Account suspension for explaining to someone where a collection would be from!

[oojamaflip]

I have an exemplary record on eBay, stretching over many years, but have just fallen foul of a "new rule" eBay have established preventing the exchange of personal contact details. In my case I had a heavy item for sale and a prospective buyer wanted to know where I was located in order to decide if he wanted the item. In the event he did, and I just sold the item, with eBay getting its pound of flesh. Knowing g where I was located was a central detail in the buying decision. The eBay email parsing algorithm has now decided, after all these years, that I am a Bad Person so has frozen my account for 7 days. I am incensed at this high and heavy-handed automated action. Here in the UK we have a saying "To shoot yourself in the foot". EBay just did that, and turned what was a win/win/win situation (I sold my item to a happy buyer and eBay got there money) into one where they are now depriving their customers of selling options and themselves of fees. I immediately called the help line but got what was basically a standard reply repeating my claimed wrong-doing as justification for their folly. EBay are not only doing something absurd based not on common sense but a programmed algorithm, I consider that they are abusing their market position. They have certainly royally annoyed me, a long-term and faithful customer. I will now look at alternatives.

[red_magpie · Accepted solution]

EBay appears to be handing out restrictions simply on the basis of keyword scanning and without actually reading messages.

A decent company with any respect and regard for its customers would at least start with a simple warning, and the courtesy of an explanation for the need to introduce this policy.

No-one would deny eBay the right to act against users who collude to evade payment of fees. But before handing out punishments messages should surely be read by a human being to prevent over-reacting to innocent requests for location, which have been allowed for years.

But as always, eBay doesn't care. EBay is only concerned about itself.