Please Help Me With Ebay Horror

January 2, 2008 5:01 AM

Help Me With Ebay - I've been a goodtanding member of ebay since 1999 with over 155 positive feedbacks, each earned with a lot of effort and consideration to be a good seller and buyer. 3 months ago a bid and won an item for $10.00 which turned out to be only PART of a set, and this wasn't accurately stated on the auction.

Nontheless, I wanted to make good on the auction, I offered to just send the person the money and they could keep the item since I had no use for it. They were adamant about making payment only with my credit card details (a first for me on PayPal - where the number on the back of the credit card is required) later I found out that this seller wanted to ensure that my address was an actual address and this is why he needed all the credit card info on PayPal. I sent them about 10 emails - all explaining that I did not DESIRE the item, they could keep it - and please let me make payment via PayPal in a regular way without the details on the back of my credit card. Long story short, I simply never heard back from them - and ebay has now cancelled my account! I can't even contact them to clarify this issue. I am really upset about this and need some help on how to clear this whole mess up. How do I contact someone in ebay and explain to them what happened? Will they even listen? Please help?

posted by watercarrier to computers & internet (31 comments total)

eBay Corporate Offices:
[phone]
[phone]
1-800-322-9266
1-888-749-3229
1-408-558-7400
1-408-376-6554 FAX
Spokesperson: Kevin Pursglove, 408-558-7458
Hours: 7:30AM - 5:30PM PT M-F

And more corporate numbers.
posted by Sufi at 5:14 AM on January 2, 2008 [4 favorites]

I'd like to add..

Always call corporate headquarters when you have a problem with a company. As an avid Consumerist reader thats one of the first things I learned. Shit gets taken care of with corporate.
posted by Sufi at 5:16 AM on January 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

I haven't used it in a while so don't know if it still works but [e-mail] used to be a good back door for complaints.
posted by TheRaven at 5:19 AM on January 2, 2008 [2 favorites]

I used this once to do an online chat with a live person at eBay.
posted by gfrobe at 6:16 AM on January 2, 2008

I am out of the country and can't make the long distance call -- or the 800. Is there an email direct to the corporate offices?
posted by watercarrier at 6:21 AM on January 2, 2008

There must be a lot more to this story, eBay and PayPal just don't operate this way.

Second using gfrobe's link to Live Help.

Also your credit card company may be of some help.
posted by Fins at 6:35 AM on January 2, 2008

FYI - there is nothing *more* to this story. At all. And also I can't bloody get in to ebay in order to contact anyone - either via email or via live chat. I siimply was suspended. No email. No warning. No nothing. And what I did was NOT vie to give a perfect stranger the 3 digits on the back of my credit card. I have threads on the ebay community help board that i can't even access for reference. I've been doing business with PayPal for over 8 years with NO problems until this particular seller decided that he wasn't doing business with anyone without first ascertaining that they had a shipping address that was verifyable with their credit card. Since I no longer resided at the address (i am abroad) and chose not to have the item delivered but to simply the PAY via PayPal - this somehow was not acceptable to the seller. I tried 10 times (at least) to make payment with him (all this is $10 mind you) and apparently he is a very busy man in the wholesale business and had no time to reply or deal with this and so it went as *unpaid* and ebay suspended me. That is it. Plain and simple.
posted by watercarrier at 7:01 AM on January 2, 2008

watercarrier,

calling the US isn't *that* expensive abroad via an internet cafe. where are you?

email is fine too, but if you talk to a real live person, things will happen much quicker.
posted by waylaid at 7:09 AM on January 2, 2008

Long distance calling has gotten cheaper almost everywhere. If Ebay is this important to you, I think buying a phone card, or calling from one of those little storefront places where you use their phone lines and they charge you afterwards, or using a VOIP service, would be a really good use of the $10 or $20 it might take.

There is clearly more to this story than the summary here; you need to call or maybe email Ebay directly to sort through whatever is making this complicated.
posted by Forktine at 7:12 AM on January 2, 2008

just a thought - you account may have been killed because the seller and/or ebay believed you were a scammer.

