Why is eBay failing?

Fake? No, but it's Miu Miu, so it might be.

I don't have a complete answer to the question posed by this post, but I can give you some insight into just how incompetent and uninformed eBay management is.

eBay has a problem with counterfeit items showing up in their auctions. Their solution? They created a secret system that randomly places limits on users accounts with no regard to whether or not their listings are legitimate.

When I inquired about the limitations that were placed on my account, I received a response that explained to me that "in order to maintain a safe trading environment, selling limits are occasionally placed on accounts" and "it is the seller’s responsibility to ensure that the items you are listing are authorized for sale."

If it is my responsibility to to ensure the item is authentic, why is eBay taking responsibility back by randomly blocking the sale of the item?

The email goes on to state "we may remove listings if they breach one of our stated policies. Further, we may warn or suspend sellers whose activities breach our policies."

Great! I did nothing wrong, so go ahead. But don't prevent me from conducting lawful exchanges of goods for no reason. This is essentially the Bush Doctrine crossed with Pin The Tail On The Donkey. eBay randomly blocks sellers because they might be listing something that is counterfeit. They have no evidence against me, stop me from conducting business, then tell me I am responsible.

When I asked them about this secret policy, I got very little information:

I would like to give you as much information as possible. However, the
specific information regarding limits and formulas is proprietary in nature and
I cannot share that with you. I am unable to be more specific about the precise
application of the restrictions on your account, and am also unable to give you
any information relating to the quantity of items you can list at any given
time. Our guidelines may change over time, and we need to remain flexible so we
can effectively address any issues that may arise while minimizing the impact on
legitimate trade.

I'm now stuck in a secret black hole of eBay seller hell reserved for legitimate sellers. Thanks eBay. Just FYI, you recently fired the wrong 1000 employees. The ones that should be fired are at the top of the management tree. Any technology company that resorts to draconian ass-backwards measures like this deserves to fail. eBay could easily adopt real solutions to counterfeit sales, but instead they punish legitimate sellers. BRAVO!

If you're a seller fed up with this nonsense, do something about it. Contact Terri at the Office of the President, at csme@ebay.com. She is by far the most responsive and intelligent person I have communicated with at eBay. Though I completely disagree with her on everything she says, I do find that she reads my emails and addresses my concerns, which is unique in my correspondences with eBay. Also, send your rants to the Consumerist website. I'm still hoping that with enough coverage of this policy, eBay will change their ways and reform their counterfeit measures in a way that works and doesn't punish honest sellers.