A word of warning to those using 'that' online auction site

The following may help Milsurps members avoid the ansgt that I have just experienced selling items on the most well known of online auction sites.....
After over 20 years of shooting and collecting historic British Sniper Rifles, I sold my collection - the rifles going in the main with their complete CES.
It left me with many ancilliary items that I decided to list on that auction site - primarily documentation, binoculars, scopes and the like.
Obviously no firearms related items or prohibited parts.
I offered worldwide shipping of the items I was selling using their 'Global Shipping Programme'
By using this service you send the items to an address in your country and it is forwarded to the buyers in their country - its supposed to make things simpler!
I have received notification from them that the transaction for two items I sold to a buyer in the US have been cancelled - and the buyer refunded. I would retain the payment received, but the items would NOT be returned.
Because they were 'classified as restricted items' by the auction site
The two items in question were a cleaning rod guide and a telecope sunshade
I have no idea what will become of thes items - and while they are collectable, thankfully they are not 1-offs or incredibly rare - if they were it would have been unforgivable.
If people are thinking of trading similar things, using a similar method, please be careful!

I don't use eBay's global shipping program after seeing the video below a couple of years ago. I'm not sure why the post WW2 helmet was classed as restricted unless they decided that it was "nazi related" because it looks like a WW2 German helmet. If that is the case you could say a post war Spanish helmet or 1920's Irish helmet was "nazi related" because they looked a bit like a WW2 German helmet.

EBAY UK STOLE MY LEGIT PAID FOR FINNISH M40/55 GERMAN STYLE STAHLHELM STEEL HELMET - YouTube

I too had a problem with Global shipping part of a Maasai spear from Texas to Canada. It was only the rear counterbalance but they "Deemed" it to be sharp and pokey so they couldn't let it cross the border. The worst part was I had contacted the seller and asked her NOT to ship with them, just box it and send it USPS. It would have been fine, cheaper and faster. It would have made it too...

We cannot ship firearm parts at all, but there are those that still sell items on that site and well big brother may come a callin' one day and if you do have firearms well say good bye to them.
Sadly here our Premier with his buddy mate Police Minister are fast turning our firearm ownership into a farce whether we will come out on the other side after July 1 we will see as their proposals and restrictions are ludicrous.
According to our Police Commissioner "Every illegal firearm started out as a legally owned one" omg where has he had his head obviously never heard of ghost guns and the underworld trade in illegal firearms systemic to drug groups and organised crime groups.

As usual the legal owners trying to do the righty are categorised as a threat to society and must not have firearms, ppl see on the news that ppl die and get maimed in automobile accidents because cars kill ppl and that's fine we are used to it, a fact of life!
But oh lordy if there is but a whiff of firearms involved well its WWIII and we are all nutters running around the streets with weapons and nobody's safe, I hope in my life time that infiltration does not happen from the North because we will not be able to raise a militia because they took away our firearms.

Ppl forget it was the 39th militia choco soldiers that stopped the Japanese in New Guinea the first time they had been defeated in jungle warfare as the regular AIF was in South Africa fighting there!
I wish we had the 2nd amendment as well as a strong NRA, it gets tiring all the anti gunners here constantly at our throats which really takes some of the pleasure away from the sport or helping farmers eradicate vermin.
Anyway that's my rant for the day.......... sorry Badger got wound up!:surrender:

Neil,
Had the same thing here in the UK. I thought after about 5 years I'll give them a try and sell on there.
It was an immaculate WW2 Heavy Machine gun sight in its immaculate leather pouch. They came back very quickly after listing, telling me it was a restricted item and it was removed.
I was furious, they allow you to launch it do all the work and then tell you.
Relisted it taking off machine gun!!:rolleyes:

I've got a thing about vintage RCBS reloading equipment, and over the years have bought through that site many sets of dies etc - I just like using the older stuff.
Most were sent from the US through their global shipping programme with no problem at all
So it appears equipment used for the manufacture of ammunition is fine
A telescope sunshade and a cleaning rod guide are not?
It seems like the people who are making these decisions have no idea at all

Quote:

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Originally Posted by waco16

It seems like the people who are making these decisions have no idea at all

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Every chance these days that you are dealing with a computer algorithm (whatever that is!)
Rather than a living, breathing human.

