My letter to the President of eBay

Good Evening Mr. Donahoe:

I am a proud eBay user with a verified and confirmed Paypal account. I have worked for a Powerseller for many years and have a lot of experience with eBay transactions. On September 23, 2008, I sold an Hermes Cuff to a fraudulent buyer on eBay. Before the transaction could proceed, the buyer's account was terminated. I tried to relist the item, but was prevented from doing due to the possibility that the item could be fraudulent because it was a "branded" item.

I have sent numerous emails to your staff expressing my dismay at being prevented from listing authentic and genuine branded items on eBay. After vociferously defending my honor and integrity, I was given the privilege of relisting the Hermes Cuff. It has since sold to a happy buyer who left me positive feedback.

However, the restrictions on my account continue. So far, I have been prevented from listing the following items:

One Pair Chloe Shoes

One Pair Chanel Shoes

One Pair Miu Miu Shoes

I have many other genuine and authentic items I would like to sell, including a Yves Saint Laurent handbag and a pair of Frye Boots.

Tonight, I attempted to revise my Lancome Makeup listing, item # 170********* to offer shipping via USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope for domestic and international buyers. The restriction now appears to even apply to this item as well. I have a buyer in Ireland who I cannot offer a discounted shipping rate to because of this restriction.

As you can probably imagine, this policy is damaging my business. I have spent many hours trying to get your staff to realize that I am not a criminal intent on passing along counterfeit merchandise, only to be told that there's nothing that can be done. I appreciate Terri's thoughtful responses but I know for a fact that Meg Whitman was able to remove these restrictions when I was employed with a Powerseller a few years back. Back then, I wrote a thoughtful letter explaining the situation and was delighted to get the response I was seeking. My experience this time around has been all together different. I truly feel like your company is not taking this seriously.

I am requesting that the restrictions on my account be removed immediately so I may continue to sell the kind of merchandise that makes eBay such a wonderful place to shop.

I am happy to provide any supporting evidence to assist you in determining that I am "one of the good guys." I encourage to to take a look at my recent listings. You'll see the photography is among the best you'll find on eBay, and shows items that are indisputably authentic. I take pride in offering attention and service to my buyers and wish to resume my business immediately. Other than this issue, I have been delighted with eBay as both a buyer and a seller, and I hope to put this ugly episode behind me soon. The holiday shopping season is almost upon us and it's imperative that this is resolved as soon as possible.

I greatly appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. Please feel free to contact me directly to discuss this issue. I have numerous and thoughtful suggestions for how to improve the quality of merchandise that would not negatively impact honest sellers.

Sincerely,

Alex **************
eBay User ID: 69*****
(310) 892-****

P.S. GO BIG GREEN! (I'm Banana Slug)