- you suddenly didn't want the item but offered to pay anyway.
- you couldn't (it's really wouldn't but how do they know?) give them the 3 digit code
- you start talking about not being at the billing address/out of the country

all of these are signs that would make normal sellers wary. this seller was apparently already paranoid, the above conditions set off his alarm and he probably reported you.
posted by noloveforned at 7:13 AM on January 2, 2008 [4 favorites]

eBay canceled your account for ONE non-payment? With no notice or explanation? eBay has a three-strikes policy on this sort of thing, I believe. I know I had to argue myself out of ONE strike once, for a situation like the one you describe, but I was nowhere near being suspended.

Something is wrong there. Contact customer support and just explain that you can't log in.
posted by rokusan at 7:15 AM on January 2, 2008

1 - my financial situation is of zero concern to you forktine - I asked for information on how to contact ebay via EMAIL. Other than that, please keep your judgments to yourself.

2 - You can read my further explanation - that someone here insinuated as if - there was something *more* to this story. There isn't. End of story.
posted by watercarrier at 7:15 AM on January 2, 2008

eBay canceled your account for ONE non-payment?

Yes. ROKUSAN - why do you have such a hard time understanding this?
posted by watercarrier at 7:16 AM on January 2, 2008

*Something is wrong there. Contact customer support and just explain that you can't log in.
posted by rokusan *

Oh - and I already wrote WHY I can't contact customer support - that was MY INITIAL QUESTION.
posted by watercarrier at 7:17 AM on January 2, 2008

noloveforned -- wrong on all counts. The seller advertised for HALF an item fraudently. I opted to PAY in spite of this - and told him that I did not want the item. He could keep. Free money. The way his auctions are set up is that everyone who pays has to PUT IN THE 3 digits of their credit card to verify their shipping address. Since I wasn't looking for the item to be shipped to me - but merely to pay - and I wasn't comfortable doing this (after 8 years this was the only time I ever was asked for this information).
That's the whole story. Nothing fishiy nothing scamming. Nothing BS.
posted by watercarrier at 7:21 AM on January 2, 2008

You don't indicate that you received a letter from ebay or anything of that nature so I think he is merely pointing it, that it might not be connected and it might be easiest just to call customer service and not bring up all this other fluff.
posted by stormygrey at 7:22 AM on January 2, 2008

I agree watercarrier, I would not give an eBay seller credit card info when using PayPal.

Try to email [e-mail] and [e-mail].

What's that seller's eBay user ID?

Have you tried to set up a new account?
posted by Fins at 7:31 AM on January 2, 2008

Just because you don't know about it, doesn't mean that there isn't more to the story, and getting stroppy with people trying to offer solutions, isn't helping.

If you weren't given any notification then how do you know that you've been suspended? Not being able to log in, doesn't necessarily mean you've been suspended. Does it say your account is suspended when you log in?
Can you get into your paypal account? If you were suspended from ebay, I would suspect they might also suspend your paypal account.
posted by missmagenta at 7:33 AM on January 2, 2008

What exactly are you looking for, watercarrier?

When a group of people trying to help you have asked if there's more to the story, you've been rude and short with them. You have been provided with a potentially valid email address to someone inside eBay, a link to a live support page, phone numbers, and advice on calling the corporate office.

Is there something more you're expecting from Ask MeFi?
posted by ellF at 7:38 AM on January 2, 2008 [7 favorites]

Wow. I can see where this thread is going, in a hurry.

Calling eBay directly and speaking to a live person is your best option. It may not be a perfect option considering its expensive and you're not in the U.S., but its your best option.
posted by uaudio at 7:38 AM on January 2, 2008

I just contacted a friend who has their account suspended by non-payment and they are able to log into ebay fine and use the help system to send an email. If you're unable to do that, sorry, but you're going to have to pony up the money to call them. There are no other publicly available methods for contacting ebay via email.
posted by scabrous at 7:39 AM on January 2, 2008

My Paypal account is fine.

I can't log in.

Tried to set up another account then THAT ONE was suspended.

