What To Do If My Ebay Account Is Suspended
Account holds, restrictions, and suspensions | eBay
We may occasionally restrict or suspend accounts to protect our community. If you’re a seller, your payouts will be placed on hold until your restriction or suspension is lifted. If your eBay account is restricted or suspended, we’ll email you with the steps you need to take to have your account we believe your account has been accessed by a third party, we’ll place a temporary block on your account for your safety. For more information on what to do next, see how to get help with a hacked account
If we’ve placed a hold, restriction, or suspension on your account, we’ll send you an email explaining what happened and what you need to do to get your account back. You’ll find a copy of this message in your Messages.
Why your account was suspended or restricted
Holds, restrictions, or suspensions are usually placed on accounts for one of the following reasons:
You have eBay selling costs to pay
You need to reimburse eBay for a refund or a claim paid to your buyer
You have violated one of our rules or policies
We couldn’t verify your account information
How to have your account reinstated
Getting your account reinstated may be as simple as waiting for a temporary suspension to finish, making changes to your listings, or sending us some more information-it depends on the reason we suspended your account. The full details will be in the message we’ve sent you.
If your account was restricted or suspended because of outstanding seller costs or a refund reimbursement, you can make a one-time payment to resolve the issue. When we receive your payment, your account will be reinstated.
To make a one-time payment:
Go to Payments – opens in new window or tab in My eBay or Seller Hub.
Select One-time payment to make a payment
Aternatively you can add a new payment method
If eBay doesn’t currently manage your payments, you may also need to complete seller registration before your account will become fully reinstated.
Tip
Most account restrictions or suspensions can be resolved by making a one-time payment or by following the steps we gave you in the email in your Messages.
What happens while an account is suspended
When your eBay account is suspended, you won’t be able to:
bid, buy, or sell
leave feedback
create new listings or revise existing listings
contact bidders
reply to your eBay messages
receive payouts
If you’re a seller, your payouts will be placed on hold until the hold, restriction or suspension on your account is lifted.
Any bidders on your existing listings can retract their bids. When your account is reinstated, you’ll be able to leave feedback for any transactions you completed in the previous 30 days.
Depending on why your account was suspended, we may end listings early. If we remove listings because of a policy violation, eligibility for a fee credit will depend on the situation and any previous policy violations will be taken into account. These credits can be viewed by going to Payments within My eBay or Seller Hub. Keep in mind that listing fees can be forfeited too, depending on the reason for suspension.
Account verification holds
When you start selling on eBay, we need to confirm your identity and checking account details so you can receive your payouts. We may place a temporary hold on your account until we can verify your details. Once verification is complete, we’ll email you to let you know has been lifted and you can start selling.
Fake account hold and suspension notices
Watch out for spoof (fake) emails about account holds or suspensions. To confirm that an email was sent from eBay, check your eBay Messages – opens in new window or tab. If you can’t find a copy of the email there, then it wasn’t from eBay. Learn how to recognize spoof emails.
Account holds, restrictions, and suspensions | eBay
We may occasionally restrict or suspend accounts to protect our community. If you’re a seller, your payouts will be placed on hold until your restriction or suspension is lifted. If your eBay account is restricted or suspended, we’ll email you with the steps you need to take to have your account we believe your account has been accessed by a third party, we’ll place a temporary block on your account for your safety. For more information on what to do next, see how to get help with a hacked account
If we’ve placed a hold, restriction, or suspension on your account, we’ll send you an email explaining what happened and what you need to do to get your account back. You’ll find a copy of this message in your Messages.
Why your account was suspended or restricted
Holds, restrictions, or suspensions are usually placed on accounts for one of the following reasons:
You have eBay selling costs to pay
You need to reimburse eBay for a refund or a claim paid to your buyer
You have violated one of our rules or policies
We couldn’t verify your account information
How to have your account reinstated
Getting your account reinstated may be as simple as waiting for a temporary suspension to finish, making changes to your listings, or sending us some more information-it depends on the reason we suspended your account. The full details will be in the message we’ve sent you.
If your account was restricted or suspended because of outstanding seller costs or a refund reimbursement, you can make a one-time payment to resolve the issue. When we receive your payment, your account will be reinstated.
To make a one-time payment:
Go to Payments – opens in new window or tab in My eBay or Seller Hub.
Select One-time payment to make a payment
Aternatively you can add a new payment method
If eBay doesn’t currently manage your payments, you may also need to complete seller registration before your account will become fully reinstated.
Tip
Most account restrictions or suspensions can be resolved by making a one-time payment or by following the steps we gave you in the email in your Messages.
What happens while an account is suspended
When your eBay account is suspended, you won’t be able to:
bid, buy, or sell
leave feedback
create new listings or revise existing listings
contact bidders
reply to your eBay messages
receive payouts
If you’re a seller, your payouts will be placed on hold until the hold, restriction or suspension on your account is lifted.
Any bidders on your existing listings can retract their bids. When your account is reinstated, you’ll be able to leave feedback for any transactions you completed in the previous 30 days.
