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w6uyumm3 · Just Registered Joined: 14 Sep 2007 Posts: 2

I have been a ebay member for almost 3 years and have bought nearly 200 items of high value. My feedback is nearly perfect 99%+ and the one negative feedback, if one bothers to read both sides carefully, says it all.
Just 2 days ago I was suspended for 14 days saying I bid on an item that the seller listed with different countries including Australia. I live in New Zealand so I bid on the item and when I did an ebay notice came up saying, "this seller MAY not ship to NZ". This to me does not say, he will NOT ship to NZ, but implies, he may not or he may. I have tried to bid on sites where it does not state any other countries but the US and there is usually as message saying "this seller does not ship to your country". Ok, if it says that, I accept that. But where it only says "the seller MAY not ship to your country" I have bid on many and won and paid them with a happy auction for both parties. I find ebay's action "guilty without trial" cursory and not in the fairness of the US constitution and without fair justice. I am a natural born American citizen. I was not told why or what I really did and to whom (seller) so I only tried to rack my brain who I might have offended to lodge a compliant.
If it is that seller that I think it is, I have bought an item from him before with no problem, paid and delivered with happy feedback from both of us.
I have at the moment 2 items that I have bid on and won, accepted by the seller, but I cannot pay them because I use PayPal. I also had bid on another item which I cannot even access because I am "suspended" . I have written Ebay now 3 times stating basically what I have written above, already asking them for and explaination and proof of what did so wrong to deserve this, with no reply to date. I cannot believe that ebay can treat people (buyers) this way and if a seller wants to be malicious, for what ever reason, he just has to lodge a complaint and a 14 day suspension follows to the bidder (happens). How can in all justice and fair play, ebay suspend me without due course, with out providing evidence, and giving the accused a chance to reply or redress? Is this the American way? Is this why our forefathers fought and lost their lives for, to have freedom of speach, justice for all and not found guilty without trial.
This whole episode reminds me of other countries where basic human rights are violated all the time. I have always been proud of my country but this kind of cursory justice makes me wonder what has happened and where it is going. It seems ebay gives it sellers a gun because that is where their income is and the buyer must take any kind of justice that is dished out. I know of one seller that I have bought from who is the topic of discussion on many forums about his behavior and dishonesty and has had some very bad feedback on ebay. He has never been suspended. I have purhcased four items from him 3 havings discriptions totally false. After corresponding with ebay and himself directly for two months he made good on two of them but it took and additional 3 months for this seller to send the missing parts. The third one that had a discription of it condition that was to prove an out and out lie, has not been resolved yet. I can hear someone saying, why did you buy from him again and again knowing the problem. I did because he finally did make good on an item, so I always feel that everyone needs another chance, especially if trying to make the wrongs right. None of my complaints or other buyers complaints, that have gone through the same thing with this seller have resulted in a suspension. His feedback is less than 97% and I suspose it would be lot less if everybody left honest feedback but fear his reprisal on their feedback. I am saying all this because I believe ebay has gone way too far in protecting its income and not looking after the buyer. In the end, I believe it will bite them back.
As a question to sum this up. Is there any redress I have with ebay and how can I get information specifically of what I have done so wrong to deserve this suspension? Pierre Athens w6uyumm3

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stevew8975 · Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:46 pm Post subject:

Welcome to the forum, and, blimey, you did have a lot to get off your chest!

eBay users in the UK are used to receiving a really poor service from the support on eBay.co.uk, but I am not sure how things fare with ebay.com.au. Double standards and ignorance are prevalent on the UK site, and members need to consider treading quite gingerly if they want to make serious progression on the site.

As a registered member of eBay you can use the services of any worldwide site, so try contacting eBay Live help on the US site - ebay.com.

https://cschatlb-na.corp.ebay.com/chat.asp?profile=15&imp_id=000_ActivationSellerHP

They tend to be a lot more co-operative and repsonses are instan, rather than having to wait for a templated email reply!

w6uyumm3 · Just Registered Joined: 14 Sep 2007 Posts: 2

Hi!, Thank you for your reply. Maybe I misled and readers but I am a registered ebay US ebayer. I have tried three times now to contact ebay USA about my suspension with not even a single reply and it has been over 3 days now. I have asked to appeal but no reply also. Truly I am really surprised at what they have done and also the lack of response to my questions on what I have done and why they have take such action. Luckily
I belong to furums that also offer the opertunity of buying and selling Ham radio gear and related electronics. I collect and restore vintage receivers and this experience with ebay has made me open my eyes to other venues which I shall persue and are by far more personal and direct. Maybe not as big a market but it has the I will be able to make a better decision on buying or selling. I also have a friend in commericial law and he took and interest in what happened and really found it hard to believe a company as big a ebay would treat a customer with a very good record who had purchased well over 100K US$ worth of gear through them would take action like that. He has down loaded their terms conditions and is doing a study of their policy to ascertain whether they are within the US trading laws or have the right without due process to suspend a person and stop their on going business which does not directly pertain to a supposed violation of their rules. In the mean time ebay is causing further problems between the suspended person (me) and their current customers transactions because they (I) cannot complete them (restraint of trade). I will have my friends opinion in a few days and publish it. Where to go from here in the mean time? Sincerely and thank you to anyone who might have any advice or experience with ebay in this respect. Regards, Pierre Athens w6uyumm3