eBay Suspended My Account after I Loaded $1500 of Giftcard

Laz167 on 27/10/2022 - 18:45

Hi,

I loaded 3 giftcards onto ebay to purchase a fridge, but then few days later my order got cancelled and my account got suspended. At first i did not know i was suspended because i thought i just lost my password or something and tried to do a reset, but upon checking my email, there was one from ebay notifying me that my account had been suspended.

In the past few days i have been trying to contact ebay, and it has been extremely difficult to get a hold off anyone. First you cannot even use the online contact us function without an non suspended account. So after making a new account, i tried the online contact us and tell them my situation but they just loop me back and forth their accounts and giftcard department with no results. The accounts people say the account is suspended and they cannot unsuspended, i ask why and they can't and won’t provide an explanation. They then transfer me over to the giftcard department and they say the account is suspended so cannot release the giftcards and transfer me back to the accounts department.

I then tried calling them to see if they could help and the call staff were even worse, after I explained my situation they would give me the same answers and just hang up.

Would anyone be able to provide some information on how i can get ebay to release my giftcards or UN-suspended my account?

I don't have access to bikies unfortunately.

Thanks,

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Comments

  • Muzeeb on 27/10/2022 - 18:47
    +32

    Yet another reason I don't try and save a buck with gift cards.

    I'm pretty sure this is the third reason this week alone.

    • Stopback on 27/10/2022 - 19:01

      Under 500 is very safe

    • brendanm on 27/10/2022 - 19:25

      Yep, so many problem stories on here, yet people just keep buying them.

      • [Deactivated] on 27/10/2022 - 22:45
        +1

        Ebay specifically or gift cards in general?

        • Muzeeb on 27/10/2022 - 23:00
          +5

          In general

      • Neoika on 28/10/2022 - 20:48

        It is a number's game that some will always fall into the trap. The upcoming topic will be "$80 eBay voucher expired or other issues" from this.

        Delayed issurance will cause more unused cases in the end.

  • randomusername2017 on 27/10/2022 - 18:53
    +14

    Went through similar, ended up contacting fair trading and had the gift cards refunded.
    Surprised they haven't banned your new account…
    How did you purchase the gift cards?

    Some useful info here

    • tajid on 27/10/2022 - 19:47

      really? Fair trading said they've contacted ebay but never received response so told to go to court.

      When did it happen to you?

      Oh reading the link you sent, your account didn't get suspended though?

      • randomusername2017 on 27/10/2022 - 19:59
        +4

        Account got suspended after I started chasing a refund, that's when it changed from the gift cards should be reinstated within x days, to you're account suspended gift cards void as per user agreement TOS.

        Early 2021 as per linked thread. Talking to fair trading they were following up on numerous cases with eBay at the time. Within a week or so gift cards were refunded to prezzee.

        Never received a definitive answer as to why account was suspended or why the gift card payment failed… eBay are a law unto themselves…

    • Laz167 on 27/10/2022 - 20:34
      +6

      thank for the info, i'll try to take it up with fair trading

      • tajid on 27/10/2022 - 20:36
        +2

        Good luck. Please keep us updated.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/10/2022 - 08:05

      How did you purchase the gift cards?

      This was my top-of-mind question, too.

      Has OP answered this? I don't think so.

      • Muzeeb on 28/10/2022 - 08:43

        here

        • [Deactivated] on 28/10/2022 - 10:28

          Thank you!

  • Uncle Roger on 27/10/2022 - 18:55
    +6

    Message them via Facebook, they're a lot more responsive and professional for some reason.

  • CyberMurning on 27/10/2022 - 18:59

    omg so scary.. so why the fridge got cancelled?

    now i swap little by little when needed from preeze to amazon / ebay but yeah its annoying

  • garetz on 27/10/2022 - 19:02
    +1

    Contact fair trading as stated above, continuing to talk to ebay will get you nowhere.

  • Rukiata on 27/10/2022 - 19:12
    +4

    sus

  • AndyC1 on 27/10/2022 - 19:28
    +2

    First formal complaint to ebay, then google the right state or federal department to make a formal complaint to (not the ACCC as they do not deal with an individual).

  • tajid on 27/10/2022 - 19:49
    +3

    My friend had somewhat similar issue but smaller amount.

    Ebay plus member and member for years.

    One day suddenly got suspended but had ~$100 gift card linked.

    Ebay said gift card balance is forfeited when account is suspended. Any further attempts to chat or talk to them went nowhere, some were so rude and closed chat right away.

    Tried ACCC, told to go Fair Trading.

    Tried Fair Trading, they've contacted ebay but never received response so told to go to court.

    • chriskq on 27/10/2022 - 21:50
      +3

      then what happened

      • tajid on 28/10/2022 - 06:59

        Nothing yet. The last reply from FT was last week. Replied back asking what did they mean by not being able to get any response since ebay is a large corp. No reply.

  • Broke-Ken on 27/10/2022 - 20:00
    +4

    I loaded 3 giftcards onto ebay to purchase a fridge

    I'm curious where you got the giftcards from?