I as well have asked sellers not to use global shipping in several cases. It bothers me that they add import and duties on items that are exempt from these fees. Just another way for ebay to grab a little more money from the buyer and seller. I also have been blocked from purchasing Bowie knives that sellers advertise as "world wide shipping" and unknown to them their items are restricted by ebay. Unfortunately the world is now controlled by these Woke idiots! I consider myself awake but not woke

The joke of that site is........you have to drop on the right search caption ie WW2 etc to have anyone find you.
Its their fault as their technology hasn't got a skuby do on the correct names cos a human has programmed it incorrectly.
If you have a WW2 Machine Gun sight for sale, how the hell is that a working all shooting tooting Section 1 firearm.......:madsmile:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by waco16

A telescope sunshade and a cleaning rod guide are not?
It seems like the people who are making these decisions have no idea at all

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I'd be willing to bet they react to people sending messages protesting the items. "That's not allowed, it's a weapon"...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by #1oilman

It bothers me that they add import and duties on items that are exempt from these fees. Just another way for ebay to grab a little more money from the buyer and seller.

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Yes...

You can sell an axe on eBay BUT it can't be a fireman's axe. After listing a fireman's axe twice and having it taken down twice I was told that while an ordinary axe is ok a fireman's axe is not ok because a fireman's axe is a two headed axe and could be used as a "weapon". I did ask why all the other fireman's axes hadn't been taken down, listed by other sellers, and was told that they hadn't got round to it yet.

Rollocks comes to mind...............just terribly picky at a specific time of posting monitored by staff that haven't got a Skooby!!

They "that site" use a vocabulary program that picks up the word or "buzz words" and then relays them to a "human bean".. NO not a spelling error...
Then some mouth breathing veggie gets to take your item off the site.
Hit them where it hurts and go elsewhere.......
Lots of good places in the sites we all use and have grown to trust.

I tried to get them to explain why my listing for an AR10 buttstock was peachy, but my AR15 stock got kicked twice and I was almost banned for it. Arguing with uneducated know-everythings is not productive...

Russ

The Global Shipping Program is a @($&@^ joke. They will actually unpack items that the seller has packed and put them in smaller boxes with less packing to save a few nickels, which of course are not passed on to the buyer. I had an item damaged in this way years ago and found out this was what happened.

Their latest scam is apparently limiting the shipping options when a listing is created to UPS or FEDEX or both. When asked why the post office does not appear the folks in the Philippines have no idea. :D We can be sure no money is changing hands though. :rolleyes:

One has to recognize that these companies are permanently afflicted with eager apple polishers all looking to reinvent the wheel and so get a seat nearer the front of the class. And new generations of apple polishers are constantly recruited who know next to nothing about eBay, what works or doesn't. All they know is they need to DO SOMETHING NOW to justify their existence. Frequently the bureaucratic imperative of making sure you're never without something to do also comes into play, and the operative principle in that game is make sure you never completely finish anything in a way that won't need to be tweaked, revised, etc. And of course all driven as usual by the obsession with short-term profits to maintain share prices to keep the investment funds happy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Surpmil

The Global Shipping Program is a @($&@^ joke. They will actually unpack items that the seller has packed and put them in smaller boxes with less packing to save a few nickels, which of course are not passed on to the buyer. I had an item damaged in this way years ago and found out this was what happened.

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I did ask eBay directly if they opened items sent through their GSP and was told, by eBay, that they don't and couldn't due to the number of packages that they receive. How they know exactly what is in the package if they don't open it I don't know unless they x-ray or scan all packages that come in.

I would have thought that the right thing for eBay to do would be to return items to sender if it doesn't comply with their complicated rules and regulations.

