eBay withholding funds for 6 months

Sandals72 · 3 November 2023 at 3:24PM

Hey everyone,

I've been selling on eBay for a long time, on the odd occasion funds don't get released straight away which is fine.

Three weeks ago I sold an item and my eBay account has a large amount sitting. My account has been suspended and my funds (4K) are being kept for what I have been told six months. The buyer received the goods through insured and signed for next-day delivery and also left brilliant feedback on the day of delivery.

I have brilliant reviews and feedback, and I have never had any issues as a buyer or seller. The reason they have given - please see one of the responses below.

""I can see your account is permanently restricted and for such accounts we hold funds temporarily and during this time our team reviews your account.

I would like to update you on the status of your account review. Our team is currently conducting a thorough review, which could take up to 170 days to complete. This time frame ensures that we can assist with any possible claims or dispute process that could arise from previous transactions, as well as verify any previously submitted documentation and comply with regulatory requirements.

As your account is currently restricted, eBay will respond to any outstanding claims or disputes that arise during this period and assist with the resolution process. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide an exact completion date for the fund release, as it is a comprehensive process that requires careful deliberation.

Please be assured that we are working diligently to resolve this issue as soon as possible. We understand that this is not an ideal situation, but we hope that the reasons behind our actions have been explained clearly.""

Does anyone in the forum have any further insight into this? I am not even receiving a response to any of my emails now so at a complete loss as to what to do. I have asked them for it to be escalated to a manager, for them to contact me. I've also asked for a clear description of their procedures but I've been met with silence.

Appreciate any advice on this, many thanks.

BJV · 3 November 2023 at 4:46PM

OMG 4k,

Ok out of curiosity can I ask what type of items you where selling, e.g where they all authentic goods?

Also ( so sorry I know silly question ) have you called them to ask why your account is restricted?

Sandals72 · 4 November 2023 at 10:05AM

Yes they were authentic goods. I run an AV and production company, we buy and change out equipment all the time. Often it's high value, as it was in this case. I've always used eBay and never had any issues until now.
There's no one to call, it's all been by email. I initially had communication from them but now they don't answer emails. As you can see by the response they're basically saying that they're conducting a review, yet we have never had any issues buying or selling. It's bonkers

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head · 4 November 2023 at 11:56AM

The 6 months is to cover them against chargebacks, Paypal has pretty much always done the same when closing an account.

To resolve this you need to focus on the reason they've restricted the account to see if they'll reconsider (which probably won't be easy) rather than focusing on them holding the money for 6 months

Sandals72 · 4 November 2023 at 12:35PM

It doesn't make sense that they would do that as all the transactions are completed and brilliant feedback has been left. I have explained all this to them but to no avail. What they are stating does not fall in line with the customers I have and the way my account was running. I have been focusing on why they closed the account but they have yet to give me a clear reason. I have asked for the case to be escalated but again met with resistance and now silence.