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3 Ebay accounts suspended but not linked! Whats going on?!
 

Ok, over the past 2 weeks Ive lost 3 ebay accounts.

Account 1 - Had 2 positives and was suspended 5 hours after listing 2 items.

Account 2 - Suspended 1 hour after listing an item (No feedback, one previous sale)

Account 3 - Suspended 30 minutes after listing the first item.

All 3 accounts have been hit with the mc169 suspension. The crazy thing is on account 3 it was suspended only an hour after listing the first item. I used complete stealth (new user account, aol dynamic ip, cookies and flash cookies clean, etc...)

Any ideas why they are shutting me down?

Thanks

PS: The items I sell are autographs and I always start bids at .99.

Were all of these brand new accounts? Were the pictures, descriptions, or anything else the same?

The accounts were fairly new. Account 1 was a couple months old and the other 2 accounts were setup within the last month.

Sounds like a high risk category where the potential for fraud is self explanatory.

eBay may only allow trusted established sellers to sell autographs? Probably the case and something to look into.

Listing anything high-risk on relatively new accounts with no feedback, or almost no feedback is probably not a good idea.

If you don't have the Stealth Book, I suggest that you get it and study it. It has worked wonders for me and many others.

But also look at each account under a microscope. List everything about each one on a piece of paper: locations, IP's, pictures, items, etc. You would be looking for anything that is the same or similar, no matter how small it may seem.

Remember, eBay does NOT need PROOF POSITIVE to suspend an account, just enough similarities to make them believe that they are, or MAY be the same person.

If memory serves, the MC169 is the notice that says you are abusing eBay in violation of the user agreement, correct? If that is the case then SOMETHING is linking them. You need to find out what that something is.

Buying ready made accounts can be a time saver, but if you are making mistakes unknowingly, then the end result will be the same.

If running three stealth accounts, it is not a good idea to list the same category of items on each, especially if they are deemed "high-risk" by eBay. Autographs definitely fall into that category. In time you could maybe do it, but not right away. However, I suspect that there is something else going on here.

And therein lays the answer...

Becuase the items start at .99 or because the accounts are a few weeks old.

Any and all of the above, including (and in fact probably due to) the fact that you're listing high-risk items.

If each account does not have new photos, then that is a probable link:pop2:

AOL dynamic IP is a possible link as well.


What did you do there? :spy:

I'm pretty sure it was the signatures, you gotta have an established account with plenty of history selling related low risk items before you can start selling high risk items.

To me just seeing the MC169 (Abusing Ebay) Tells me that the Accounts were linked, if Ebay feared High Risk they would have Sent an MC010 Requesting the Gammut from Accepted Photo ID to Invoives and Voice Phone Verification.

As Posted Above, Photos might have linked the accounts, Text, Auction Page Layout, if it was the SAME EXACT Item, a lot of little things like that. Autographs are not an Item where there are Thousands of listings for, so Im Quite sure it is not that hard to link those types of Auctions.

That might be but I've never had a problem selling the same item on multiple new accounts with similar pic, text and sometimes almost exactly the same page layout, since many people copy other peoples listings, it's only when I sell a high risk item on a new account is when I run into problems plus any MC010 I've ever gotten has been on a new account with a low risk non vero item.

That may be True, However I Gotta believe that Autographs which is what the threadstarter is selling are considered one of the HIGHEST RISK Catagories.

Higher than, Software, DVD's, Designer Goods, ect,ect, Remember that A LOT of People buy autographs like coins as an "Investment" Believing that there Value will go UP in the future.

That makes it a VERY HIGH RISK Catagory and Im sure that accounts selling things like that are treated a bit Harsher than Most. :nono:

Exactly what I was trying to say above.

Agree with Slapped plus the original threadstarter never did clarify if he is just rehashing the SAME photos for listing again and again...if so, it's an easy-pie shutdown for eBay.

Need to vary format, pictures, listing price, location (hopefully you did this) - you using the same paypal for all 3? some people have tried that to keep setting up ebay accounts...that is also failure.

...
 

I am using new photos but from now on I will wait until I get about 10 feedbacks before I list an autograph.

Thanks for all the great info guys... it's a huge help!

Be careful of AOL dynamic IP as well. You did not comment on that