Serious question: is there something wrong with GunBroker that people are still using and supporting anti-gun and idiotic eBay for firearms-related items? Do they not handle the international stuff a lot of you are doing? Do they not have the traffic you need? I won't use eBay for buying unless it's the last place that has what I need, and I will rather choke on my stuff rather than use them to sell anything anymore. I just can't stomach it after they went ape-**** on paperwork and fees and with absolutely no support to sellers when buyers flake.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MAC702

Serious question: is there something wrong with GunBroker that people are still using and supporting anti-gun and idiotic eBay for firearms-related items? Do they not handle the international stuff a lot of you are doing? Do they not have the traffic you need? I won't use eBay for buying unless it's the last place that has what I need, and I will rather choke on my stuff rather than use them to sell anything anymore. I just can't stomach it after they went ape-**** on paperwork and fees and with absolutely no support to sellers when buyers flake.

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For the majority of the worlds population, the problem with GunBroker is that the vast majority of sellers say they will not ship outside the US therefore buying from them is not an available option.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MAC702

is there something wrong with GunBroker

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Exactly, they won't deal outside the US. Like looking through the window at things you want.

I've used that site for 23 years, the early days were great and you could find all sorts of goodies and get them sent anywhere in the world. Now its a nightmare people won't send overseas, shipping is horrendous, their GSP is a nightmare and now they charge GST on second hand items that has a value below the threshold here.

I would use Gunbroker, but as other have said people wont ship overseas, it would be great if there was a place that allowed shipping overseas especially Bayonets. The one site that did ship bayonets has now retired. The headache is ITAR and its screwing collectors over ..... yet countries and arms dealers still find ways around shipping military equipment anywhere in the world. Meanwhile I can't get a 60 year old, obsolete, helmet, sent to me for example. :banghead:

I was the winning bidder on those auctions. I was fully refunded, but I am very disappointed not to have the items.

I wish I could say this was a one-off, but incidents like this are increasing. For international shipping, the local post office (Royal Mail in the UK) seems to be the only choice for an international package.

Even for non-military/firearms items, eBay's Global Shipping Program is shockingly expensive. At least they make up for it be being slower than any other shipper.

It's almost like you have to contact the seller and offer him what it's worth, have him pull it and ship it regular mail.

I have shipped international from Canada to USA and others. As well as received from outside the Country. I use gunbroker, and will ship permitted items, but as stated buy others before about 30% of US sellers will not ship items to me. Why I don't know. Numrich will, so why not “bobs guns of Kansas” I guess having the biggest market sown up makes doing business elsewhere a chore.

Someone told me several years ago that you have fewer problems by selling on eBay.com because there are fewer restrictions on what you can sell compared to other eBay sites. I haven't tried it myself because I haven't yet got my head around how well it would work for those of us not based in the US. Obviously the pricing would be in US dollars. Does anyone here, not based in the US, sell on eBay.com and if so how do you find it compared to the eBay site related to where you live?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Olddust

I have shipped international from Canada to USA and others. As well as received from outside the Country. I use gunbroker, and will ship permitted items, but as stated buy others before about 30% of US sellers will not ship items to me. Why I don't know. Numrich will, so why not “bobs guns of Kansas” I guess having the biggest market sown up makes doing business elsewhere a chore.

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I must admit I've probably never considered selling my stuff opened up for international buyers. We have so much paperwork already, I don't even want to figure out what else to do if someone overseas buys it, so I just play the odds that my buyer will probably be domestic anyway, so why take the risk of getting an overseas buyer and then have to figure out what to do. I apologize, but I REALLY HATE paperwork. I barely know how to make a label and ship something domestically. Next time I sell something, I'll give it a second thought, and read a bit about what I'd have to do if it sold internationally.

For Canadians who live near a major US centers if you can find a forwarder who will take your packages to the US and mail them from there, or if you can take them across yourself you can sell on eBay.com as opposed to eBay.ca There are vids about this on YT etc.

The problem isn't selling on eBay, it's shipping through eBay's Global Shipping Program.

