out of it.

 

[VintageKnight]

ebay does security sweeps quite often. If this is a first time for her thats great. but eBay does this for your info.

Did this to a guy i bought my mickey wallet from, luckily i got the wallet, then went to leave feedback and his account was gone. 1 month later i get a generic email from the seller apologizing on this ( he had 100's of active auctions going) and many that had just ended like mine. they had suspended his account for a full month thinking he was fraud.

hes back selling.

Seems he knows how to get disneystore cast offs cheap.

DVK

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Originally posted by erinch
I got canceled and a stern warning under "adult garments/erotica" which really steamed me. (Hello! These are pooh and barbie briefs we're talkin' about).

Believe it or not, my sister and I learned right from this board that people use "used socks" and "used underwear" as a code or cover up word for adult entertainment such as videos and the like. We're so naive that when we actually looked up used socks (because then we were curious), we would have honestly thought that people were selling used socks. What do we know?

Sorry that happened to you though. Here you're just trying to be honest but imagine how surprised you would have been if people started contacting you about what you had for sale. Like, "What's the name of your video you're selling?" You would have been really confused.

 

[DiznEeyore]

Wow! Ebay sure has an interesting way of filtering auctions!!

For my part, I ended up putting a stop on the check. It wasn't a lot of money, but I was just really uncomfortable with the replies I was getting from the seller ... asked her if it was a knock-off or real and she replied "No." No *what*? No, it's not a knock-off, or no it's not real? Way too ambiguous for my comfort level.

I appreciate everyone's input and will be more cautious in the future!

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I think you did the right thing by stopping the check. I don't think ebay would have pulled all of the seller's auctions if they didn't have cause to think they were anything other than authentic. Good luck finding a replacement for that purse!