15 Year Platinum Ebay Powerseller Dumped Yesterday

[ebayyounexttuesday]

Fifteen years as an above standard ebay platinum powerseller with feedback ranging from 98%-100% and they dumped me. Last year I grossed $750k although my margins were ridiculously low like 1-10% profit. They permanently suspended me for going from above standard to below standard based on one evaluation being 0.22% over the 2% threshold on low shipping dsr's. All the rest of the dsr's under 0.50% which qualifies for top rated status. Appealed, denied. Reappealed by same supervisor stating I self identified the issue. Next day appeal granted. Two hours later revoked.

70% of my income came from Amazon. Last month Amazon permanently suspended me and held over $6k for selling items prohibited items I won't even go into the absurd counterdictions between their internal departments apologizing and reinstating the listings on one side, then removing them and banning me on the other.

Today I bought the ebay and Amazon guides here and am waiting to get the email.

My 2 biggest questions going into this stealth world for the first time is will a VPS eliminate the need of going through all the computer cloaking like changing user names, etc. And secondly, with the kind of sales I'm used to doing (15k weekly on ebay and 15k biweekly on Amazon) is it even possible for stealth accounts to achieve these limits?

Glad to have this alternative to seeking out a job at taco bell and a cardboard box on skid row.

Thanks,
EUNT

[unkown5454]

First, no offense, but %1-10 profit on $750K is absurd. Either you sell the wrong products or you are getting slaughtered by fees. I would never work for such small profit. There are people on here killing what you made on $750K and only selling $100-$150K. So, it's time to really rethink your business altogether in my opinion.

Second, yes, with new EIN's you can pull those numbers again. But, it's going to take some serious patience and experience. So, be prepared for a huge learning curve before you ever get to that level again.

Third, my advice to EVERYONE in your position is to learn to stop relying on EB and AZ for everything. It is time you start learning about the alternatives out there. Not only alternative e-commerce sites, but alternative payment processors as well. And if you can afford your own website, I suggest you get on that ball immediately.

[Lolitax]

Sorry to hear what happened to you. It's very sad. You definitely need stealth. Also start your own website. Welcome you will learn a lot here.

[ebayyounexttuesday]

Thanks. Yea like I said the margins are ridiculous but that's just one industry I sell in and I'm not about to complain about a 150k salary between the two because of triple the work and low margins. All that can be tweaked however I'm really here to talk about getting back up and running so I can pay my rent and live. Also I had been donating 10% of all my auctions to animal welfare organizations through missionfish since it's inception (tens of thousands of dollars) so the ebay geniuses making these reckless approval denial approval denial decisions on a whim are taking from helpless animals which really sucks.

[jeffweico]

Originally Posted by ebayyounexttuesday

the ebay staff that made these reckless approval denial approval denial decisions on a whim are taking from helpless animals.

The Cat is RILED!!!

[unkown5454]

Donations on EB are a complete joke. There are a million other ways to donate. Don't waste time frustrating yourself by helping EB to look good and charitable.

Start moving inventory to other sites or your own. Places like Et/sy allow you to add your own bank account for direct payments and other e-commerce sites actually have alternative payment processors other than PP.

[ebayyounexttuesday]

I appreciate your comments, but I donate to organizations near to my heart, not to make ebay look good.
I'm not here to be disparaged because I choose to accept a low profit margin instead no profit margin. With all do respect the people who "would never work for such small profit" lost out on the 150k I made last year.

I've had my own website for 15 years and from first hand experience know that my website sales could not begin to compete with ebay and amazon. Also I sell new goods that cannot be sold on etsy.
I slept 3 days a week and had 2 employees and still couldn't keep up with all the orders.

So I'm here for 3 reasons: amazon, ebay, paypal. I know there are people with emotional hatred toward these companies but I do it to make money, and if the gold mine lies in the same companies that crap on me, give me a pair of rubber gloves so I can pick out the nuggets of gold.

[Sandy D]

So you lost your Amazon and Ebay accounts both close to the same time period?

Re think what you are doing because that is a rarity to loose both of those so close to each other.

And yes, I sold record numbers last year and I have been selling on ebay since 1995 so it can be done.