If you set up your listing to reflect your willingness to ship internationally, international bidders will be able to compete for your item. If they win, use whatever carrier you prefer, and invoice the international bidder for the cost of packing and shipping.

You might have to fill out a customs form, or maybe just a little customs sticker, either of which won't cost you five minutes. Easy peasy.

When you choose (it's optional!) to use eBay's Global Shipping Program, you stick your buyer with an inappropriately high shipping bill, a looooong shipping delay, and the risk of your item being confiscated by the eBay package inspectors.

eBay obviously unpacks/repacks at least some of the items, else we'd not have these confiscation issues, as they're confiscating items they already permitted you to sell internationally.

I hope a competitor to eBay will emerge, but until it does, just use your own shipper and avoid the annoyance.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Troglodyte

The problem isn't selling on eBay, it's shipping through eBay's Global Shipping Program.

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Absolutely correct!
After the same thing happening with another item (1980s Swift Spotting Scope) I spent an age trying to find a way to actually talk to an ebay represntitive, I ended up with an 'online chat' with a lady based in India!

After trying to explain to her that me retaining the payment for the item, and the buyer getting a refund wasn't the point - I explained there was no restriction on shipping these items, and that in some instances they were extrememly difficult to replace.

She told me there was a sight chance of getting the item back, and if that were the case, I could ship to the original buyer using a different method
Proving that its their non sensical, idiotic policy

If you sell on ebay DO NOT USE THEIR GLOBAL SHIPPING OPTION

The reason most US sellers won't ship overseas is because shipments not containing frames, barrels and receivers requiring export licensing, still require lodging with US Customs and Border Protection/Census before shipment. In order to ship legally, the seller must be registered and lodge the shipment on the CBP/Census website to obtain an AES ITN or Automated Export System International Transaction Number. This number must be entered on the current US Post Customs Declarations and if it's not there, the items can/may be confiscated by CBP. It doesn't matter if it's No.4 band screws or sling swivels. If it's a firearms component, lodging is required. They've recently changed the US Postal regs and detailed descriptions are now being required. Doing away with "generalized" or "creative" descriptions is the goal of this. I read and hear of surprised shippers over here having valuable parts seized. I've even had a couple of folks call here after seizure to ask how to get the job done and shipments returned but by then it's too late. The seized items are never returned after the fact. I'd guess more and more will find out the hard way as time goes on.

The bottom line is large retailers and gubbermints don't like the peons being able to sell their used stuff to each other outside their local area.

Gubbermints consider it unregulated commerce and the retailers see the billions changing hands and think that if those venues didn't exist the peons would buy their new junk instead with that money.

The constant jacking up of postage rates in at least the Anglosphere is IMHO governments attempts to claw back some of that income they think they lost. And of course the regular agenda of extracting as much revenue from the populace as possible to service the "debts", buy votes, and pay off their various "stakeholders".

eBay is now collecting a huge amount of money in "taxes" on behalf of governments, but is there any public accounting of how much actually goes to those governments in the end?

Many people feel eBay is actually intent on squeezing out the small private sellers so as to please these forces. Possibly they're trying to strike a balance between competing interests.

eBay stalking scandal - Wikipedia

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Flying10uk

You can sell an axe on eBay BUT it can't be a fireman's axe. After listing a fireman's axe twice and having it taken down twice I was told that while an ordinary axe is ok a fireman's axe is not ok because a fireman's axe is a two headed axe and could be used as a "weapon". I did ask why all the other fireman's axes hadn't been taken down, listed by other sellers, and was told that they hadn't got round to it yet.

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So I got my brother to list the said "Vintage Fireman's Axe" on facebook trader, thinking that they may have more "relaxed rules", but the listing was taken down off facebook trader within a few hours. The reason given, apparently, was that a "Fireman's Axe" could be a potential "weapon". Presumably there are cases of crimes being committed by criminals wielding vintage fireman's axes but I can't say that I've ever heard of any.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

It's almost like you have to contact the seller and offer him what it's worth, have him pull it and ship it regular mail.

