Wed Dec 10 2014 21:21:40 |
eBay Responds to Questions on Hidden Selling Limits
By: Ina Steiner
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An eBay employee by the name of Jarvis caused a major stir this week when he pasted notes from an internal eBay document on a public eBay discussion thread listing nine types of limits eBay imposes on sellers, including "Silent limits (limits placed on an account that can't be seen by the seller)."
While some sellers are now familiar with seller limits, much of the information Jarvis posted had never before been seen by eBay sellers and caused consternation about a lack of transparency about the practice. (Here's eBay's public-facing policy about seller limits.)
You can catch up to the latest developments of this ongoing story in Thursday's Newsflash article, which contains a response from eBay spokesperson Ryan Moore, including a statement that none of eBay's limits are "silent." "If a seller has limits on his/her account, those limits generally are visible to them in his/her My eBay page," he said.
Shortly before publication, Ryan answered some additional, followup questions.
EcommerceBytes: Jarvis said there are silent limits, so is he wrong? It looks like he copied and pasted his post from an eBay document meant for eBay employees, is that correct?
eBay spokesperson Ryan Moore: The information was taken from an internal customer service knowledge base and the short-hand terminology does not clearly reflect eBay’s policies. As previously mentioned, none of eBay’s limits are “silent.” If a seller has limits on his/her account, those limits generally are visible to them in his/her My eBay page and, at a minimum, the limits are communicated to sellers at the time of listing
EcommerceBytes: "all sellers subject to limits are notified, either when they list (if not before)." Can you explain this? How are they notified?
eBay spokesperson Ryan Moore: When a seller attempts to list an item and/or they can be contacted by eBay through some form of communication advising them that they have a limit due to a risk-oriented concern.
EcommerceBytes: All sellers will experience some sort of selling limits, you say, but then you said IF a seller has limits, they are *generally* visible.
eBay spokesperson Ryan Moore: You can see most of your account limits in My eBay. Click My eBay at the top of most eBay pages, sign in to your account, then select the All Selling option in the Sell section on the left side of the page (or in the Selling Manager Summary). The Monthly selling limits section shows your current selling activity relative to your monthly limits. You see a red alert when you've reached a limit, letting you know you won't be able to sell more items in the current month. You always have the option to request higher selling limits.
EcommerceBytes: All sellers have limits but majority will not be *impacted* - By definition, they are impacted if they have limits on their accounts, no?
eBay spokesperson Ryan Moore: No, the majority of sellers are not impacted by seller limits. By way of analogy, virtually all credit card holders have spending limits, but they’re not impacted by those limits unless they try to exceed their spending limits.
Related coverage: Leaked: eBay Hidden Limits Throttle Seller Sales (December 8th)
eBay Employee Reveals Practice of Secret Seller Limits (December 9th)
eBay Deletes Leaked Post on Secret Seller Limits (December 11) |
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