    • Muzeeb on 27/10/2022 - 20:14
      +3

      Great question. Inadvertently purchased stolen gift cards I wonder.

      • Broke-Ken on 27/10/2022 - 20:24
        +1

        Yeah, giving OP the benefit of the doubt that they didn't try to do anything dodgy, then you need to follow it up the stream to see where the scammers entered into the situation.

    • Laz167 on 27/10/2022 - 20:36
      +4

      i have a relative whos work can get them for 5% off

      • randomusername2017 on 27/10/2022 - 20:55

        Maybe get the relative to follow up with whichever portal they were purchased from and explain the situation… Possibly get them reissued for a more reliable retailer.

      • Muzeeb on 27/10/2022 - 21:27
        -6

        Do they work for Optus or Medibank private?

  • Dave Bowman on 27/10/2022 - 23:14
    +9

    They took $300 worth of gift cards from me and wouldn't return them. I contacted fair trading and they were returned in a couple months. Good luck.

  • apple2016 on 28/10/2022 - 08:23
    +1

    Time to take it up with obudsman.

  • JustAnOZ on 28/10/2022 - 09:28
    +1

    Suggestions -

    1. Fair trading, and send eBay the message you have initiated a case; and/or
    2. Go through your credit card to reverse the original ebay gift card purchases.
  • mhz on 28/10/2022 - 10:39
    +1

    How did you purchase the gift cards? With a visa or mastercard? Maybe look at getting your bank to reverse the transaction?

  • ssmith3104 on 28/10/2022 - 18:37
    +3

    Ebay disabled my account from having selling "privileges" (I can still buy thru it) due to my 44 year old son who has lived in Texas for 20+ years but who occassionally still uses his old Australian ebay account, was tardy in paying his selling fees on a transaction 2 years ago. He did pay them but about 60 days late. Ebay knew that he was originally of my address, and decided to disable my account - that has a 100% perfect rating on buying and selling - because of the "family connection". At the time they partially disabled my account, my son had already paid his ebay fees over a year prior!! Unbelievable. I appealed multiple times and got the matter escalated to "management", who told me that once a suspension or disablement is done, that it can never be undone, and they asked me to please just open a new account. F*** that. Now I just occassionally use it to buy, but in the main just use my wife's account now instead. Ebay can be remarkably stupid and inflexible.

    Speaking of gift cards at Ebay, I also had a bad experience. I purchased a serving platter last year as a Christmas gift for my adult daughter. When it arrived it was severely damaged, and as a E-Bay premium plus member I had the right to send it back for a refund. Unfortunately, I had paid, thru PayPal, using a Mastercard Gift Card. After the ebay purchase, that Mastercard had been used up and thrown away. I told ebay and Paypal that the refund MUST be credited back to me in some way other than by re-crediting my now non-existant prepaid Mastercard. I requested that they simply credit my PayPal credit account, or give me an eBay gift card, or anything except crediting my old (gone) prepaid Mastercard. NOPE, what did they do…. yup, credit that card and therfore I never got my refund back. They claim this is their "policy" and nothing short of an Act of Parliament will change this. Stupid people.

    • skido on 29/10/2022 - 00:26

      once a suspension or disablement is done, that it can never be undone

      they say that but it’s not true. if you have contacts with eBay employees, they can escalate it to certain departments which have the ability to undo a permanent suspension. it is definitely possible, you just need to meet the right person.

      When it arrived it was severely damaged, and as a E-Bay premium plus member I had the right to send it back for a refund.

      did you ask the seller for a replacement instead?

      • ssmith3104 on 30/10/2022 - 16:23

        Yes, but the seller replied to say that they were now sold out.

  • ssmith3104 on 30/10/2022 - 16:37

    If e-Bay or PayPal have a policy against accepting Visa or Mastercard gift cards as a method of payment, they should simply say so on the "payments" screen when one is effecting payment. I question if that is legal however. I further question if that would not break their own terms of service with Visa and Mastercard. I'm looking at one now that I purchased at Coles (at a discount) which says on it: "This card is issued by Heritage Bank Limited. This card is welcomed at millions of locations wherever Mastercards are accepted". Is there any justifiable reason how e-Bay can selectively violate that? Who made them God?

    • randomusername2017 on 31/10/2022 - 10:22

      Who made them God?

      Have you read the user agreement?

  • dins on 01/11/2022 - 23:10

    I've been using eBay for yonks but after they changed their payment system a couple or so years back there have been numerous glitches with eBay gift cards. They still haven't fixed it because I still see people posting in the eBay gift card issues thread.

    So I would highly recommend staying away from eBay gift cards unless it's with just small amounts. Saving a few bucks ain't worth the hassle and the possibility of losing gift cards with hefty amounts due to their random glitches and bannings.

  • shangoz on 13/09/2023 - 17:34
    +1

    Ebay from good to become bad already, my order delivery fail due to the sender use Amazon system, and I asked for refund, and wait until now no result, and eBay favour the sender so now I looks need to say goodbye to the money, don't think I can purchase anything from eBay in the future, so bad so bad so bad.
    In your case should go to the ACCC so everyone know what this company doing to stolen money from Australian.

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