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Jim

Try and exchange any contact details with a seller or buyer in a message via eBay UK before an item has sold, and their snooping software detects email addresses and deletes them, and you may also get a threat from them to shut your acount down either temporarily or permanently as they say their T&C are breached, and you are trying to sell outside eBay.

Several years ago I had someone local wanted to view an item (a lathe) before the auction ended so they could decide whether or not to bid after checking the condition. Perfectly reasonable you might think, but, eBay repeatedly blocked the messages, blocked my account, and when I took it up with them, wouldn't accept my explanation!

What doesn't appear to get detected (yet) is to photograph your contact details, and send them as a message attachment.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David TS

Jim


What doesn't appear to get detected (yet) is to photograph your contact details, and send them as a message attachment.

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I was about to suggest that as I read your reply.

The 'bot' can only scan looking for the programmed key-words.
A photograph of the item for sale with your email address propped up alongside it gets thru' every time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David TS

their snooping software

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It was suggested to me that eBay/facebook may have software that can scan and detect items that "don't comply" with their regs without the need for a human. Is that likely or even possible?

Most definitely. Similar to your computer's firewall, anti virus software and similar stuff.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

I was about to suggest that as I read your reply.

The 'bot' can only scan looking for the programmed key-words.
A photograph of the item for sale with your email address propped up alongside it gets thru' every time.

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Only a matter of time.

The iPhone now allows you to copy the text out of a photograph. It’s even pretty decent at reading handwritten text. The technology is there!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David TS

Jim

Try and exchange any contact details with a seller or buyer in a message via eBay UK before an item has sold, and their snooping software detects email addresses and deletes them, and you may also get a threat from them to shut your acount down either temporarily or permanently as they say their T&C are breached, and you are trying to sell outside eBay.

Several years ago I had someone local wanted to view an item (a lathe) before the auction ended so they could decide whether or not to bid after checking the condition. Perfectly reasonable you might think, but, eBay repeatedly blocked the messages, blocked my account, and when I took it up with them, wouldn't accept my explanation!

What doesn't appear to get detected (yet) is to photograph your contact details, and send them as a message attachment.

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Use morse code, bought a few radios, radio parts etc ( all military) usually the sellers are Hams so not too much trouble for them to decode a phone number.

Ebay getting to pricey now, I recently sold a No32 Mk1 scope on EBay, I realised who the buyer was and also was a bit taken back on there valuation fee, so I contacted the buyer to say I would cancel the order and after he got his refund to call me and we could proceed.

I haven’t heard from the buyer and have been away, only had a glimpse of my eBay account yesterday and he left negative feedback and said I’d cancelled the order as I’d sold it too cheap...... some mothers have them as they say.

Sorry to hear of your sell off Neil, I’m selling a lot of mine, but decided to keep the L42 and matching No 4T. ( obviously you know the story of the scope, every time I pick the scope up , it reminds me of a scene in Pulp fiction.....)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigduke6

Sorry to hear of your sell off Neil

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It was only the Snipers, Geoff - time for them to be looked after and enjoyed by the next custodians' - the service rifle collection is still there, and about to be joined by a few others with the proceeds

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigduke6

so I contacted the buyer to say

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The trouble is some people can't be bothered or are too lazy to read their messages!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Flying10uk

The trouble is some people can't be bothered or are too lazy to read their messages!

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Well that's true but, as I cancelled the order I wasn't expecting messages etc through ebay, received another today via ebay saying I was a scammer.......as the day after I contacted him via email he sent me pictures of a box off shake and bake or something....

Certainly has confirmed my belief of what kind of person he is.

