Sellers linking to websites off eBay - 'not a policy violation'
Summary: asjc15 discussed an observed policy change on eBay, where sellers are linking to external websites within their listings, seemingly without violating policies according to eBay's automated checks. They reported the issue, received a rejection, and faced the same response upon appeal. jonatjonatjonat and others humorously commented on eBay's reporting system and questioned its effectiveness, while cbennissupplies pointed out that this practice contradicts eBay’s stated policies to prevent fraud and protect members.
In a somewhat bizarre change of policy eBay now seem to be happy for sellers to link their own websites in their eBay listings. I spotted a seller with hundreds of listings on their business account who had included the following line at the end of the description on every single one:
'For cheaper prices visit [redactedsitename].[redacteddomainextension]'
I reported the listing assuming even eBay's AI could pick that up easily enough. Soon after I received an email saying they'd looked into the report and found the listing wasn't in violation of their policy, and that this determination had been made using AI or automation. Right okay, I'll just appeal. I appeal and once again, soon after I'm told 'we didn’t find the content to be in violation of our policy'. Incredible.
Even better, this seller also sells on a private account and does the same thing there. So there you have it folks, it would appear we can now link to off-eBay stores and encourage people to not complete the transaction on eBay.
c_of_e84
·1 week agoNot surprised at all, platform is crumbling.
cbennissupplies
·1 week agowell thats ebay violating their own policy by allowing others to violate their policy
as ebay states
eBay's policy prohibits listings or item descriptions from containing links that direct customers to any site other than eBay to protect members from malicious sites and fraud.
jonatjonatjonat
·1 week agoIncorrect - what you are finding is ebays reporting system is held together by duct tape.
the_brick_lodge
·1 week agoYou think they sprung for duct tape? That stuff is expensive!
jonatjonatjonat
·1 week agooff brand versions are available. I'm sure you know where you could get them online.