Forum

I got suspended again...
 

My new account was alive for 4 weeks. First I bought few "gmail invitations" for few cents. I thought that may raise a red flag. No, I didn't. Then I waited a week and started selling cheap stuff. After a couple of sales I listed computers on auctions (not for a fixed price) starting from $0.99. I was listing one computer per 2-3 days. I sold 5 computers for average price $360-370. Today I got suspended again. They will reverse all fees anyhow :)
Any ideas what I did wrong? I didn't get any claims.
I need a strategy to keep my account alive for more than 4 weeks :)

more detail please? we will try to find out what cause the problem.

I am selling new computers. I put $0.99 auction price instead of fixed price, because my last account was suspended immediately after listing a new computer with a fixed price. So I suggested that the first "high value" item ($300-400) raises a "red flag". So this time I let buyers to bid starting from $0.99. Why to pay more listing fees if buyers will bid up to $300-400 anyway?
This way I was able to sell few computers, but now "red flag" again?
Also my paypal account was limited yesterday after the first paypal transaction for the computer. Maybe this suspended ebay account too? I didn't link paypal and ebay accounts and I was very careful about all the details we discuss here. I am using dial-up through cell phone, so my IP is different every time. I clear cookies every time by IE, I used all new information and changed my listings (not completely, but pretty much). I don't think they validate listings manually.
They probably use some software that raises flags after some events ("new computer", "fixed price",...)
On my next account I will try a fixed price again.
The good thing is that they reversed all fees, so I sold computers for free :) The bad thing - I need to do stupid work like buying gmails and ebooks again to gain some feedback. What a stupid game!!! :(

buying gmails and ebooks again to gain some feedback

I think this is what caused your accounts got flag.

Did eBay give your a reason for the suspension? And yes it looks like buying eBooks and any other cheap auctions seem to be seen as a red flag. Just go in selling this next time. People are generally trusting, and if you auctions look professional enough, you'll get buyers with feedback or not.

As usual "Abusing ebay"...
Do you think I can start selling with 0 feedback? I don't think I will sell a lot :)

I bought maybe 1 ebook and 3-4 gmail invitations.
I didn't want to buy $5 items, because that way I would spend $20-30 just to gain some feedback. And there is no garantee that they don't suspend me with that either.

Any ideas what to buy for $5 that would be useful? :)

What explanation did you put on listings about why you are new on ebay?
You can't say "I was suspended before", right? :)
Also I need to get 5 feedbacks to start selling with "Buy It Now".

ebooks and invites were under $1.00.

If I am reselling the same things I am buying wouldn't it be a "red flag"?

So you listed expensive items with 0 feedback? But you can't do "Buy It Now" with 0 feedback, right?

nope I think you need 7 or 14 feedback to do buy it now products. Also you must have a paypal premier or business account do to that.

With respect, I don't think it matters as long as you start off with no reserve and a very low starting price. People will see a bargain and jump at it no matter who you are. I've had this discussion with others before, and probably 90-95% of the time, they don't care how flashy your auction looks (in fact that can deter them if it affects loading time or sensory overload), all they want is good clear pictures, reasonable idea what you're selling, and above all a good product at a VERY good price. The rest will sort itself out as people fight it out in the bidding. This has been my own experience and what I've observed over time. Key time slots though are important and can affect the amount of attention your auction receives.

I didn't use my real info, so reinstallation is impossible. My old account with real info was suspended for "using Dell picture" in my listing (which is "copyright") and appeal didn't help.

Hi Modee,

You say: "The listings must be HTML".

I know what HTML is.

But what are you getting at when you say that the listings must be HTML?

I cannot see that there is an alternative to HTML since every web-page is in HTML.

Please clarify what you mean.

Thanks