eBay

joe_fonebone · ‎10-02-2025

...as expected, didn't go well.

Soooooooo.... I felt brave and had time to kill which resulted in me contacting eBay regarding clarification of a Blu-ray that they pulled because of an alleged policy violation.

I listed four adult Blu-rays, all rated '18' by the BBFC: two are still up, one sold and one was taken down. eBay being eBay they don't tell you what specifically it was about the listing they took exception to, they simply send a cut & paste boilerplate email which contains a multitude of policies and regulations - guess the relevant section 'cause eBay ain't tellin'. I spoke to four different people over the course of two phone calls and clearly stated that I didn't want to try and get the item relisted but that I did want clarification of their restricted adult items policy.

Phone call one ended abruptly when the customer service agent painted herself into a nonsensical corner whilst trying to attend to a mewling baby - cut off.

Call two ended with the customer service agent stating that my Tinto Brass' Salon Kitty listing that was still up would be pulled due to having a swastika contained within the cover artwork, whilst the other 18 rated disc still up would be pulled because it was 'sexually explicit'. 'Sexually explicit' was also used as the reason / excuse for the disc that had already been taken down. The Blu-ray that I'd already sold was 'sexually explicit'.

As usual with eBay they want to have their cake and eat it too. They're quite happy to sell 'sexually explicit' material when it suits them - the media section is always choc-a-block with it. The inconsistency, obfuscation and hypocrisy of their own policy is what annoys and frustrates. I've a whole bundle of adult 18 rated discs ready to go up and now I'm stuck in an eBay policy limbo. So frustrating.

*Footnote: The following quote is indicative of just how crazy eBay's restricted adult items policy is;

"The following magazines and books can be listed as long as the listing and product don't contain nude images or explicit content: Playboy, Playgirl, Mayfair, and Penthouse"

Note that it isn't just the listing that can't contain nude / explicit images, it's the actual product! Because, as we all know, people buy Playboy, Playgirl, Mayfair, Penthouse et al for the articles.

lucy_farmer · ‎10-02-2025

'They' didn't pull it. Another ebay *user* will have reported it and got it taken down.

Either because they think ebay ought to remain a smut-free zone..... or because they're a competitor.

The 'chock-a-block' stuff you've spotted simply hasn't been reported (yet).

(I don't think ebay have an AI bot looking at every listing to make sure they all adhere to ebay's rules. Ebay rely on violations being reported to them...)

joe_fonebone · ‎10-02-2025

@lucy_farmer wrote:
'They' didn't pull it. Another ebay *user* will have reported it and got it taken down.
Either because they think ebay ought to remain a smut-free zone..... or because they're a competitor.

Thanks for the reply. The calls I had with eBay led me to believe that there are instances where they themselves spot and take down items however I guess that's not the case given your assertion. The inference I'm taking is that eBay are happy to let the proverbial sleeping dogs lie until someone uses their open-to-interpretation policy as a stick to wake the dog up. That's very interesting, cheers.

joe_fonebone · ‎13-02-2025

Bit of an update FWIW. Contacted eBay again after a couple more items were taken down and it appears I'm correct regarding having their cake and eating it. eBay does want Sellers to sell 'adult' items however they're very worried that persons who are not adult might buy 'adult' items. Quite a discovery this. I'd suggest that either eBay needs to stop selling 'adult' items or it needs to put in place an age check system. eBay being eBay they're doing neither of course. Very naughty and quite possibly illegal.

*Again, to be clear, the DVDs in question being sold are all rated 18 by the BBFC.

papso22 · ‎13-02-2025

Given that you should not have an ebay account unless you are 18 or over that attitude by ebay is a bit silly.

*vyolla* · ‎13-02-2025

I think that one of your DVDs featuring the swastika on the front breaches eBay's offensive items policy and would be removed for that reason.

Any item dated post 1933 bearing a swastika comes under this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/offensive-materials-policy?id=4324&...

joe_fonebone · ‎15-02-2025

Thanks for the reply. You're correct, in that one particular instance. There were no swastikas on the other dozen or so items that were removed. This post I've subsequently made may be of interest:

'Why are eBay knowingly listing items they've restricted?'

leighbayuk · ‎15-02-2025

eBay are clearly not protecting minors from adult content. If you browse eBay in a private/incognito browser session (so you are not logged in and unknown to eBay), then search "art nude", you will be presented with thousands of "top shelf" images of men and women. No age check even attempted.

I only became aware of this content when I added a photography book to my watch list and then found these images being pushed to me as promoted items.

joe_fonebone · ‎16-02-2025

papso22 states above that all eBay members need to be 18 and above so I would suggest that is the 'Get Out Of Jail' card that eBay plays when it's put to them that there is no age check on these items.

Upon taking a reported item down, eBay will then proceed to let tens / hundereds of that same prohibited item remain on the site being sold despite having been notified of the item. The phrases 'turning a blind eye' and 'having your cake and eat it' spring to mind along with 'do as I say, not as I do'.

eBay knowingly listing items they themselves have restricted isn't conjecture, it's factual.

'Why are eBay knowingly listing items they've restricted?'

leighbayuk · ‎16-02-2025

@joe_fonebone wrote:
papso22 states above that all eBay members need to be 18 and above so I would suggest that is the 'Get Out Of Jail' card that eBay plays when it's put to them that there is no age check on these items.

Problem is, you don't have to be a member to view these items. If they were hidden until you logged in, then that would be valid excuse.

shuthedoor67 · ‎02-03-2025

IVE REPORTED THEM ALL FOR 2 WEEKS AND FULL FRONTAL NUDITY OF MALES ARE EVERYWHERE AND THEY REFUSE TO REMOVE THEM

wintersdawn1 · ‎02-03-2025

Ebay's greed holds their hand back from taking action.

myweestampshop · ‎03-03-2025

Look in the stamp sections Germany, anytime between 1942 and 1945 you'll see hundreds of swastikas on each page and they have NEVER removed any of them in my 25 years on eBay. Go to the search and type in "germany stamps German 1942 Officials". there must be two hundred swastikas in the first five listings and there are about 450 listings for that search term alone.