The eBay Investigations team tries to resolve reported cases of inappropriate trading behavior. eBay will consider the circumstances of an alleged offense and the user's trading record before taking action. Disciplinary action may range from a formal warning up to indefinite suspension of a user's account. However, out of fairness to all users, if a complaint cannot be proven with certainty, eBay will not take action.

• How to report specific trading offenses

• What eBay investigates

• What eBay does not investigate

How to report specific trading offenses

• Make sure that your complaint relates to a subject that eBay investigates by reviewing the offenses explained on this page.

• When you contact eBay, please include the information we need to investigate, plus any emails with full descriptions in the subject line.

• Only report a case once. Multiple emails about the same case will slow the investigation.

• Once you notify the Investigations team, eBay may contact you to tell you the investigation is complete. However, please remember that because we respect the privacy rights of all our users, eBay can't discuss results in detail.

• To report a listing, use the “report” links on the policy pages that are applicable to the offense. For example, eBay prohibits email offers to buy or sell listed items outside of the eBay Web site. To report a seller offering to sell you items outside of eBay, you would go to the Offers to buy or sell outside of eBay policy page and use the “contact eBay” link.

What eBay investigates

Violations of eBay policies may result in a range of actions, including:

• Listing or Want It Now post cancellation

• Limits on account privileges

• Account suspension

• Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings

• Loss of PowerSeller status

Click the links below to see more details about specific offenses of eBay policies.

Feedback offenses

• Feedback extortion

• Feedback manipulation

• Feedback abuse, withdrawal and removal

Note: eBay will not remove Feedback from your profile unless there are exceptional circumstances. Please review eBay's Feedback Removal Policy for details.

Buying offenses

• Transaction interference

• Offers to buy or sell outside of eBay

• Invalid bid retraction

• Unpaid Items

• Unwelcome bidding

• Shill bidding

Selling offenses

• Shill bidding

• Sell non-performance

• Offers to buy or sell outside of eBay

• Circumventing fees

Note: If you offered an item on eBay and did not receive payment from the purchaser, you may sell the item to another bidder using Second Chance Offer.

Contact information and identity offenses

• Misrepresentation of identity

• False or missing contact information

• Dead/invalid email addresses

• Underage user

Note: While multiple User IDs are allowed, it is never permissible for those User IDs to interact with one another. For example, members cannot bid on their own auctions or leave comments on their own Feedback Profile.

Miscellaneous offenses

• Interfering with eBay's site and/or operations

• Sending spam

• Email threats

• Publishing contact information

• Use of profanity or patently vulgar language

What eBay does not investigate

eBay doesn't investigate simple misunderstandings, failure to communicate, and interpersonal disputes over which eBay has no control. Here are some examples of other things that eBay doesn't investigate:

• The other party left negative Feedback on me after I left it on them.
  
  We are afraid eBay cannot remove these comments. Per the User Agreement, eBay does not edit public postings.

• The seller is charging too much shipping. The seller insists that I pay in advance or unhide my Feedback before accepting my bid.
  
  If the seller has a stated policy concerning shipping and payment terms on the item listing or storefront, then you as a potential buyer must clear any exceptions to this before actually entering into the transaction.

• The seller refuses to answer my emails, they will not acknowledge my valid transaction, or they have already sold the item.
  
  eBay cannot force a seller to honor their transactions. You should leave appropriate Feedback for the reluctant seller to warn other buyers of his or her past history. Depending on your local jurisdiction, you may have independent legal recourse against the seller.

• The buyer insists that I ship COD, accept a third party post-dated check or box each item separately.
  
  eBay cannot force a buyer to honor the transaction. But you can alert the rest of the eBay Community to your experience by leaving the buyer appropriate Feedback. You may also either offer the item to the next bidder or you may relist it and request a credit for the Final Value Fee.

• Bid Sniping (last minute bidding).
  
  We always recommend bidding the absolute maximum you are willing to pay for an item. eBay uses a proxy bidding system, so you may bid as high as you wish, but the current bid that is registered will only be a small increment above the next lowest bid. The remainder of your Maximum Bid is held, by the system, to be used in the event someone bids against you.

• Almost everything else that is not in the list of offenses, we will investigate.
  
  Any technical questions, billing questions, etc., should be sent to the appropriate email address to avoid delays. You may find the proper contacts using the "Contact Us" on the left side of any page in the eBay Help system. For more information, see About Customer Support.

• Transaction Problems and Protections Overview

• Buyer Protection Programs

• Listing Policies