Honeslty - if you can't help, I'd appreciate just refraining from responding. I just want to contact someone in who can actually reinstate my account within ebay via email. I can't log in - so there's no use in suggesting I contact ebay from the contact page.
posted by watercarrier at 7:41 AM on January 2, 2008

To everyone suggesting I call ebay? Here are some comments posted from the site http://www.corporatecontact.info/detail.php?cid=108

Toll free numbers are usually routed through the main call center in Utah. 17 Jul 2006
by Been there before

NO HELP AT ALL JUST LIKE LIVE CHAT WE WILL SUSPEND YOUR ACCOUNT WITH NO EXPLANATION AND LEAVE YOU WAIT 24 TO 72 HRS AND MAYBE JUST MABEY IF WE HAVE TIME WILL GET BACK TO YOU IN THE MEAN TIME JUST STEW OVER IT BECAUSE NOT ONE REAL PERSON CAN ACTUALY TALK TO YOU! 19 Jul 2006
by SELLERS REVEIW
I agree with you. eBay has the WORST customer support I have ever seen. They just got so big...they don't give a shit! Sent almost 50 e-mails to customer help...always got a response but it was all automated. I finally found there phone number on www.hardtofind800numbers.com and waited on hold for almost 2 hours.

For anyone else having trouble with ebay this was the two things that got me noticed and helped. Either call customer support which is usually answered by the same person. Then call back again...and again...and again till eventually they guy gets tired of you and will put you really through.

or option number 2. Type up a snotty letter threatening your going to get your attorney involved because theres been an identity theft and ebay is not following through to fix it. Then send it notorized mail so someone will have to sign for it, and you'll get a copy back of their name so you can further persue it if notheing happens.

these are the only 2 ways I now of...Good Luck...you'll need it :)
posted by watercarrier at 7:47 AM on January 2, 2008

Thread closing in 5...4....3....2....
posted by uaudio at 7:48 AM on January 2, 2008

Honeslty - if you can't help, I'd appreciate just refraining from responding. I just want to contact someone in who can actually reinstate my account within ebay via email. I can't log in - so there's no use in suggesting I contact ebay from the contact page.

As inefficient as it sounds, if you can't login, and you can't create a new account to do so, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CALL THEM. I know it sucks but this is how they have things setup.
posted by scabrous at 7:50 AM on January 2, 2008 [3 favorites]

ellF- you don't know how ebay is run. You also don't know that any of the emails are valid. And you also dont know if the live chat is availble - which it isn't. A group of people that dont know the answers is worse than the position I was in before. Just more confusion and misinformation!


*Is there something more you're expecting from Ask MeFi?*

Yeah - an answer that is factual, up to date and works.
posted by watercarrier at 7:51 AM on January 2, 2008

my financial situation is of zero concern to you forktine - I asked for information on how to contact ebay via EMAIL. Other than that, please keep your judgments to yourself.

You are finding judgments where there aren't any. "There is more to this story" does not mean "gee, I think watercarrier is a scammer and dishonest and so on." It means, "huh, I bet that there is a complication in this somewhere, because it doesn't make sense for Ebay to have canceled the account given that you have told a pretty reasonable story, so somehow things are more complicated, perhaps because of something the seller did." I don't think you can get to the bottom of those complications without calling Ebay, but if you can do it via email then good for you.

Your finances come in because you were willing to pay $10 for a product you don't actually want them to send; that same $10 will get you a phone call to the US from most parts of the world. (Also, some toll-free numbers can be called from overseas; my credit card works that way; can't hurt to try the Ebay toll-free numbers first.)

If I were the seller, and you sent 10 emails in a tone like your responses here, I'd report your ass, too, and smile the whole time. Why so hostile and abrasive? Really, niceness just genuinely works better, you know.
posted by Forktine at 7:59 AM on January 2, 2008 [14 favorites]

Google Email ebay corporate. Second hit:

Email eBay Executive's Email: [e-mail]
Email Matthew J. Bannick - President, eBay International: [e-mail]
Email Bill Cobb - President Ebay North America: [e-mail]

I don't think Bannick is with them anymore so try the other two first.
posted by jwells at 8:02 AM on January 2, 2008

OK - I defy ANYONE here to tak to anyone on the phone via the numbers that were suggested I call. I just tried - either the numbers are no longer working or their is an operator (dare I say human?) that leaves you hanging on the phone. OK - enough of this. Thanks for all your help.
posted by watercarrier at 8:14 AM on January 2, 2008

Forktime - as you do unto others, so it will be done to you. Karma - remember - - it works. As you gloated and judged me - so it will be done to you.
posted by watercarrier at 8:17 AM on January 2, 2008 [2 favorites]

LAST!
posted by notsnot at 8:36 AM on January 2, 2008 [2 favorites]