Depending on why your account was suspended, we may end listings early. If we remove listings because of a policy violation, eligibility for a fee credit will depend on the situation and any previous policy violations will be taken into account. These credits can be viewed by going to Payments within My eBay or Seller Hub. Keep in mind that listing fees can be forfeited too, depending on the reason for suspension.
Account verification holds
When you start selling on eBay, we need to confirm your identity and checking account details so you can receive your payouts. We may place a temporary hold on your account until we can verify your details. Once verification is complete, we’ll email you to let you know has been lifted and you can start selling.
Fake account hold and suspension notices
Watch out for spoof (fake) emails about account holds or suspensions. To confirm that an email was sent from eBay, check your eBay Messages – opens in new window or tab. If you can’t find a copy of the email there, then it wasn’t from eBay. Learn how to recognize spoof emails.
What to Do When eBay Suspends Your Account – The …
Selling on eBay can be a hobby or a full-blown business. If you rely on eBay for income, it can be a devastating blow to have your account suspended. It is why it is very important to educate yourself and understand all of eBay’s policies so you won’t be suspended in the first place. But, in the event your eBay account is placed on hold, restricted, or suspended, there are specific steps you can take to try to have it reinstated. Notice the key word here is “try, ” because there is no guarantee that eBay will reinstate an account.
Holds vs. Restrictions vs. Suspensions
Not all suspensions from eBay are the same. Minor issues, such as expired methods of payment or late payments, are likely to result in your account being placed on hold, and your account can be reinstated as soon as you update your payment method or settle your unpaid bill.
Restrictions are more severe than holds and might be put in place if, for example, you don’t meet minimum performance standards as a seller. For something like that, eBay might restrict you from selling certain items or lower your placement in search results. The only way to lift such a restriction is to meet eBay’s standards.
Suspensions usually occur only in the most egregious cases. For example, selling illegal merchandise or engaging in hate speech is likely to get a seller suspended indefinitely.
Stay Calm and Get the Facts
The first step in attempting to be reinstated on eBay is to identify the problem. If you are new, ignorance is your best defense. You may not have known that using stock photos is not permitted, or that you aren’t allowed to use the word Velcro in your title.
When you receive the notification email, stay calm and read the message carefully. eBay usually explains why an account has been suspended, and likely reasons include:
Not paying fees on time
Payment method is out of date (credit card expired)
Violation of a policy such as VeRO, which involves intellectual property rights
Listing an item that isn’t allowed, such as a counterfeit handbag
Using photos that aren’t allowed (stolen from another user, nonauthorized stock photos)
Offensive material (items including hate speech)
Recalled items
Drugs and drug paraphernalia
Hazardous materials, such as homemade weapons or explosives
Alcohol
Sometimes you don’t know if an item isn’t allowed since it is very difficult to know every single rule on eBay, especially if you are new. You may not know an item you have for sale has been recalled, or you may not know you can’t use stock photos, like pictures of clothing from retail websites.
Fixing the problem may be as simple as removing listings that were recalled in a massive recall of items from a specific company. If it is an easy fix, eBay will explain exactly what you need to do to have your account reinstated.
Call eBay and Discuss
If you don’t see any specific instructions on how to have your eBay account reinstated, don’t make a new account. Instead, call them at 1-866-540-3229 and discuss. Explain that you received the suspension email and are very concerned. It may take talking to several people to get to the right person who can help you. A few tips for talking with eBay customer service representatives:
Gather the facts before you call: Make sure you have the following information before you call so you can easily answer any questions the CSR may have to find your account:eBay user IDEmail associated with your eBay accountDate of the emailReference number in the email (if applicable)Print out of the email for easy referenceRemain calm: eBay CSRs are just regular people like you doing their job and have nothing against you personally. You should act as an investigator here, gathering the facts. Act in a calm, professional, and rational manner. The objective here is to get to someone who can and will help for a supervisor if needed: The CSR who answers your call may not know how to help you. If you haven’t received an answer or acceptable assistance after 10 minutes of speaking to someone, politely ask for a supervisor. Someone more experienced may be needed to help you.
Knowledge of Policies
The best way to handle an eBay suspension is not to get one. Whether you are new to eBay or a seasoned seller, it is beneficial to read the eBay policies to educate yourself on the rules. eBay is an ever-changing universe, and rules change from time to time, so new policies can sneak up on you. Always read email updates from eBay, and check your eBay messages frequently for updates and announcements.
Frequently Asked Questions about what to do if my ebay account is suspended
How do I recover my suspended eBay account?
If your account was restricted or suspended because of outstanding seller costs or a refund reimbursement, you can make a one-time payment to resolve the issue. When we receive your payment, your account will be reinstated.
How do I contact eBay if my account is suspended?
If you don’t see any specific instructions on how to have your eBay account reinstated, don’t make a new account. Instead, call them at 1-866-540-3229 and discuss. Explain that you received the suspension email and are very concerned. It may take talking to several people to get to the right person who can help you.Mar 2, 2021
Why has my eBay account been suspended?
Why your account was suspended or restricted You have eBay selling costs to pay. You need to reimburse eBay for a refund or a claim paid to your buyer. You have violated one of our rules or policies. We couldn’t verify your account information.
