Will eBay Release a Suspended Seller's $7000?

by: Rexford

"I still did not know what policies I violated."

This is the thing that I can not understand.  If you suspend someone you should let them know why.  Why are the so secretive?

by: pace306

Get an attorney to write a letter

eBay only understands force, so that is the route you must take.

The letter needs to ask what specific US trade laws you broke and why eBay is holding funds.

Personally I would not have released any info about where I buy things from, eBay isn’t law enforcement- it’s not for them to know.

Will they tell you how much Griff makes???

by: GetAGrip

UNTIL you really jump through the hoops and bow down in front of Ebay CEO's you will be lucky to ever sniff the money. Do what Pace306 tells. But its unlikely that you don't know why the account was closed. And be prepared for a large and expensive lawyer bill.

by: iheartjacksparrow

@Grace (the OP): Immediately file a complaint with the California Attorney General's office.  

by: pace306

Get

Im lucky that I have a lawyer in the family - but I figured for others that spending %10-20 to get it resolved is better then nothing.

No one can force eBay (on their own) to release anything - unless you go to court.

If you go without a lawyer - they will just make up some crap that violates "their TOS" not necessarily the law - as eBay is great at making stuff up out of thin air - and then you would loose.

Usually, a lawyers letter is enough of a nudge to let eBay know you arent playing THIS GAME.

Id STILL keep calling (and getting that R# (the record of the call into eBay - all phone calls are recorded in some form)) and make them crazy (as much as possible)

by: RL15

they probably needed the $$$ to pay the Grifters tab at walkers west or whatever they call it now. When not sleeping Grifter eats lots of wings.

by: toolguy

Did anyone think that maybe eBay thinks the items are fake or stolen?

The OP doesn't say how long it's been.

Maybe eBay didn't like what they received from the seller.

If the account was closed last week on sales from 2 weeks ago eBay's going to hold the money for months!

Can't jump to conclusions on a /12 baked story. . . .But if eBay had my money unjust I would contact the California attorney generals office and see what could be done.

by: Marie

Grace,

When was your last transaction with a buyer?  Do all the items you sold have tracking that shows received?

Often times what happens with the emails Ebay sends out when you are violating a policy, is the seller doesn't agree with them so they think they aren't getting the answers they need.  Ebay doesn't require that you agree with them.

As long as you Managed Payment account is set up properly, once all your transaction are complete and past the date of any claim being filed, they should release the funds to you.  But they won't do it before that if they deem you have been violating some policy.

Again if your MP account is set up properly, they should be releasing the money to you after there is no chance the buyer might file a claim.

For those that don't have their MP account set up correctly the money would go into escheatment.  Which is when the money would be remitted to the state you reside in within that states time frame set up for escheatment.  

Then you would need to prove that you own the money to your state and file all the proper paperwork.

I sincerely hope everything works out for you.

by: pace306

Did anyone think that maybe eBay thinks the items are fake or stolen?

Unless eBay has been deputized- it’s not their business.

Either prove there’s an issue and have the proper procedures and people be involved or release the funds.

by: pace306

This is YET another example of why platforms should NOT be in the payments business.

by: Goo Goo

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/  

You will get eBay to respond by making a complaint above, no charge for a law firm, this is the US Government Website that regulates all financial firms and banks.

by: Marie

@Pace

You would be incorrect on that.  Ebay is responsible to do their due diligence when they think items are stolen or potentially stolen.  If Ebay knowingly allows sellers of stolen goods to sell on the site, Ebay will have issues with the law.

We only know what the OP has shared with us on what is going on with their account.  There is likely some missing info that would help us play armchair detective and try to figure out what happened.

We don't even know how long Ebay has been holding their money.  When the transactions were, have they been received by the buyers, etc.  There is much we don't know, but there is always the rush to judgement because of the hatred towards Ebay.

by: Goo Goo

So sellers hate eBay, they are justified, eBay has bankrupted millions of sellers and will bankrupt millions more, a seller on the eBay forums said they had a 4 thousand dollar ring returned and did not know if the buyer exchanged the stone.  So eBay takes 4 grand from that sellers bank and they are broke.  PayPal also started holding long time sellers funds after eBay dropped Paypal due to lack of transaction activity.  They have no right to do that to users who have been with them for decades. For these reason all sellers should report all holds to the above linked US government financial agency, report eBay and PayPal for all holds.

by: Rexford

"There is likely some missing info that would help us play armchair detective and try to figure out what happened."

