eBay Demands Seller Provide an Invoice from His Supplier

by: Rexford

Has eBay found yet another way to run sellers off of their platform?

by: HappyOne

With all the organized shoplifting and looting of high end stores Ebay is “trying” to not aid in fencing these stolen items (covering their butts). Nike sneakers seems to be one item that is getting much attention.

by: pace306

Being its "their platform" - they could very well ask you for your marriage license - but to what end?

Financial info is one thing - claim your a business? prove it - stuff like that.THAT stuff is ok.

However, they arent law enforcement and have no reason to fish for info thats NOT their business.

How would they like to post private BOD financial data for all to see?

Personally - Id like a log of what GRIFF does all say - from the moment he punches in, until he leaves - but I cant "get it" - so why should eBay have any rights to anything?

by: Smallseller

It is all over Youtube and social media that a seller has been permanently suspended for not being able to provide satisfactory invoices to show provenance for a large purchase of high end sneakers that were being sold for thousands of dollars. I am sure huge red flags went up when sales within a few months were triple that of the entire usual yearly sales.

by: postbuster

What?  So now ebay wants to peek even closer into our businesses?
To see how much more profit they will skim off from the sellers?  
Maybe even to forward this info to their loyals to undercut someone's business.

They don't own anything.  They don't need invoices.
What does the flea market re-seller have to prove their purchase?

The board needs overhauled!  Shareholders need to get up and work for a change.  Elon is revealing how worthless all of them are.  

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-threatens-cut-twitter
-173926265.html

by: GetAGrip

Why can Ebay do that.  Simple answer. Its  
their playground.

by: Snapped

As Pace enumerated, as much as some PII sharing is operationally necessary, there are also data that are none of eBay’s business.  

In this case, they use the justification of acting on behalf of ‘the buyer’ to collect provenance in order to ‘certify’ authenticity.  As an aside, the OP seems to be describing a pre-stock arrangement of some kind, where stock is ordered just prior to or at sale to end buyer. May have some bearing.

Nevertheless, the concern, naturally, is what ‘else’ eBay may do with those data. Will it be used for other reasons?  Sold?  Shared with competitors?  Protected adequately?  Used by eBay in their ‘visibility’ manipulations?  

In light of eBay’s demonstrated ineptitude, and wholly unethical and in some cases criminal use of PII, these are not only personal concerns, they are ‘business’ concerns too.

As in, do you WANT to do ‘business’ with such a culture?  It may be their sandbox.  But it’s your sand, shovel, and bucket too.  

by: ThebigR

Last year ebay was the dumping ground for the smash and grabs taking place in the larger cities during the protests it was no big secret. Its been a dumping ground for scrap copper for years nothing much news worthy about it....

by: pace306

1) Vero can ask for anything they want, doesn’t mean they are entitled to it

2) Vero can suspend your account if it suspects you are selling stolen items - sadly they do not need any kind of proof - it’s in that damned TOS

3) if you stuff is stolen then too bad on you

4) if you have invoices- threaten to sue - I did when they claimed I sold counterfeit items. They backed off in a hurry.

5) eBay will not protect you or your sources so sending them anything will kill your sources

6) eBay does not want to be sued by anyone- so eBay will throw you under the bus if it serves them

7) plenty of Amazon returns distributors sell high end sneaker returns as they do other brands. I’ve seen them myself and passed on them since I don’t go sneakers. Aka having a bunch of them DOESNT mean they are stolen

by: ebayout

Farcical is insufficient for ebay.
It has untold Chinese sellers selling fakes they do NOTHING about despite their negative feedback DETAILING the fakes.
I assume there's a dollar threshold that gets ebay's attention.

by: mjr55

Wow......so a lot of uproar here apparently??

Where is the uproar over the fact that Amazon does this routinely and ACTUALLY DOES use those invoices to contact manufacturers to gain LOWER prices than you do on these same items so Amazon can sell them instead....

Please.....I don't want to hear whining.

by: pace306

Amazon has never asked me for anything, eBay via Vero and a manufacturer has.

I’m not the op btw

by: Mazdaman

When we have an eBay seller stealing copyrighted photos from our website listings and ignoring our reports of this action (which is against their published policy), I think they have more important problems to take care of.

But I DO understand some of their reasoning, as "Pace306" mentioned, about stolen goods, not just fakes.  But come on, eBay, this has been going on for years on your venue, and you only care NOW??

I can't help but think that with the greed, arrogance, dishonesty and back-stabbing that eBay demonstrates every day that they are planning some other use for that data, perhaps accumulating sources of all the items sold on the site.

We're a manufacturer, so unless they want to see our receipts for boxcars of wood, they're unlikely to bother us, at least in this go-around.  I'd doubt they'd ever ATTEMPT to make what we make as well.

by: Sierra

Years ago, I remember reading about eBay requesting copies of invoices for very popular items such as new computers or software for the hottest games or whatever; I think their intention was to ensure the seller actually had possession of what they were listing. I don't know if this situation is about something similar ... or if it's just for a random item.

by: Eliot

The big seller who was permanently suspended a few days ago was selling one of a kind sneakers that were given to a celebrity. The seller lives in Los Angeles, so that's hardly weird. Ebay wanted detailed invoices from the manufacturer, with the manufacturer's letterhead at the top. Nothing else would do. Neither the celebrity nor the seller had manufacturer's invoices, obviously. Since such an invoice never existed, it was impossible for him to comply.

by: Chicago48

There's a youtuber Daily Refinement, Chris, who was permanently banned because he couldn't provide an invoice for some rare Nike shoes that he was selling. Nothing surprises me about Ebay.

by: Chicago48

I also think it depends on the item.  There's been a lot of smash and grab and the law enforcement has been gunning for Ebay because that's the market of choice for the thieves.  What was the OP selling?

by: TDAKS

What a fantastic way to get rid of most Mum and Dad sellers and pave the way for majors only.  

by: theebayguy

as some have said dailyrefinment got suspended forever because he could not provide valid proof of provenance.., especially on sneakers that were worth 1000's dollars (one-off, celebrity-owned etc) . He had even stopped selling sneakers either 3 months or a year ago but as most people know eBay does their own thing and has its own weird rules.
eBay would say they are protecting themselves against stolen goods (where apparently hi-end sneakers were stolen for shops/trucks) (so no invoice available), and just general fraud (so no invoice from authorised supplier). This wasn't the case with daily refinement but for eBay rules are rules. Shame they didnt actually mention this to him untill they had banned him. Ebay as usual, shooting first and then ....well nothing.

by: postbuster

Why would ebay worry about stolen goods being sold on their platform anyway when they allow theft by fraud returns on a regular basis?

When it's ebay doing the stealing, it's okay.