Top Rated business restricted over a disputed linked-account debt – no substantive answers
Summary: chilltechlondon is experiencing a restriction on their Top Rated Seller account due to a supposed linked historical account with unpaid debt. They paid off a balance from a previous account but dispute the debt of another account they don't believe belongs to them. chilltechlondon seeks guidance on eBay's refusal to provide detailed information about the debtor and their liability. bzmotman suggests filing a formal complaint and potentially escalating to the Financial Ombudsman Service. 4_bathrooms mentions that due to GDPR, eBay might be limited in the information they can share, while stormatic2015 shares a similar experience, suggesting submitting a Subject Access Request under GDPR for potential insights.
Hello everyone,
I am seeking practical guidance from experienced business sellers.
My active Top Rated Seller account has been restricted because eBay says it is linked to a historical account with an outstanding balance. My selling privileges are restricted, payouts are held and listings have been affected. Three employees and an established business are being seriously impacted.
One previous account that genuinely belonged to me had a forgotten balance. As soon as eBay identified it, I completed verification and paid the full amount immediately. eBay confirmed that matter was resolved.
The remaining issue concerns a different historical business account. I formally dispute that its balance is my personal debt. I have asked eBay to confirm:
Who the legal debtor is.
Who was registered and verified when the charges arose.
Which legal entity and bank account received the payouts.
What contractual provision makes me personally liable.
Whether payment would guarantee reinstatement or merely trigger another review.
I have not received substantive answers. Trust & Safety repeatedly instructs me to contact a collection agency and arrange payment before my current account can be considered for reinstatement.
I am not refusing to meet a genuine obligation. I am asking eBay to establish that the alleged debt is legally and contractually mine. I am also not eBay’s debt collector and have no authority to pursue payment from another member or company.
Has anyone experienced a linked-account restriction where eBay would not identify the debtor or provide the basis for personal liability? Is there a genuine senior complaints or mediation route that resulted in a human review?
Please do not request private account details, as this is a public forum. I would appreciate practical guidance about the correct escalation route.
Thank you.
stormatic2015
·2 weeks agoI had the same issue, old employment's feedback went down hill after I left and because I logged in with my own account at work and vice versa, they were linked. They eventually got banned.
I did manage to get it unlinked by sending a letter to the then CEO providing information that I am not the other account. Not 100% sure if that was the solution as I didn't hear anything back and restriction was restored a week after sending letter.
You can also submit a Subject Access Request under the GDPR. For more information eBay have a link already.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/account/requesting-personal-data/requesting-personal-data?id=5089
This might give you a clue or provide information you might seek.
4_bathrooms
·2 weeks agoIf the owner of the defaulting account is an identifiable private individual eBay cannot give you the information you're asking for in #1, #2 and #3 due to the Data Protection Act/GDPR. I have never known eBay to disclose the full details of a linked account - it could belong to a relative, an employee who accessed their eBay account from the same IP address as the business, your neighbour's goldfish who was accessing their eBay account through your home WiFi...I doubt you will ever know. However, when you state:
Are you indicating that you already know which eBay account defaulted?
It appears eBay have linked your account to an account that had a debt passed on to a debt collection agency. eBay doesn't care who pays the outstanding debt; they're not holding you personally liable for it but they will hold your account to ransom until someone pays it. If you don't know anything about the linked account it might be worth making a subject access request and seeing if there are any clues in the information you obtain from that.
bzmotman
·2 weeks agoThe only part I can offer any advice on would be the payments on hold.
You could submit a formal complaint via this link:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/payment-policies/file-complaint-ebay-payments-brokering-financial-services?id=5313
From my dealings with them a few years ago they were clued up & efficient.
This may provide more information but if they issue a deadlock letter then you are able to go the Financial Ombudsman Service. My only caution is that the FOS are currently quoting 3/4 months before they look at it but I think that depends on how seriously they view the matter. I currently have an ongoing case with them, not Ebay, and it was a much shorter time.
chilltechlondon
OP2 weeks agoThank you, this is very helpful.
I will submit a separate formal complaint specifically concerning the held payouts through the eBay Payments complaint route. I will ask for a final response or deadlock letter if the matter cannot be resolved.
My concern is that the payouts and selling activity are being restricted because of a balance that I formally dispute is my personal debt. I hope eBay Payments will at least examine whether continuing to hold the funds is justified and proportionate.
Thank you again for sharing your experience and the correct link.