Or not.  You are speculating again Marie. Speculating is not fact. Evidence is fact. Speculating is not evidence.

by: pace306

"You would be incorrect on that. Ebay is responsible to do their due diligence when they think items are stolen or potentially stolen. If Ebay knowingly allows sellers of stolen goods to sell on the site, Ebay will have issues with the law."

%101 BS

1) eBay itself (in case you forgot) had items it helped produce that were "INSPIRED" by Pan AM .... INSPIRED = ripped off without a license.

2) exactly how many (based on what ever free time you may or may not have) listings should I post here that OPENLY state "REPRODUCTION"? 10, 50, 100, 1000, 10000? So based on your "theory" - they took down/are holding money from the OP all while they let-condone all the rest that "are for sure" fake. Its THESE items that are the problem?

3) eBay OPENLY employed people who were criminals. We need not repeat the issues with the Steiners - are you taking "eBays word" - being THEY are criminals on the OPs items? Does it take 1 to know 1 (for they themselves being criminals to know that OTHER people are selling/doing something illegal?

4) who in their "right mind" believes eBay (about anything) anyway? Lets put their criminality (in the above issue) aside - can you - based on seeing eBays behavior(s) in the last 20 years say HONESTLY - that you can trust ANYTHING eBay says or does? From FVF on taxes and shipping, to forcing sellers to create a catalog for them for free, to money holds like this, to restrictions on selling refubs to the 1000 OTHER nasty things eBay has and IS doing - are they some paragon of virtue? HARDLY

5) Lets say its a VERO issue. OP didnt say it - but lets pretend. So what? EVERY case Ive ever had with VERO - they were wrong and the items were reinstated, PERIOD. It cost me time, effort and lawyers to get them to heel. Did the vendors (in my cases) even do a sample 'buy" to determine the item was fake? NO. It was a company twisting VEROs arm via money or threats stating "we dont recognize PACE as being a dealer - THEREFORE THE ITEM MUST BE FAKE". Hardly sound legal advice from the absolute MORONS that run VERO. Your CAT (if you have one) is smarter then ANY of them.

Skullcandy (since you may want a sample issue) told eBay to remove ME and 20 other sellers because they wanted their items OFF eBay. Sorry though, the Lanham Act and the First Sale Doctrine via the law of exhaustion say otherwise. Its black letter law, there's no wiggle room. PERIOD. eBay went and did Skullcandy's bidding and IN RETURN, and Skullcandy opened a Platinum store on eBay. "Quid Pro Quo Clarise"

6) Lastly, if the OPs items were fake, then there would have been a notice sent from them (OP says they never got one), AND the police would have been notified (didnt happen either says the OP). Again, eBay isnt deputized. They cant do anything as they have no authority. Their job is to GO to the authorities and get the process moving.

If eBay got a report that there was a huge heist of " Black & Decker mowers" and they "were being sold on eBay" - that doesnt mean that without looking at serial numbers, you could remove listings because "YOU THINK". In this country (despite eBay thinking THEY make the rules) its still "innocent til proven guilty".

by: Fruitylovesyou

Is it ebay? Or is it ebay payments? Or is it the payment processor? see you don't really know. I would invoke constituent services with your us congressman or senator... Fill out the form. Include your background.. Vet, retiree.. Disabled..caregiver..family, etc. Make sure you tell them where that 7 grand would of gone towards..
When I wrote my senator via their form about an issue I got a call back and follow up within a week.  Be brief.. Who you are ..what they did and the impact to you. They will gather info during the intake.  Don't overwhelm them with everything eBay has ever done.. Your goal is to get a call back then provide the details.

And you can also send to wsj ..nyt.. That's a big dollar amount not sure whether you just keep a balance or recent sales

by: Marie

@ Rexford,

Oh Dang it.  I missed where they told us when the transactions happened, when Ebay started holding their funds, if the transactions were received by their buyers, etc.  My Bad.

by: AYMY

Thank you all for your suggestions.  I am thinking of filing a complaint as well as contacting our state senators to see whether my problem can be solved.  In addition, the products I sold were delivered to the buyers and no issues from them and I have the receipts for those products I sold on eBay.    

by: Goo Goo

Don't think of filing a complaint, take the time and get it done or you may never see your money, you may not understand, the above linked agency regulates all financial firms including the largest banks in the USA.

by: railady

I think the biggest lesson here, that nobody has mentioned yet, is to NEVER, EVER EVER leave enough money in your eBay account, that it is going to have such a huge impact on you!!  $7,000?  how about $70 ?

A reasonable attorney won't charge a great big bill for preparing a letter as described in posts above.  And even so, I would rather have the attorney fighting for me end up with the money, rather than eBay.  

Wish the OP had posted the email received from eBay, maybe that might shed more light on the problem.