Ebay's new seller restrictions?

[Squirrelypaws]

My Ebay account was restricted from selling a few years back due to "poor seller performance"; I had one buyer that was a bit of a buttmunch, and since I was only selling a handful of items a year my star rating dipped below what Ebay deems acceptable.

I've been thinking about starting a new account so I can sell again. But before I go for it, I'd like to know more about the limitations they place on new sellers. Has anyone here recently started selling on Ebay that can share their experiences?

[buttonso]

I started selling stuff over the summer, I'd never sold before... I don't recall any real limitations other than eBay seems to hold your funds hostage for awhile before releasing them into your PayPal, lest something go screwy with the transaction. But my sales all went fine and I did get the money eventually.

[Squirrelypaws]

Thanks so much for weighing in, Buttonso. ^_^

I'd read about the withholding funds thing, and actually, that's where a lot of my concerns and questions are.

Do they hold shipping too, or just the item price?

Is there a set period of time that they hold it for? Or does it get released when positive feedback is received?

If it's contingent on feedback, what happens if the buyer doesn't leave feedback?

I imagine it stops holding the money after you've built up a good reputation as a seller, but how is "good reputation" determined?

SO MANY QUESTIONS! 

[buttonso]

I believe I was still able to draw from the funds to pay for shipping and such... The transactions for the shipping show in my paypal history as preapproved payments. I don't remember the exact amount of time they held the funds, I want to say a couple of weeks after the auctions ended. I'm guessing it's based more on whether or not anyone complains about you than actual feedback... My last batch of auctions haven't yielded much feedback but I still got my funds eventually. I'm noticing some inconsistency with the eBay app versus the website... Like my app still says my funds are being held from my last batch of auctions but they've been in my paypal for awhile. ::shrugs:: the app is GREAT for buying but not so much for selling (not that you asked about that lol)

[lunar_scythe]

They hold the whole payment, *but* you can use it to buy postage thru eBay and PayPal.  I haven't sold enough, but I think they stop holding the funds after you reach $250 in sales?  The release the money 3 days after tracking has said its delivered, or feedback is received from the buyer.

[buttonso]

They hold the whole payment, *but* you can use it to buy postage thru eBay and PayPal.  I haven't sold enough, but I think they stop holding the funds after you reach $250 in sales?  The release the money 3 days after tracking has said its delivered, or feedback is received from the buyer.

Shows how well I've paid attention... I feel like it took a lot longer than 3 days for me but I'll freely admit I didn't watch it super close.  and a lot of my buyers were in no hurry to leave feedback even though my packages were all delivered quickly and I've had zero complaints.

[nhal039]

It depends where you post to i think, I live in nz and send parcels without tracking and so funds including postage get held for 21 days. This will only change if I become a top rated seller (which i will never be as I rarely sell on ebay), they do not release funds even with feedback being left, I have emailed them about releasing funds early once feedback has been left but they blantantly said no they make interest on holding funds. I am not really the biggest ebay fan its fair to say

[Ringlets]

I was selling before all this started, but off the top of my head (we've had discussions in here about the fund release time before BTW) it does usually take around 21 days for them to release your funds if you're a new seller. This time can be less if you're sending with tracking/delivery confirmation, and selling quite a lot plus getting lots of good feedback -not so easy now when quite a few buyers don't bother to leave feedback, although if you get good feedback from some and no issues from your other sales it still helps I think- and possibly some other things(which I'm embarrassed to say I cant remember!) .  It possibly varies also depending on your country.   I'll have to refresh my memory!
Its much harder IMO to sell on ebay now than it used to be, but still worth giving it a go if you don't mind the fund holding thing and you need a bigger market to sell your stuff.

[Squirrelypaws]

Thanks SO much for all the input, everyone. ^_^ It doesn't sound anywhere near as horrible as I'd imagined when I first heard of the new restrictions.

I think I'll go ahead and list a few small items that are easy to ship; I don't mind so much having to wait for the money for the item itself, but I'm unable to use the Paypal shipping thing because I have no way to print the labels, so sounds like shipping would be out-of-pocket.

[Lorelei Redfern]

when i first started selling it  took at least three weeks  and up to  21 days to relase the funds that was hte only issue i had when i was new on ebay.

[ponylady]

Do they hold shipping too, or just the item price?

I believe everyone has pretty  much covered the answer to this one. I would like to add though eBay considers by you opening a new account or using a multiple account to avoid the restrictions from your previous account is a violation of their policy. If you closed your old account then I would not worry but if not I would use your old account. I wouldn't want to see you get into trouble.  Plus anything negative on your old account falls off after 12 months. The quote below is directly from eBay and would pertain to your old account so it is something to consider, as anything bad on your old account is most likely not their anymore.

If you already have an established seller account

You may be able to raise the limits on your account if you have another, more established seller account on eBay. Your other account needs to meet all of these conditions:
It's been 90 days since you received your first Feedback for a successful sale.
You don't have any unresolved eBay Money Back Guarantee requests or PayPal Purchase Protection cases.
Your detailed seller ratings are at least 4.8 in all areas.

Is there a set period of time that they hold it for? Or does it get released when positive feedback is received?

 This will be based upon on your shipping method and the shipping information you provide. As a rule of thumb it is usually three days after they can confirm the order was delivered, if you pay for shipping and print labels on eBay. The eBay label printing service is free, your tracking information uploads automatically, and you'll get funds to help cover shipping. The three days also applies after they can confirm the order was delivered, if you ship directly using USPS, UPS or FedEx and manually enter your tracking information to My eBay. It is then 7 days after your latest estimated delivery date if you don't upload tracking information but you mark the item as shipped in My eBay OR 21 days after the buyer pays, if you don't provide tracking information, mark the item as shipped, or the estimated delivery date can't be calculated.

If it's contingent on feedback, what happens if the buyer doesn't leave feedback?

Please see above answer. Feedback will not affect the availability of funds. Positive feedback is not necessarily a reliable indication of successful fulfillment because buyers often leave Feedback before they even receive the item, or not at all.

I imagine it stops holding the money after you've built up a good reputation as a seller, but how is "good reputation" determined?

To build your eBay reputation, you need to consistently get positive feedbacks from satisfied and happy customers, reply promptly to all eBay enquiries, post items on time, and give very detailed descriptions with lots of quality photos. That is just a few easy ways to help you get started. If you can do all this simple actions, I can guarantee you that you will definitely see an increase in your seller reputation in no time.

[Ringlets]

Thanks for adding the more detailed explanation PL  

[Squirrelypaws]

Thanks for all the details, Ponylady. ^_^

I too thought the issues would roll off my account after a while, but apparently not? According to the date of my last selling-fees invoice, it's been four and a half years since it was restricted and I'm still unable to sell.

[SunnyDazeAhead]

I read the opening post and the word 'buttmunch' just made me snicker IRL... I haven't heard that term used in yeaaars.....
I'm sorry that you had such a poor experience selling on ebay awhile ago. I have been on eBay since... early '00s (maybe 2000, 2002?) and I don't sell many items a year either. In fact, the past month or so I've sold the MOST I've ever sold in my entire Ebay history so that's been a huge blessing. I wasn't aware that eBay would actually reprimand you if you weren't selling up to their standards --- that's news to me! I'd have been so gutted if I got a notice like that and I'd like, probably walk away and never sell again...   IDK! But I'm uber sensitive like that haha

[Ringlets]

wow that's a long time to still keep the restrictions on.. I think I would contact them and ask about that. A phone call is best