I just started selling on ebay again, and one month in ebay restricts my account because I was a fraud victim on their site over a year ago.

In August of 2010, a scammer tried to get a refund from me using the new protection system for an item he never paid me for. Unfortunately ebay says there was some glitch in the new checkout and protection system that overwhelmed their departments and customer support that allowed this to happen. Since the item had never been marked paid, I complained, he never should have had that option to begin with, yet he was allowed to file to get $ back from me that he had never paid for the item in the first place.

To my horror, they found in his favor and tried to debit my bank for his refund (I blocked it by changing my account #s), and they found against me in that dispute for non-delivery, because the buyer called them and lied about having paid for it, even though there was no proof of payment. I even shipped him the product without payment just to resolve it, and they still tried to debit me.

I had to threaten the buyer with a criminal complaint to get him off my back and force him to return the goods. The whole time ebay did not lift a finger, I could not reach anyone, I wrote e-mails, I called, they left me on hold for over 45 minutes before disconnecting me, they blocked me from signing up for the new payment portals on my account to use the new checkout system, and I was generally ignored and prevented from selling anything. I appealed the case against me, and they never responded to the repeal. So I gave up and allowed the account to lapse and went to another sales site.

I complained to the CA attorney general's office and the Better Business Bureau, and the office of the President of ebay sent me a letter blowing me off, basically saying that I didn't deserve their attention because I had a bad attitude. (I was angry! of course... and demanding restitution, duh)

I left that account with a negative balance, told them I was excersizing my right of refusal of defective services for my ebay store as a result of the wrongful buyer protection case, and moved the store to Bonanza, severing all ties w/that account.

Eventually ebay got back to me to resolve this 2 1/2 months later, and it was agreed the account balance would be zeroed on the basis of contract revocation by ebay's failure to deliver the promised/expected service product, and the ebay resolution dept invited me to come back with a new account "whenever I was ready". They said they would be happy to have me back and were so extremely sorry this happened, and admitted it was their fault. I was burned out by it so I said thanks for resolving it and fixing it finally, but that I wanted to stay off ebay for a while because of the negative experience. They guaranteed that they had finally resolved the dispute and appealed the case in my favor, and canceled "all collection efforts" on any charges still on that account.

I waited a little over a year, and finally I felt comfortable getting back on ebay and starting from scratch. I actually had the spare account way back when all the trouble happened, that I used only for occasional purchases, so I used that second account to start selling again as they told me I could.

Now I got suspended yesterday, and I called them, and they are again trying to collect that same INR dispute money AND seller fees and charges from the old ebay account from after I left it and closed the store and declined their service. I even quoted to them California consumer law that says I have right of refusal for defective service and a right to cancel the contract.

So I spoke to someone again last night, and again they are apologetic, promised to clear both accounts and get me set up again.

HERE is my concern: when I closed the first account I did not have paypal- I had a merchant creditcard system, as this was before the new checkout system, and never had the opportunity to finish linking it to ebay. So they were never able to charge me back then, as I canceled my creditcards they had on file, and there was no other backup for payment. Now that I am back I have been using paypal to take payments and pay seller fees on the "new" account. I opened a brand new paypal account this past fall for this purpose, so it was never linked to the old closed disputed ebay account.

They failed to fix this problem the first time for 2 1/2 months, the second time for about 13 months, so I can't trust them to fix it for me a third time. How do I know they won't try to charge me again?

Now that I have paypal and my bank information linked through the new ebay account (which has a zero balance and is paid in full), they can't come after me for the old disputed balance from over a year ago and charge it to my new paypal account, can they?
I never linked my new paypal account to the old disputed ebay account that experienced the fraudulent buyer, and I never linked my two ebay accounts together. Ebay linked the two ebay accounts together over the past day or so, and I don't know how since they are separate addresses- the old closed one is my home/personal, and newer account is registered to my business name and location. I assume they linked it because I bought things on the new account and had them mailed to my home on the new business account, and then had to charge on back to ebay through my bank for non-delivery.

I already successfully warded off a collections agency they sent after me for this, and the collections firm promptly ceased collection efforts seeing it was ebay's fault. But ebay can't seem to get this fixed.

I worry that ebay will circumvent my protests and consumer law, take the old illegitimate bill from the old account and bill it to the new account that was in good standing until yesterday, and then use that as an excuse to bill it to my bank or creditcard through the new paypal billing agreement on the newer ebay account. Is that possible? or are they not allowed to do that?

I changed all of my creditcard numbers today as a result of this, and I purposely left my bank account on paypal unconfirmed. Did I do right? I'm still uncertain. Advice on where to go from here, and how to protect myself?


Thanks for your help,


Dan

Hi Dan,
wow you have a lot of concerns regarding paypal and ebay and I would too if I was you. They really had their way with you just to keep promising things are going to be fine just to screw you over again.

You asked "Advice on where to go from here, and how to protect myself?" and I would have to say the best thing you can do is to not use paypal. Go back to having a merchant account when selling on ebay. If paypal or ebay (which are the same company) thinks you owe them money they will do whatever it takes to collect that money.

"How do I know they won't try to charge me again?" You don't!

"Ebay linked the two ebay accounts together over the past day or so, and I don't know how since they are separate addresses- the old closed one is my home/personal, and newer account is registered to my business name and location." If you managed both eBay accounts and your paypal account from the same computer eBay and paypal can easily see that the accounts have the same IP address and therefor link them all back to you.

I wish you the best of luck with whatever route you go.

Dan with Paypal and Ebay you just never know what will happen next. You are living an example of what they do and how they hold on to their quest for getting money they believe is owed to them. They told you what you wanted to hear only so that you would open account, giving them access to your funds which they would in turn pull out and close you down.

The horror stories seem to be endless. I think your best bet is to not even contimplate using Paypal. Write them off and walk away. You've gone by the rules and even went back to them for a second chance only to be wronged. They are just bad news always waiting to happen.