eBay strikes again for unknown reason...

[JimW203]

I had placed a bid on eBay for an item entitled "CPAP RESMED Liberty Elbow Assembly + Inlet Tube Swivel." The photograph depicted just that; the description agreed with the picture. My understanding of the item and its offering never gave me pause nor did I expect problems. Just a few minutes ago I got this from ebay (extracted from the full message):
"Unfortunately, the item is no longer available for purchase. This is disappointing for everyone, but sometimes it's necessary to protect you as a buyer.
There are three main reasons why we remove listings:
-- The listing doesn't follow eBay guidelines.
-- The item isn't allowed on eBay or can only be listed under certain conditions.
-- The listing contains pictures or words in it that may have created copyright or trademark issues.
If the seller is able to fix the problem and relist the item, we hope you'll bid on it again.

We apologize for the inconvenience and have many other great deals on eBay. Just go to http://www.ebay.com to continue your shopping today. We hope to see you soon."

Sometimes rules are just stupid (or are interpreted stupidly).

JimW203

[GumbyCT]

Does Ebay have Moderators?

[JimW203]

Does Ebay have Moderators?

No, just investors.

[N6CRV]

I like the way now you can only pay using Ebay's PayPal. Whats wrong with Cash or Money order?
They just want to get us anyway they can.
Don

[JimW203]

I like the way now you can only pay using Ebay's PayPal. Whats wrong with Cash or Money order?
They just want to get us anyway they can.
Don

It is up to the seller. If the seller will accept checks, credit cards directly, money orders, or cash if local he/she can. Admittedly eBay makes it much easier to get paid with PayPal, but it is not a requirement. Most sellers opt for PayPal because they get payment much quicker (don't have to wait for snail mail of checks or MO) and they don't have the clearing delay. There is also an element of safety. I have been selling stuff on eBay for more than ten years; for the first five years or so my policy was USPS Money Orders only - when payment arrived, I would take the items sold and the MO to the Post Office, cashing the MO there and shipping with Priority Mail. Now, I accept PayPal only and ship mostly by FedEx Ground, charging it to my FedEx account. Things happen much quicker and go much smoother.

JimW203

[bunkit]

Have you checked eBays no no list to see if the item you are trying to purchase is on that list?

I can't imagine anything having to do with the CPAP being on that list but you never know. As far as medical, the only thing I know for sure that is not to be sold on there is any type of medicines or prescriptions.

Sorry that happened to you.

[BeanMeScot]

The bad thing about being a seller that has their auction pulled is there is NOTHING you can do. No one you can call to get it reinstated and tell they are idiots. Nothing. They act like if it has CPAP in the name, it needs a prescription which just isn't true.

[BeanMeScot]

Have you checked eBays no no list to see if the item you are trying to purchase is on that list?

I can't imagine anything having to do with the CPAP being on that list but you never know. As far as medical, the only thing I know for sure that is not to be sold on there is any type of medicines or prescriptions.

Sorry that happened to you.

The only thing that should be on a no-no list is a CPAP machine. You are required to have a prescription for that. Anything else should be fair game. The listing in question was not a machine.

[Debjax]

I imagine they probably have automated search engines that may be searching on specific terms like CPAP Resmed....and didn't look any further before the message was deleted. I'm betting nobody at ebay even saw the message, that it was an automated deletion.

[GumbyCT]

I imagine they probably have automated search engines that may be searching on specific terms like CPAP Resmed....and didn't look any further before the message was deleted. I'm betting nobody at ebay even saw the message, that it was an automated deletion.

Sounds like what we need here, ha!

[lynx]

I could see medical suppliers misreporting CPAP accessories as prescription items to ensure no second hand or discount market. I'm pretty sure medical supplies requiring a prescription run afoul of eBay's policies.

Also, I don't know about medical supplies but my wife says almost all the midrange designer purses on eBay are fakes. Reporting something as a fake gets it yanked (sometimes) as well, though the fake purses just get relisted.

[boston]

ive seen a lot of ebay auctions have disclaimers like :

attn ebay : this is not a cpap machine, only a part and does not require a prescription, so is allowed by ebay rules

i bought a keychain, and recieved an email from ebay 2 days later saying that the auction was not allowed, i was not to pay the seller and completing the transaction would be against their policies.
i had already paid via paypal, so i got the keychain, the seller seemed as confused as i did.

i have a few things id like to sell, but i havent sold on ebay for a few years and am not sure i want to since theyve changed so much stuff.

[goose]

For the most part I've stopped using ebay for anything other than looking for items -- then going somewhere else to find it.
If you want to sell that machine go to Craigs list -- at least I don't think they've got a prescription restriction yet.
I can understand ebay not wanting the problem of offering a prescription item, but they actually don't have a clue about what needs a script and what doesn't -- they lump anything having to do with xPAP into the "no-no" category. Just ignorance on their part, but don't get me started on ebay's ignorance!!!!

cheers
goose

[Guest]

Hi,

If the seller used a picture from RESMED and not one of their own, ebay will pull the ad. This happened to me once when I sold a monitor and used a picture from the companies web site. All I had to do was to relist the ad without using their picture and it was all good.

Glenn

[Debjax]

to Craigs list -- at least I don't think they've got a prescription restriction yet.
goose

They do.

From http://www.craigslist.org/about/prohibited.items

Partial list of items for sale and services the advertisement of which is not permitted on craigslist:
...Prescription drugs and medical devices, including but not limited to prescription or contact lenses, defibrillators, hypodermic needles or hearing aids.