Investigations

The Investigations team attempts to resolve reported cases of inappropriate trading behavior. eBay will consider the circumstances of an alleged offense and the user's trading records before taking action.

Disciplinary action may range from a formal warning, up to indefinite suspension of a user's account. However, if we cannot prove your complaint with certainty, we may take no action.

Find out what eBay does and does not investigate below.

What eBay Investigates

Feedback offenses

Bidding offenses

Selling offenses

Contact information/Identity offenses
Misrepresentation of identity, false contact info, etc

Miscellaneous offenses
Interfering with eBay's site, spam, threats, profanity, etc

Here's how to report specific trading offenses:

1. Make sure that your complaint falls under what eBay investigates by reviewing the offenses above. If you have a question about fraud, insurance, or an item that may not be allowed, please go back to What is SafeHarbor? and click on the correct link.
2. Include the appropriate information plus emails in question with full descriptions in the subject line.
3. Only report a case once - multiple emails about the same case slows the investigation.
4. Report all your information to Investigations.

Once you notify the Investigations team, we will typically try to contact you with the results. However, we can't discuss the results in detail due to privacy reasons.

What eBay Does NOT Investigate
There are many things the Investigations department doesn't investigate including simple misunderstandings, failure to communicate, and interpersonal disputes over which eBay has no control.

Here are some examples of what eBay doesn't investigate. Learn about how to address these issues.

Specific Trading Offenses
As you review this list of offenses, please remember that while multiple User IDs are allowed, it is never permissible for those User IDs to interact with one another. For example, you cannot bid on your own auctions or leave comments on your own Feedback Profiles.

• Shill feedback, defensive - Using secondary eBay User IDs or other eBay members to artificially raise the level of your own feedback.
• Shill feedback, offensive - Using eBay User IDs or other eBay members to leave several negative comments for another user
  (commonly called feedback bombing).
• Feedback extortion - Demanding any action of a fellow user, at the threat of leaving negative feedback. ("Even though it didn't reach reserve, sell it to me for my bid or..."; "Pay me $100.00 or I will..."; "Sell me all of the Dutch items or I will get all of my friends to...")
• Feedback solicitation - Offering to sell feedback, trade feedback undeservedly, or buy feedback.

A special note: eBay will not remove feedback from your profile unless there are exceptional circumstances. Please check eBay's Feedback Removal Policy for details.

Report offenses to Investigations here

Bidding offenses

Check to see if you've experienced any of these bidding misuses. Report offenses to the Investigations link below. eBay will consider the circumstances of an alleged offense and the user's trading records before taking action. Disciplinary action may range from a formal warning, up to indefinite suspension of a user's account.

• Bid siphoning - Emailing bidders in an open auction and offering similar or the same item at a price below the current bid.
• Auction interference - Emailing bidders in an open auction to warn them away from a seller or item.
• Bid manipulation by using the retraction option - Manipulating bids to discover the maximum bid of the current high bidder. This includes any misuse of the retraction option.
• Bid manipulation by use of an alias to register bids to gain a HOT! rating - Using secondary User IDs or other eBay members to artificially raise the number of bids to the level required to receive the HOT! (30 bids or over) icon.
• Non-payment after winning an item - Winning an item(s) at auction without paying thus blocking legitimate bidders and disappointing sellers. To understand the penalties, please see our Non-paying Bidder Policy http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/npb.html
• Persisting to bid on a seller's items despite a warning from the seller that bids are not welcome - Sellers have every right to reject bids. In order for eBay to take action, a copy of the email warning from the seller with the subject line must be sent to Investigations. If the bidder bids after this warning, eBay will suspend the bidder.
• Bid shielding - Using secondary User IDs or other eBay members to temporarily raise the level of bidding and/or price of an item to extremely high levels in order to protect the low bid level of a third bidder.

Report offenses to Investigations here

Selling offenses

Check to see if you've experienced any of these selling misuses. Report offenses to the Investigations link below. eBay will consider the circumstances of an alleged offense and the user's trading records before taking action. Disciplinary action may range from a formal warning, up to indefinite suspension of a user's account.

• Shill bidding, deliberate - Using secondary User IDs or other eBay members to artificially raise the level of bidding and/or price of an item. Please remember that family members or housemates should not be bidding on each other's auctions.
• Auction interception - Pretending you are another eBay seller so that you can accept payment that's not yours.
• Illegally avoiding fees - Avoidance of fees through any manipulation of eBay's system.
• Auction nonperformance (Chronic) - Completing a valid auction without shipping the items to the winning bidder.

Report offenses to Investigations here

Contact information / identity offenses

Check to see if you've experienced any of these contact or identity misuses. Report offenses to the Investigations link below. eBay will consider the circumstances of an alleged offense and the user's trading records before taking action. Disciplinary action may range from a formal warning, up to indefinite suspension of a user's account.

• Misrepresentation of identity (eBay) - Representing yourself as an eBay employee when you are not.
• Misrepresentation of identity (user) - Representing yourself as another eBay user or registering by using the identity of someone else.
• False or missing contact information - Falsifying or omitting your name, address, and/or telephone number (including use of fax machines or disconnected numbers).
• Dead/invalid email addresses - This is determined when an email address bounces repeatedly (usually an error message that the email address or mailbox is unknown or invalid). If you'd like to report this, include the bounce message in your report.
• Underage user - User under the age of 18. To report, please send emails in question or board post.

Report offenses to Investigations here

Miscellaneous offenses

Check to see if you've experienced any of these miscellaneous misuses. Report offenses to the Investigations link below. eBay will consider the circumstances of an alleged offense and the user's trading records before taking action. Disciplinary action may range from a formal warning, up to indefinite suspension of a user's account.

• Interfering with eBay's site and/or operations - Using any routine or activity to interfere or attempt to interfere with any of eBay's operations.
• Sending spam - Sending unsolicited, commercial email including past unwanted email to bidders.
• User-to-user threats - Threats of bodily harm made via email. Remember, eBay can only act when there are emailed threats of physical harm. All other forms of harassment should be reported to the proper authorities. If you experience email harassment, report it to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), too.
• Publishing the contact information of another user on ANY online public area (Make sure to send a copy of the email post with the subject line.)
• Use of profanity or patently vulgar language of a racist, hateful, sexual, or obscene nature in a public area.

Report offenses to Investigations here

Please note that if your email does not fall into any of the categories above, it will be redirected to our Customer Support department. This may result in a significant delay in response!