Just takes effort.

If you are not willing to listen to those here who have been successful then your road is going to be flooded real quick. Many people here way beyond making your numbers and have done it by listening, doing and appreciating others free offer to give advice.

Losing both platforms together tells me you did something very wrong.

[JamesNorth101]

It will take a long time to get back to being able to sell at that sort of level, but it is more than possible.

We change user accounts to ensure that cookies are kept in place. A VPS will not eliminate the need for that.

[shani1212]

@ Ebayyounextuesday...Welcome my friend....We are all on the SAME BOAT...Have had a/c with ebay for 10 + yrs but they dumped me last Dec 2013..lol Bought this stealth guide & still reading it through...You may have to wait a while to get to 750K level of selling limit but its possible...So GO STEALTH my friend......

[123]

Wish you the best of luck on your journey!

[ebayyounexttuesday]

Originally Posted by Sandy D

So you lost your Amazon and Ebay accounts both close to the same time period?

Re think what you are doing because that is a rarity to loose both of those so close to each other.

And yes, I sold record numbers last year and I have been selling on ebay since 1995 so it can be done.

Just takes effort.

If you are not willing to listen to those here who have been successful then your road is going to be flooded real quick. Many people here way beyond making your numbers and have done it by listening, doing and appreciating others free offer to give advice.

Losing both platforms together tells me you did something very wrong.

Um, I just explained specifically the totally unrelated reasons both Amazon and eBay were shut down, so what you're tellIng me is that my facts are incorrect and if I'd just listen Id have correct facts.

It was probably my mistake mentioning numbers when thats really irrelevant and a topic that naturally brings up competitive feelings, which seems to be the main focus of replies to my introduction by a couple members, despite my repeated polite inference that I'm here to talk about stealth eBay amazon and PayPal, NOT how other people are doing better numbers than me, or how I'm doing something wrong due to my profit margins. And how if I'd just listen I might learn what I specifically said Im not here to learn and already have plenty of knowledge about. I don't claim to be a guru of anything, and the day I decide I want to stop learning I don't foresee. but for what seems like the 5th time in a brand new introduction, I'm not interested in business advice at the moment, I've done quite well for the past 15 years thank you very much. some words of encouragement might be nice, or even some advice on the topic I'm here for.

To the others thank you kindly for your warm welcome.

[glacier922]

@ebayyounexttuesday

I can't help but have to reply to this. Lol. But if you made 150k off of 750k revenue, your profit margin is not 1-10%. If every item you sell is 10%, you would make 75k. No need to explain. I'm just showing off my 4th grade math skills.

[ebayyounexttuesday]

Originally Posted by glacier922

@ebayyounexttuesday

I can't help but have to reply to this. Lol. But if you made 150k off of 750k revenue, your profit margin is not 1-10%. If every item you sell is 10%, you would make 75k. No need to explain. I'm just showing off my 4th grade math skills.

Oh my, it's hopeless lol. That number refers to eBay, not amazon. I'll just politely move past any more comments about this subject. Oh ya, I'm here for stealth eBay amazon and PayPal info. Once I get that back in order I'm always seeking out growth knowledge and tips.

[jeffweico]

The bottom line here is that the OP wants to get back on eBay and Amazon. Stealth can help with that. We all have our own business models, and do what works for us. Some of us have higher profit margins than others. It sounds to me like the OP has lower profit margins than most, but it is worthwhile to him/her because they sell a LOT of items!. Coca-Cola probably makes less than 1 penny for each can of Coke they sell, but the sell a LOT OF CANS!

I like the fact that you donate. Animals are near and dear to me too. But from the standpoint of helping to keep an account, it makes no difference whether you donate to charity or not. That is not to say that you should stop doing it.

SandyD brings up a good point in that it is unusual you lost both your eBay and Amazon accounts at the same time. What was the common thing going on with both accounts?

[ebayyounexttuesday]

there was nothing in common between the two it was merely coincidental a couple of months apart. As I mentioned, Amazon's issue was an internal departments take no prisoners approach to strict enforcement of a prohibition on anything related to vaporizers be it cords cases batteries etc.

