eBay Fee Auctions

[iron_chick]

My response from eBay:

Beth,

I learned from Trust & Safety that your listings are bumping up against
a number of our policies because, in great part, listings should be used
to sell actual items - and should not be used as a forum to make
statements. 

This is why eBay has created discussion boards - so that members may
have the opportunity to discuss topics.  Discussion boards are the
proper forum for statements or discussions of opinion - not listings.
eBay is quite unique among companies in that we actually encourage and
host our members' opinions, providing a range of forums with open
access.

Below is the policy reasoning behind why each one of the listings was
ended: 

1) KEYWORD SPAMMING:  Our keyword spam policy states that "Keyword
spamming occurs when members place brand names or other inappropriate
keywords in a title or description for the purpose of gaining attention
or diverting members to a listing. Keyword spamming in listings is not
permitted on eBay. The searchable text sellers place in listings must be
directly relevant to the item being sold."  Many of the "fee hike"
listings have been ended for this as the words "fee hike" do not serve
to describe the item being sold and are put in the title with the
purpose of gaining attention or diverting members to the listing.

2) FEEDBACK SOLICITATION:  The feedback solicitation policy states that
"Feedback left or received where the feedback's primary value is to
artificially enhance a member's reputation rather than provide
commentary on genuine transactional experience is not permitted."
Generally, a good signal of feedback solicitation is a listing for .01
BIN with no shipping as the member's goal is to solicit feedback from
other members -- not to actually sell something.

3) NO ITEM POLICY:  The last listing was ended for the No item policy.
This policy states "Listings not offering an item or service for sale
are not permitted on eBay." And specifically, "Listings with the
apparent, primary purpose of expressing the seller's personal views"
will not be permitted.  This listing was being used as a vehicle to make
personal statements rather than to sell actual items.  This is an
inappropriate use of the listing format and thus, a violation of our
marketplace policy. 

Keep in mind, I've had three listings cancelled.  All three had the term fee hike in them.  I have two listings which have been running for two days that do not contain the term fee hike, but are otherwise identical in everyway. 

LSOSBs

[amy]

Discussion boards are the
proper forum for statements or discussions of opinion - not listings.

Impeach Bush: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=%22impeach+bush%22

Democrats suck: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&catref=C6&satitle=%22democrats+suck%22&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=ZIP%2FPostal&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search

Republicans suck: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&catref=C6&satitle=%22republicans+suck%22&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=ZIP%2FPostal&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search

McDonalds sucks: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&catref=C6&satitle=%22mcdonalds+sucks%22&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=ZIP%2FPostal&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1&fsoo=1

and last but not least:

I Love eBay: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&satitle=%22i+love+ebay%22&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=ZIP%2FPostal&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search

2) FEEDBACK SOLICITATION:  Generally, a good signal of feedback solicitation is a listing for .01
BIN with no shipping as the member's goal is to solicit feedback from
other members -- not to actually sell something.

1,427 $0.01 BIN ebook auctions most with no shipping

http://search.ebay.com/ws/search/SaleSearch?sofocus=bs&satitle=ebook&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC5&fbd=1&%3Bsspagename=h%3Ah%3Aadvsearch%3AUS&from=R6&nojspr=y&fscl=1&pfid=0&fswc=1&few=&saprclo=.01&saprchi=.01&fss=0&saslop=1&sasl=&fls=4%26floc%3D1&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D0&salic=1&saatc=1&sadis=200&fpos=&fsct=&sacur=0&sacqyop=ge&sacqy=&sascs=2&fasi=1&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&sabdlo=&sabdhi=&saaff=afdefault&afmp=&afcj=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&fcl=3&frpp=50

[iron_chick]

They're just full of shit.

You know what . . . it's their sandbox.  If they just had the balls to say "we aren't allowing these protest auctions on our site - go run them on your own bandwidth," I'd understand that.  That would be fine.

But to keep on coming up with these bullshit, lame, illogical excuses to end any auction with fee hike in the title . . . well, it was hard to imagine that I could think any LESS of eBay, but I do.

BTW, the two identical listings (in every way except the exclusion of the offending term) to the three that were cancelled . . . still there.

Apparently it's only feedback solicitation if you say the magic words "fee hike." 

LSOSBs.


B

[Anita]

So far every listing I have bid on has been cancelled. 
I don't want any eBay Cheerleading lurkers to report this listing, so I won't post the listing or the seller's name.  There is a fee hike listing that is well over $100.00 and has one day to go.  I can't believe the listing has gone almost 7 days!  The seller should end the listing and RUN with the money.  lol

Iron Chick,
The listing you had cancelled because you had nothing for sale...  Did eBay READ the listing?  That is a rhetorical question.  Boinktards.

Last comment:
It IS eBay's playing field.  I may have a tiny bit of respect for them if they just flat out said that listings that don't show eBay in a good light are not allowed.  Honesty.  Hmmmm what a concept!

eBay doesn't want to play if they can't be the school yard bully.

[stardust]

eBay doesn't want to play if they can't be the school yard bully.

So true... 

[iron_chick]

[quote author=Anita link=topic=4504.msg18759#msg18759 date=1153977566]
So far every listing I have bid on has been cancelled. 
I don't want any eBay Cheerleading lurkers to report this listing, so I won't post the listing or the seller's name.  There is a fee hike listing that is well over $100.00 and has one day to go.  I can't believe the listing has gone almost 7 days!  The seller should end the listing and RUN with the money.  lol

Iron Chick,
The listing you had cancelled because you had nothing for sale...  Did eBay READ the listing?  That is a rhetorical question.  Boinktards.

Last comment:
It IS eBay's playing field.  I may have a tiny bit of respect for them if they just flat out said that listings that don't show eBay in a good light are not allowed.  Honesty.  Hmmmm what a concept!

eBay doesn't want to play if they can't be the school yard bully.
[/quote]

There are clearly at least two folks in T&S who have been given the very important job of ridding the site of any listing with fee hike in the listing.  (I say two because my one recent listing with fee hike was cancelled twice at almost exactly the same time for the two different reasons.)

They aren't reading them.  They are searching and clicking and picking random reasons to delete.

[Anita]

eBay is just making themselves look that much more paranoid and toooopid pulling listings and then giving asinine reasons. 

When my mom set her foot down, she didn't always give a reason other then "Because I said so!"  Worked for me. 

Why the asinine reasons, eBay???

[iron_chick]

eBay is like the adolescent who has gotten so used to lying he just does it automatically.

They pulled the same shit with SIS.  They did NOT end stores in search because buyers were confused.  They ended SIS because core listings were down and they believed that if they took store inventory format out of the core search, core listings would rise. 

I think my clue for bill is going to just be one word.  Integrity.  Maybe I'll provide the definition, too, since clearly no on in HQ is familiar with the term.

[xppman]

Integrity (if there was ever any) went out the window the day they became a publicly traded
company guys. I don't know when that was. I signed up in summer of 1999.
Still have a copy of the original UA. I printed the whole thing out and even read it.

I knew THEN what this company was really all about
because even the UA I signed
was full of nothing but legal double speak and loop holes
designed to protect one party of that contract... and it sure as hell wasn't me.

Guys there is really only one thing to do that is effective against them.

Stop listing items with them or list just a few (If you must)
and DRIVE traffic away from them to your websites.


The eBay auction giant is dead for all intent and purpose.


Oh and don't forget to tell everyone you come into contact with
that eBay sux.