Hey thanks. It is actually kind of funny, the guys claiming NOT HACKED in their auctions didn't start adding that until I started running my auctions. Which actually backfires on them - people will see that and go "hacked? What does this seller mean, HACKED? I ain't buying this s**t if they are hacked!" :wink:

Re: Appeal to other Ebay sellers
 

THIS is why I am doing this:
"Thanks much for saving me from being ripped off. You are providing a vaulable service to eBayers with this info. I suspect that these MP3 players are only the tip of the iceberg with scam consumer electronic products."

Surely the most efficient solution is "direct marketing"?! Each auction gives the identity of the current highest bidder - who can be contacted by any EBay registered third party using that ID. Why not send the info you were broadcasting to a selection of the highest bidders on a regular basis? Sure, it'll take a little time... but not nearly as much time as it'll cost the crooked vendor when would-be purchasers start asking difficult questions (Like "why is your name on a blacklist?" "Why are you listed XYZ times ona petition against selling players with faked memory capacity?" "What guarantee do I have that the player you'll ship ME isn't a fake?") It also makes it more likely that pre-warned purchasers leave BAD feedback if/when they do get scammed.

@ BigRonW
Life is really not that simple - First, there is an auction ending almost every minute by the scammers.
Second - Send too many emails & ebay WILL suspend you.

I bid on & won a couple of 'scam-buster' listings from AlbertaSatellite with the intent of contributing some money towards relisting it. My account was promptly suspended on grounds of 'abusing ebay', without any specific reason.
I'm guessing it could be because -
- ebay saw that transaction as maybe a move to gather easy feedback.
- I made the big mistake of replying to alberta through the ebay system where I mentioned that I know him from mympxplayer forum.

But this isn't a NEW suggestion - you'll find it repeated several times on this forum as it has occurred (independently) to a number of posters. And as one of them points out... there are a LOT of members of this forum. If just a couple of dozen of us contacted say five buyers each, once a week... then another couple of dozen took over... Problem is, it's always so damned EASY to find reasons for inactivity - and to forget that if something similar had happened earlier, maybe you, and I and hundreds of others might have avoided being scammed.

When the isue was being discussed before, one mischevious poster pointed out that all you need to register with Ebay (as a purchaser) is an email address. SO... they ban you. But... which you? The persona you use to buy and sell... or the "spare" identity you created merely to protest through?! You really need to be more imaginative!

There are other avenues to be explored also, although picking the right time is important. In summer, when the politicians aren't legislating, everyone's on holiday, the print media are starved for things to cover - here in the UK we call it the "Silly Season". It's a good tije to start a media campaign. The summer's a way off though: Local radio stations seem an easier bet: many of them (again, here in the UK) run "consumer protection" programing - it's a cheap way to fill airtime and such shows are popular. There would be a fairly good chance to get coverage and publicity.

a 'couple of dozen'.. and then a couple of dozen again? You will be lucky if you can find 1 dozed to do it here!

as I see it, I think it is up to the sellers like me, alberta & others (whose legit businesses are affected due to the scammers) to come together and tackle this problem.

Yes there are a number of solutions like the scam buster listing, or sending emails or making bogus high bids on their auctions etc. In order to make a serious dent on the scammers will require effort, time and money, which only a seller with financial interest will be able to invest.

Unfortunately, I can't even get a dozen sellers together!

WTF??? That makes no sense. Are you sure something else didn't cause the suspension?

Here's the email they sent me:
"
FPA NOTICE: eBay Registration Suspension - User Agreement - Abusing eBay - hubblemart@gmail.com

Dear hubblemart (hubblemart@gmail.com),

We regret to inform you that your eBay account has been suspended due to concerns we have for the safety and integrity of the eBay community.

"Abusing eBay" of the eBay User Agreement states, in part:

"...we may limit, suspend, or terminate our service and user accounts, prohibit access to our website, remove hosted content, and take technical and legal steps to keep users off the Site if we think that they are creating problems, possible legal liabilities, or acting inconsistently with the letter or spirit of our policies."

Due to the suspension of this account, please be advised you are prohibited from using eBay in any way. This includes the registering of a new account.

Please note that any seller fees due to eBay will immediately become due and payable. eBay will charge any amounts you have not previously disputed to the billing method currently on file.


Regards,

Safeharbor Department
eBay, Inc.

Learn how you can protect yourself from spoof (fake) emails at:
http://pages.ebay.com/education/spooftutorial

This administrative email was sent to hubblemart@gmail.com from eBay. Your account is registered on www.ebay.com. As outlined in our User Agreement, eBay will periodically send you information about site changes and enhancements. If you would like to receive this email in text format, change your notification preferences.

See our Privacy Policy and User Agreement if you have questions about eBay's communication policies.
Privacy Policy: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/privacy-policy.html
User Agreement: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/user-agreement.html
"

I went through the user-agreement - can't figure out what policy I violated. Some searching on the net took me to a discussion where some people have been suspended for gathering feedback by buying multiple eBooks & softwares. Usually, ebay allows the sellers to continue selling!

They responded to my email after 4 days, asked me to fax some documents - ID / utility bill / bank statement etc. which I did on the 25th. I got "received submitted documents" email from them on the 26th - saying it will take a minimum of 72 hours to review, and "Emailing us before that time may result in further delays."

It's over a week since then.. I haven't heard from them! Sent another email today.

That is insane. It's pretty much standard-operating-procedure - buy a few cheap items on eBay so you don't have zero feedback. Many people do it. A suspension for that makes no sense. There must be more to it than that - and why do you have to fax them "ID/utility bill/bank statement"?

There has to be more to this story. I have gotten warnings in the past from eBay for doing things, nothing major, but I have never had an account suspended.

Has it occurred to anyone that what we write HERE may well be examined by an Ebay "mole"... and that EBay might then decide to take "retaliatory action"? But note my new thread (of a few moments ago!) suggesting that "cultural differences" may lie at the heart of our problems. Maybe they just don't understand that we "Westerners" really object to being tricked, and DON'T regard it as acceptable behaviour: we find it offensive. Different cultures, different rules. I'm continuously amazed by the amount of blatant political corruption tolerated by US Voters for example - a simple change in the way legislation is framed would substantially reduce the opportunity for corruption. However... what one culture regards as "normal" and "acceptable" may be regarded by another as "shocking" and/or "outrageous".