Incorrectly accused of breach of policy. What now?

Kaz2904

Hi there, I listed a few items last night to take advantage of the FLW. Among several cutlery lots was an old fashioned EPNS knife. It is a cutlery object although I don't know if it's a cake knife, bread knife or fish knife. It could even be a fruit knife as I have seen some described as such.
Anyway, I've had the listing pulled for trying to sell a weapon :eek:. I've written in the description that it could be bread, fish or cake knife. Nowhere does it suggest that this item is a weapon. Now what do I do?
Can I contact them to take note that this is a piece of cutlery that I had listed not a weapon so that they actually take the mark off my file.
I'm betting this has been reported by the person who I opened 2 NPB cases on last night .

theonlywayisup

Knives are banned with the exception of some cutlery. Cutlery knives are cheese, steak or table knives. No other knife is allowed, certainly not cake or bread. A fish knife will only be allowed if it is a table fish knife, ie not for filleting. So your policy warning sounds correct, you breached it selling under that description.

inicholson

What harm exactly does a mark on your file do? Is there such a file? Sorry, but i'm still laughing at the idea of a knife for cutting cake being listed as a weapon. It reminds me of a Monty Python sketch; "You'll be sorry when somebody comes at you with a bunch of cherries!"

soolin

theonlywayisup wrote: »

Knives are banned with the exception of some cutlery. Cutlery knives are cheese, steak or table knives. No other knife is allowed, certainly not cake or bread. A fish knife will only be allowed if it is a table fish knife, ie not for filleting. So your policy warning sounds correct, you breached it selling under that description.

I concur that if the word 'bread' amd 'knife' were in the listing then it will have been automatically flagged as this is a prohibited item.

A fish knife is a small oddly shaped thing that you would use with a fork to eat with and *should* be recognisable.

soolin

inicholson wrote: »

What harm exactly does a mark on your file do? Is there such a file? Sorry, but i'm still laughing at the idea of a knife for cutting cake being listed as a weapon. It reminds me of a Monty Python sketch; "You'll be sorry when somebody comes at you with a bunch of cherries!"

I think if you read the crime reports most household stabbings involve bread knives (or cake knives) as they tend to be th eones you leave laying around.

As for a policy breach, this goes on your seller dashboard and you are allowed 2 in a 3 month period (I think that is the same for everyone), it falls off the dashboard in month 4. One shouldn't make you below standard for selling, the 2nd one will.

theonlywayisup

soolin wrote: »

I concur that if the word 'bread' amd 'knife' were in the listing then it will have been automatically flagged as this is a prohibited item.

A fish knife is a small oddly shaped thing that you would use with a fork to eat with and *should* be recognisable.

Fish is fine if it is clear it is a table knife, but not a fish filleting or boning knife, they are prohibited.

theonlywayisup

The banning came in some years ago when legislation on knife selling was vigorously tested by Trading Standards. eBay have no way of ensuring you are eliglbe to buy a knife, so they banned them, as legislation requires you to prove the buyer is over 18.

They still have strict buying policy on cutlery and you will only be able to buy if you have a credit credit card on file, you can only have a credit card in the UK if you are 18 or over. However with the instruction of pre paid credit cards, eBay had to take the decision to ban knives in general.

I sell knives via a wholesale website and we use credit card verification along with voters electoral roll.

A cake or bread knife is not table cutlery. You do not 'eat' cake with a cake knife, it is used to cut the cake and therefore falls into the prohibited.

soolin

theonlywayisup wrote: »

Fish is fine if it is clear it is a table knife, but not a fish filleting or boning knife, they are prohibited.

Oh yes, I saw a proper fish filleting knife once and it was vicious- that's why I assume this was meant to be 'possibly' merely a knife to eat fish with, which are traditionally blunt edged.

theonlywayisup

A fish knife for eating looks nothing like a bread knife or cake knife (the sort used at weddings that the bride and groom use), but a fish knife could be either in reality, so I am guessing this knife is more like a proper kitchen knife and not a table knife.

I am afraid I am a bit of a knife bore!

soolin

theonlywayisup wrote: »

A fish knife for eating looks nothing like a bread knife or cake knife (the sort used at weddings that the bride and groom use), but a fish knife could be either in reality, so I am guessing this knife is more like a proper kitchen knife and not a table knife.

I am afraid I am a bit of a knife bore!

I have a set of kitchen Devils and do everything with them' including attacking whole fish.

I do have fish knives as well, but they have a high silver content (bought them at auction in a mixed lot) and I just don't like the feel of them and have been touting them round the car boot sales ever since (In fact, I think I may have sold them last season)

I do like a good knife in the kitchen.

Kaz2904

Just to clarify, the knife was a flat bladed one shaped similarly to a fish/ cake knife but it is slightly larger. I had loked on ebay before I listed it and saw some people describing similar as cake or bread knives as it has small serated bits on it.
I promise you it wasn't vicious looking, just plain ugly ! Hopefully I won't get any more breach of policy things on my file before 27th May then as that's when this drops off.

I'm fairly sure that this would do as much damage as stabbing someone with a spoon and I can't see any way it could possibly cut through bread. You live and learn I suppose.
Thanks for your input everyone.