Ebay appears to now be selling the two items in question at a small profit:

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE SUNSHADE KILLFLASH | eBay

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE BORE GUIDE | eBay

I was the original buyer, whose purchase was confiscated and refunded by eBay. I just bought both again from this new seller, who used the same photos and description that the OP used in his listing two months ago:

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE SUNSHADE KILLFLASH | eBay

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE BORE GUIDE | eBay

Note that the new seller's contact info is listed in the auction listing, at the bottom. If I actually receive these via eBay's GSP, we'll know what's up. If I do not, the OP still deserves an explanation of how his items ended up for sale again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Troglodyte

Ebay appears to now be selling the two items in question at a small profit:

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE SUNSHADE KILLFLASH | eBay

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE BORE GUIDE | eBay

I was the original buyer, whose purchase was confiscated and refunded by eBay. I just bought both again from this new seller, who used the same photos and description that the OP used in his listing two months ago:

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE SUNSHADE KILLFLASH | eBay

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE BORE GUIDE | eBay

Note that the new seller's contact info is listed in the auction listing, at the bottom. If I actually receive these via eBay's GSP, we'll know what's up. If I do not, the OP still deserves an explanation of how his items ended up for sale again.

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Something absolutely stinks here......
I will be contacting ebay to try and get to the bottom of this

Ive just sent this to the seller:

Good Evening
This is an item that I sold through ebay on the 19th March.
It was shipped via, and confiscated by ebays Global shipping centre
Could you please tell me how you came to be selling it (and another item that was mine) using my descriptions and photographs.
I will be contacting ebay and asking for an explaination and investigation

We'll see what happens

Quote:

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Originally Posted by waco16

It was shipped via, and confiscated by ebays Global shipping centre

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Did you get to keep the proceeds of the original sale?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Flying10uk

Did you get to keep the proceeds of the original sale?

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Yes - I kept the payment and the buyer was refunded.
That's not the point really - its the fact that somebody at ebays GSP is making incorrect decisions about what items can and cannot be sent.
There is absolutely no way that the items in question are restricted in any way.
They have, in one instance, prevented the buyer who desperately wanted an item from having it, for no other reason (it seems) than me putting 'British Army Sniper' in the description

I received a reply from the new 'seller' of the items this morning:

Good morning,
When a sale is restricted at GSP the seller keeps the proceeds of the sale and the buyer is refunded out of ebays pocket fully. The items are them liquidated in some cases to recoup some of the cost of the loss in refunds for the sale. Specific countries cannot export certain materials or categories hence the restriction in the first place. Hope this helps.
Kind regards
FiveStarUK

Obviously linked to ebay - looking at their other items, they all seem to comprise things that ebays GSP may have considered 'restricted' in their uninformed way

It will be interesting to see if Troglodyte receives the items
If he does it just goes to show what a sham all of this is

If it wasn't the fact that they let me, and the buyer keep the payments, I think the term 'theives' fits very well

I shall still be contacting ebay about this after the bank holiday - its just not right.
They even used my pictures and desctiption from the original listings!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by waco16

They even used my pictures and desctiption from the original listings!

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An online search would appear to suggest that you may not be the first.

Presumably (?) buried somewhere in the small print of the t&c's, that most people do not read, eBay gives it's self authority to assume ownership of items that it confiscates under it's GSP?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by waco16

I shall still be contacting ebay about this after the bank holiday - its just not right.
They even used my pictures and desctiption from the original listings!

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Please wait until I have received the items before you contact them.

I want to see if they get through the GSP system this time--they were again shipped using that method.

That will give you a bit more ammo to go after them with.

Thanks,
Trog

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Troglodyte

I want to see if they get through the GSP system this time--they were again shipped using that method.

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I had the rear tail of a Maasai spear shipped from Texas and asked the dealer to not ship global. I was sure they'd find it a "Dangerous" item. They did and it returned, even with the dealer trying another route. The only way to be sure is avoid G S P all together.

Should have sent it as a broom handle.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daan Kemp

Should have sent it as a broom handle.

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Agreed, I told her clearly not to send it GSP but she just went ahead. They always say the same thing..."I know what I'm doing"... And then I get pounded with shipping costs, extra fees and this other prohibition. At least I did get the refund.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Troglodyte

Please wait until I have received the items before you contact them.

