Ebay Account - 16 Years/200k Sales Suspended - Due to Medical

[JackRyan]

Long story short, about 15 months ago, I broke my foot (multiple fracture); this injury which I thought initially just needed bed rest, got worse, turned into the bone not setting correctly, an infection followed, I was in and out of both doctors' offices, and had to spend 3 days in the hospital. In addition, during the first month, I was on pain killers off and on due to the intense pain I was experiencing. (Who knew breaking a toe could be so horrible).

Long story short, after a year of doing both PT and my own rehab/stretching/rest - I am 100% healed.

OK that out of the way: I have had my account - my only eBay account for almost 16 years. I did in that time roughly $230,000 in sales. I had a 100% positive feedback score, no negative hits. I sold items quick, with great descriptions, if a buyer had a problem, I resolved it and made them happy- every single sale.

HOWEVER, after breaking my foot, I had a single series (which spanned about 1 month) where I was both dealing with a blood infection from my injury, unable to walk, on pain medication, antibiotics, steriods for the swelling, etc - where I literally crashed and burned on eBay. I was unable to (both physically/mentally) handle the sales I had open, and I had a number of items sell/pay and never ship.

eBay then sent me requests I take photographs of the items I was selling to prove ownership. I missed the deadline. (I was not active on my account due to the injury).

No buyers in the end were "harmed" in terms of losing money. All of their money was refunded with the eBay refund/buyer protection. The money was reversed from my Paypal account. So in the end- yes I made the mistake of not passing off my account to a trusted family member to handle- which I realize was a critical mistake- but no buyers lost money.

I prided myself for 16 years - selling on eBay with exceptional customer service, always handling the few issues that did pop up; and it has now been 11 months since my "Indefinite Suspension".

I have a lot of products (all in hand/no drop ship); that I would like to get sold, and begin using my eBay account account again.

Considering the above; will eBay even consider reinstating my selling privileges? If so; what would be the best forum to contact them? I have a huge inventory of products I would I would like to sell, can fufill orders immediately, and I've waited to even broach the issue with eBay until now (and fully healed).

Any thoughts, advice, guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read.

Cheers,

Jack

[bartalion]

Long story short - Go Stealth, Spread Sales and U'll be just Alright

This is a shame as you were such a solid ebay seller for over 15 years. I am not sure why you would wait so long to do something about your suspended account. Your only choice at this point would be to call ebay, really connect with an agent and explain your story, offer to provide evidence of medical bills, etc. the bad news: most ebay reps couldn't care less/don't have the power to reinstate your account. Its all about how you act and how lucky you are.

In the 98% chance that calling does not work, I would recommend immediatly starting with stealth accounts. There is no reason why you can't start building a foundation for a new ebay business next week.

[muzzie]

eBay is a senseless creature. Forget about that account, and star building a new one, as fighting them will consume even more of your brain.

[Mitsu]

Very sorry about that friend-- it wouldn't hurt to try to get your account reinstated (I think your best bet would be to call in, try to get to a high-up and offer to provided medical documents ect.) but I really wouldn't put much hope into that venture.

Instead you should start looking into stealth, it may seem daunting at first but it's really quite easy once you get into the swing of things... I suggest buying an account from aspkin (stealthshop), their support fantastic and the start-up guide they give you is very helpful for novices. Let them know what you'll be selling so they can give you personalized tips.

Look into getting an EIN so you can get past the 200/20k paypal limit once your new account becomes established.

The hardest thing for people to accept is they have to start slow (1 item week 1, 5 items week 2, ect), but eventually you'll be trusted again-- but why stop there? Create/obtain a few more accounts and get some security in this marketplace.

Best of luck

[kingdomcome84]

As for the OP on this thread, unfortunately with ebay, you can be right with your medical conditions, but they still control whether you are able to sell on their site ever again. The only time I remember reading about a seller having the suspension reversed was due to a fire that completely burned down their home/warehouse and they lost everything. That was only reversed as it was shown on television and the seller was able to provide 3rd party evidence that this disaster actually happened and I believe the sellers dashboard had been perfect prior to this situation. The seller in that case submitted the Fire Departments report as well as submitted the News stations report and video on the situation.

Ebay did not overturn anything based on the sellers information or promises, it was all due to 3rd party verification and the fact it was totally out of the sellers control. You may need to hit up all those doctors and have them start faxing if you want this particular 16yr old account back

[jeffweico]

I would try to save the account. I would also start some stealth accounts.

eBay HAS been known to reinstate accounts if the account owner has a good record and can prove that their downfall was due to a medical condition. Of course, there are no guarantees.

Calling in and speaking with a rep in the Philippines is not going to do you any good. I would send a letter to eBay's corporate headquarters and explain the situation in detail. Not so much that you say "On Monday, October 5th at 10am I took 2 Percocets" I just mean kind of like how you explained it above, but with a timeline.

I would include a copy of a hospital bill, one that shows an ungodly amount of money that you or your insurance company was billed.

This may or may not work for you, but it HAS worked for some members in the past. You want to show them that you had a medical issue that hit you abruptly, but that it is now over and not something this is ongoing. While an eBay employee may feel sympathy for someone who has a terrible medical condition, you want to show them it is over and not something you are currently dealing with, so they can expect you to go back to being the kind of seller you were for 16 years.

I would also create stealth accounts so that you will get back on no matter what they say.