The eBay Investigations team tries to resolve reported cases of inappropriate trading behaviour. eBay will consider the circumstances of an alleged offence 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 offences

• What eBay investigates

• What eBay does not investigate

How to report specific trading offences

• Make sure that your complaint relates to a subject that eBay investigates by reviewing the offences 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 offence. 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 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 offences of eBay policies.

Feedback offences

• Feedback extortion

• 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 offences

• Transaction interference

• Offers to buy or sell outside of eBay

• Invalid bid retraction

• Unpaid Items

• Unwelcome bidding

• Shill bidding

Selling offences

• Shill bidding

• Seller non-performance

• Offers to buy or sell outside of eBay

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. If you use that process, your transaction will still be covered by eBay services such as eBay Standard Purchase Protection and Feedback.

Contact information and identity offences

• 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 listings 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 buyer left negative Feedback for me even after I left positive Feedback for them.
  
  We are afraid eBay cannot remove these comments. Per the User Agreement, eBay will not remove these comments.

• The seller is charging too much postage. The seller insists that I pay in advance or show my Feedback before accepting my bid.
  
  If the seller has a stated policy concerning postage 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 honour 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 post COD, accept a third party post-dated cheque or box each item separately.
  
  eBay cannot force a buyer to honour the transaction. However, you can offer the item to the next highest bidder or you may relist it.

• 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 offences, 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 "Contact Us" on the left side of any page in the eBay Help system. For more information, see About Customer Support.