Lifetime Ban from Ebay. Why?
I rarely used Ebay, I think twice in the last 10 years, but I had a long standing account. Recently I tried to buy a $25 item my wife wanted and ended up being banned for life! I can live without Ebay, but I am still wondering what my transgression was.
I started by ordering an item (a small bottle of obscure flavour essence) and paying with Paypal. After some delay, the payment was declined but no reason was provided. As it happens, I was testing a VPN and realized later that Paypal doesn't permit the use of VPN when using their service. So that could have been the issue. (I have used Paypal several times since then, with no problems).
Then I tried ordering the item with the low-limit credit card I reserve for online transactions. This time the transaction was declined for the reason that I was ordering "more than the maximum quantity permitted" by the vendor. This was not the case - I was ordering one only and the amount to be paid was for one item.
Since the item was available from another vendor for a couple of bucks more, I tried that vendor instead. The transaction was not completed and timed out.
Shortly thereafter I got an email stating that I was irrevocably banned from the Ebay platform for life. Huh??
We have reviewed the activity we have seen connected to your account. As a result, your account has been suspended because we believe this activity presents a risk to our eBay community. We do not make this decision lightly. Building a trusted marketplace where people around the world can buy and sell safely is our first priority.
This suspension is permanent and means that you will not be able to participate in any buying or selling activities on eBay. In addition, any other accounts that you own, or that are associated with this account, will also be suspended.
We regret the frustration or inconvenience this may cause you. However, there is no appeal for this decision.
I assume that big online companies have sophisticated AI or algorithms to identify and fight fraudulent use, but I can't imagine how I triggered this reaction from Ebay for this simple transaction. So I am wondering if there is some kind of wider issue with my online identity that I need to think about. I have a flawless credit file going back decades and a high credit score. Anyone have a similar experience?
I started by ordering an item (a small bottle of obscure flavour essence) and paying with Paypal. After some delay, the payment was declined but no reason was provided. As it happens, I was testing a VPN and realized later that Paypal doesn't permit the use of VPN when using their service. So that could have been the issue. (I have used Paypal several times since then, with no problems).
Then I tried ordering the item with the low-limit credit card I reserve for online transactions. This time the transaction was declined for the reason that I was ordering "more than the maximum quantity permitted" by the vendor. This was not the case - I was ordering one only and the amount to be paid was for one item.
Since the item was available from another vendor for a couple of bucks more, I tried that vendor instead. The transaction was not completed and timed out.
Shortly thereafter I got an email stating that I was irrevocably banned from the Ebay platform for life. Huh??
We have reviewed the activity we have seen connected to your account. As a result, your account has been suspended because we believe this activity presents a risk to our eBay community. We do not make this decision lightly. Building a trusted marketplace where people around the world can buy and sell safely is our first priority.
This suspension is permanent and means that you will not be able to participate in any buying or selling activities on eBay. In addition, any other accounts that you own, or that are associated with this account, will also be suspended.
We regret the frustration or inconvenience this may cause you. However, there is no appeal for this decision.
I assume that big online companies have sophisticated AI or algorithms to identify and fight fraudulent use, but I can't imagine how I triggered this reaction from Ebay for this simple transaction. So I am wondering if there is some kind of wider issue with my online identity that I need to think about. I have a flawless credit file going back decades and a high credit score. Anyone have a similar experience?