I want to see if they get through the GSP system this time--they were again shipped using that method.

That will give you a bit more ammo to go after them with.

Thanks,
Trog

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Having thought about it - thats the plan
please let me know if, and when they arrive

Quote:

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Originally Posted by waco16

Having thought about it - thats the plan
please let me know if, and when they arrive

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I'll even include photos.

OK, transaction is finalized:

Once again, eBay confiscated the items and refunded my money.

Consistant in their ignorance!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Troglodyte

Once again, eBay confiscated the items and refunded my money.

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At least you may have the opportunity to purchase the items for a 3rd time.

The items get sold by subcontractors of Pitney Bowes who will use your pics to list them. This has been going on for awhile. Experienced international buyers will offer to pay more for shipping to ship outside the eBay global shipping program. Cleaning Rods used to be safe but not anymore. Stocks almost never get sent on. Very annoying that they are allowed to steal your pics to relist.



---------- Post added at 10:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:31 PM ----------

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David TS

Jim

Try and exchange any contact details with a seller or buyer in a message via eBay UK before an item has sold, and their snooping software detects email addresses and deletes them, and you may also get a threat from them to shut your acount down either temporarily or permanently as they say their T&C are breached, and you are trying to sell outside eBay.

Several years ago I had someone local wanted to view an item (a lathe) before the auction ended so they could decide whether or not to bid after checking the condition. Perfectly reasonable you might think, but, eBay repeatedly blocked the messages, blocked my account, and when I took it up with them, wouldn't accept my explanation!

What doesn't appear to get detected (yet) is to photograph your contact details, and send them as a message attachment.

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Even better is to send a picture of the item they are asking about with contact information written in the picture in cursive. Add some random stars and circles around the letters too to throw off the snooping software.

---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 PM ----------

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

I was about to suggest that as I read your reply.

The 'bot' can only scan looking for the programmed key-words.
A photograph of the item for sale with your email address propped up alongside it gets thru' every time.

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They are able to detect photos now too if it is just letters and numbers on plain paper. I couldn't believe it when it happened.

---------- Post added at 10:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:36 PM ----------

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Troglodyte

Ebay appears to now be selling the two items in question at a small profit:

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE SUNSHADE KILLFLASH | eBay

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE BORE GUIDE | eBay

I was the original buyer, whose purchase was confiscated and refunded by eBay. I just bought both again from this new seller, who used the same photos and description that the OP used in his listing two months ago:

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE SUNSHADE KILLFLASH | eBay

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL L96A1 SNIPER RIFLE BORE GUIDE | eBay

Note that the new seller's contact info is listed in the auction listing, at the bottom. If I actually receive these via eBay's GSP, we'll know what's up. If I do not, the OP still deserves an explanation of how his items ended up for sale again.

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They are subcontractors selling for Pitney Bowes. Are they using your pictures?

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Originally Posted by capt14k

they are allowed to steal your pics to relist.

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I assume you surrender ownership (or usage licensure) to the pics as soon as you willingly upload them to eBay. It's no doubt in the "terms and conditions" we all check the box that we read.

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Originally Posted by waco16

Something absolutely stinks here......
I will be contacting ebay to try and get to the bottom of this

Ive just sent this to the seller:

Good Evening
This is an item that I sold through ebay on the 19th March.
It was shipped via, and confiscated by ebays Global shipping centre
Could you please tell me how you came to be selling it (and another item that was mine) using my descriptions and photographs.
I will be contacting ebay and asking for an explaination and investigation

We'll see what happens

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EBay confiscated empty ammo paper boxes from me. They are nuts.

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Originally Posted by Rickvz

EBay confiscated empty ammo paper boxes from me. They are nuts.

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Perhaps they didn't bother to open the boxes and figure out that they were empty?

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Originally Posted by Flying10uk

Perhaps they didn't bother to open the boxes and figure out that they were empty?

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If eBay couldn't figure out that those boxes were empty just by the weight of it, there is something wrong with them haha