EBay's issue was the combination of a trend in low shipping DSR's during the last evaluation (0.22% over the 2% threshold) causing the account to go from above standard to below standard, and what they call a high bad buyer experience due to the same shipping reason (4.7/5). My sales had outgrown my crude methods of inventory management before I realized I needed a more suitable system, and I was just making sure the items were delivered within the stated delivery window and not necessarily making sure everything was into transit within the one day handling time I had probably a bit too optimistically stated.

You are exactly correct in your statement about volume verses margins. I learned the hard way that my ego refusing to match competition because the profit was too small was actually costing me the sale. As soon as I got over that my income went from a steady $30,000 average to a steady hundred thousand plus average. I suppose in a perfect world there would be no competitors and I'd set the price for all the products on the market. I'd be fair though and do a straight keystone.

[MM78]

The bottom line is that with Stealth it's possible and effective when getting back to selling. It's going to be a bumpy road but stick with it and eventually you will or may be where you need to be. Unfortunately one never knows exactly the time frame will be to be where you want to be but the harder yo work at it the easier it all becomes.

[ebayyounexttuesday]

quite frankly I look at this as blessing in disguise because even 15 years in, the devastation it's caused not using and being familiar with these techniques would only be exacerbated the longer it took to happen.

[rsot]

@OP, is your Amazon account with the 6k in it still able to be logged in? So just waiting out the suspension period?

[JamesNorth101]

I would always advise buying from the forum. It is much more moderated and all the sellers are vetted.

[unkown5454]

Donate all you want. You totally missed my point and don't care to listen much. Contradict what we recommend with VPS, that's your choice. You seem to be in a rush, so imminent failure is upon you to say the least.

Like I said, huge learning curve waits in the wings for you. If you don't listen, it only gets worse. You seem comfortable with 1% profit margins, so you shouldn't have any issues with frivolous spending and minuscule to nil results.

Your argument about ridiculously tiny margins is silly. You are comparing yourself to companies who make tens of billions of dollars in revenue selling low profit margin products. You pulled in $750K...which you more than likely rounded up. You lost two huge accounts on the biggest e-commerce sites in the world within just a few months time frame. Your arrogance with the st/ealth ways is childish.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by ebayyounexttuesday

Um, I just explained specifically the totally unrelated reasons both Amazon and eBay were shut down, so what you're tellIng me is that my facts are incorrect and if I'd just listen Id have correct facts.

It was probably my mistake mentioning numbers when thats really irrelevant and a topic that naturally brings up competitive feelings, which seems to be the main focus of replies to my introduction by a couple members, despite my repeated polite inference that I'm here to talk about stealth eBay amazon and PayPal, NOT how other people are doing better numbers than me, or how I'm doing something wrong due to my profit margins. And how if I'd just listen I might learn what I specifically said Im not here to learn and already have plenty of knowledge about. I don't claim to be a guru of anything, and the day I decide I want to stop learning I don't foresee. but for what seems like the 5th time in a brand new introduction, I'm not interested in business advice at the moment, I've done quite well for the past 15 years thank you very much. some words of encouragement might be nice, or even some advice on the topic I'm here for.

To the others thank you kindly for your warm welcome.

I did not say I did better numbers. And no one really cares about your numbers.


What stands out is the fact you lost both platforms in a short period of time and something you did caused it.

What I said was I have been selling on ebay and amazon and never lost an ebay and an amazon back to back ever. In fact, never lost an amazon account and have not lost an ebay account for more then 3 years.

I did not say you were doing anything wrong with profit margins either. I said whatever you did caused both platforms to go down so something you did caused this to happen. I merely was telling you whatever you did to cause this issue needs to be thought out before you attempt a go at it again. Why do all the work and end up back at the same place?

If they are totally unrelated what many of us is trying to tell you is whatever caused this issue needs to be addressed.

If you are not here to learn then what are you here for as we ALL learn from each other and grow.

No one is slamming you here and none of these posters feel any competitive issues with you at all.

Just because someone pointed out those low profit margins does not mean they meant it as an attack.

Chill a bit, we cannot help you if you tell us only half of what the issue that caused both platforms to go down are.