Account Restriction and funds on hold for 170 days

[uncle_2012]

I have been an eBay customer since 2012 and have been selling since day one.  I had a restriction on my account and was asked multiple times for documents and different utility bills and after 5 weeks of going back and forth with eBay my account was put into an indefinite restriction. My eBay selling was simply on the side to get some extra income so it's not the end of the world if I am not able to sell anymore. If you ask me it's eBay's loss as my feedback is 100% positive with over 360 reviews. The problem in this situation is that I rather have a big sum of money for an item sold through eBay authenticity guranteed. The item was confirmed authentic and the buyer confirmed delivery of it. Now eBay have said that I will have to wait 170 days to get my money released to me automatically because they had to wait for the chargeback deadline to expire in case the buyer submitted a request with his card provider. I really doubt that the funds will be automatically released since throughout those 5-6 weeks of communication with them I was given different information every time.

I would provide scanned copies of certain documantation requested by 'Amy' only to be asked by 'John' to provide the same documents once again. It seemed like my case was dealt by numerous people who did not make themselves familiar with the current status of the restriction and the documents that were already provided. I agree eBay have the right to do whatever they want in order to enforce their policies and protect eBay customers but when it comes to holding my funds based on a big IF which in my view was proven otherwise since the buyer confirmed delivery through the eBay chat with me. 

Any insight will be apreciated. The main goal is to receive the money for a sold and delivered item.

Attached is a screen shot of the displayed message once I access my payment's section in the selling area.

[bikergirl-2008]

An 'indefinite' restriction is eBay speak for you wont be able to sell again but it seems that they have not written this exactly or given you a timeline which they should.  You will still be able to buy and therefore keep your account open but if you were closing your account then you'd only have to wait for 30 days from the date of your last sale to do that so this 170 days seems rather excessive.

I would get back in touch with them again and explain what's happened and ask that your monies are released after the 30 days.

[uncle_2012]

Thank you for your reply. I did wait for the 30 days to go by before contacting them again. The order was placed on Sep 28th. Waited untill Oct 29th and the funds were no longer on hold but because of the restriction I couldn't request a payout.

[myriad*seller]

The problem with the hold may be simply because the name you have on your account is not the same as the documents they requested from you when they did the money laundering regulations due diligence check that triggered this hold

Go into your account and check the name is exactly the same eg no contractions or nicknames and remove any middle initital if that doesnt show on your ID documents

The holds on funds are indefinite until you prove your identity, funds wont be released after 170 days as eBay cannot release funds until they are satisifed you are not laundering money so  you MUST pass the ID checks to get your money. You need to make sure all the account details match the documents details to pass the checks, even a misspelling or use of eg "Sam" rather than "Samanatha" will prevent you passing the checks resulting in a permanent hold on your funds. 

You wont be able to use your eBay account until you have sorted out the Money Laundering Identity Check aka "Know Your Customer". Everyone has to pass these checks, by law, once they receive a certain amount of money through their accounts. 

[myriad*seller]

Sorry I missed the part about an "indefinite restriction"

This means you are banned from selling on eBay permanently. eBay speak indefinite=permanent.

eBay don't ever unsuspend accounts that have been suspended indefinitely, and they do not allow you to open new selling accounts to circumvent a suspension. You'll need to find a new website to sell on as your eBay selling days are  now history. 

You still need to prove your ID to them to get your funds though...

[uncle_2012]

I have been selling for years and adopted the eBay payout since day one. My bank account details never changed. The only change within that period was my address but I provided a council tax statement and energy bill as proof of address so I don'd understand what more ID checks I'll need.

[myriad*seller]

The checks are a legal requirement to comply with UK legislation

The checks are triggered once a certain amount of money has passed through your account

At this stage the law requires that you prove your ID to eBay before they can release ANY funds to you. Failing to complete the ID check means eBay cannot release your funds to you until you HAVE proved your ID as this could be colluding with money laundering and could result in eBay being prosecuted.

Just ignoring the issue wont make the problem go away. eBay can and will hold your funds until you prove to them (and HMRC) who you are. They cannot carry out the checks until you have provided all the info they need, presented in the way they need it presented. 

Your name on your bank account and all other ID documents must match the name on your eBay account exactly, this is the most frequent reason why people fail the ID checks. It only takes a few minutes to check, and could mean your funds can be released, otherwise, if you ignore it, you can say goodbye to the money

[myriad*seller]

Do all the addresses on your account match your new address? Have you removed your old address from your eBay account details?

If not, then this can also be why you are failing the ID checks 

[uncle_2012]

Positive. All previous addresses have been removed and the only address currently showing is the one currently occupied (the one shown on my council tax and energy bill statements). 

If my account will remain restricted and never reinstated it means I am not getting my money regardless, right? If I am greeted by the following:
'Your payouts are currently on hold because your eBay account is restricted. You'll start getting paid again when your account is reinstated.'

[myriad*seller]

Do they all show your current address and does your name on all documents match your account details exactly?

Did you provide the required photo ID documents? (Driving licence or passport)

If you didn't provide what eBay asked for, including the required photo ID document, then that's why they suspended your account.

You'll need to contact them (via "contact us", or Call Me Back) and provide the documents they asked for before you can have access to your funds. 

[uncle_2012]

Like I mentioned in the original post, everything they asked for I provided. In regards, to certain documents even more than once. The entire process took 5-6 weeks of going back and forth. They asking for documents, me providing them and they continuing to ask for the same documents. 

[sunandfrost]

I am in this same loop and unable to find my way out. This just doesn't make any sense at all. My account was restricted on 23.12. and requested documents are impossible to get, example payslip when I am self employed. 

After month is gone, do you have any update for us?

[papso22]

Other sellers have reported that sending tax documents proving you are registered as self employed has worked for them.

[sunandfrost]

I sent self employment part of my tax return but response was "unfortunately, we are unable to use this document to clear your account and Ebay write the same request and "detailed explanation for the name not matching". 

As  self employed, chosen business me is never mentioned on tax records even business name is mentioned when setting up as a sole trader and filling tax return. We are taxen under UTR.

[sunandfrost]

Sorry, I pressed send button too early:

As self employed, chosen business name is never mentioned on tax records even business name is mentioned when setting up as a sole trader and filling tax return. We are taxed under UTR.

All communication from HMRC is under UTR too, business name is not mentioned in correspondence from tax offixe to me.

[natfl60]

Any updates on this? As I am in similar situation - account permanetly restricted and funds available but no way to make a pay out because account is restricted - vicious circle