Investigations
eBay's Investigations team is responsible for resolving reported cases of inappropriate trading behavior. Before taking any action, eBay will consider the circumstances of the alleged offence and the member's trading record.
Disciplinary action may range from a formal warning, up to indefinite suspension of a member's account. However, we do not take action on every report filed by our users, only those where we can prove with certainty that a violation was committed.
Find out what eBay does and does not investigate below.
What eBay Investigates
Contact information/Identity offences
Misrepresentation of identity, false contact info, etc
Miscellaneous offences
Interfering with eBay's site, spam, threats, profanity, etc
Here's how to report specific trading offences:
- Make sure that your complaint falls under what eBay investigates by reviewing the offences above. If you have a question about fraud, the Buyer Protection Programme, or an item that may not be allowed, please go back to What is SafeHarbour? and click on the correct link.
- Include the appropriate information plus emails in question with full descriptions in the subject line.
- Only report a case once - multiple emails about the same case slows the investigation.
- Email us using our webform, click here.
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 Offences
As you review this list of offences, 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.
| Feedback Offences |  |
- 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 that he or she is not required to do, 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 offences to Investigations here
| Bidding offences | |
- Auction interference - Emailing bidders in an open or ended auction to warn them away from a seller or item.
- Contacting a seller and offering to purchase the listed item outside of eBay.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Unwelcome Bidding - Bidding in violation of the terms set forth by the seller in the listing description. Examples:
- Seller states they post to "home country" only and the bidder is outside the stated postage area. Bidders should contact the seller first and enquire about exceptional postage circumstances.
- Seller will not accept bids from bidders with negative feedback
- Bidder rebids after the seller has cancelled their bid
- 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.
- Shill bidding (deliberate) - Using secondary User IDs or other eBay members to artificially raise the level of bidding and/or price of an item. Additionally, to avoid the appearance of being involved in this activity, family members and individuals living together, working together or sharing a computer may not bid on each other's items. For further information on why shill bidding is not permitted on eBay, please click here.
Report offences to Investigations here
| Selling offences | |
- Shill bidding, deliberate - Using secondary User IDs or other eBay users 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 listings.
- Auction interception - Pretending you are another eBay seller so that you can accept payment that is not yours.
- Illegally avoiding fees - Avoidance of fees through any manipulation of eBay's system.
- Seller Non-Performance - Completing a valid transaction without shipping the items to the winning bidder OR significantly misrepresenting an item if the item does not meet the terms and item description outlined in the listing.
Notes: In a Non-Paying Buyer situation you may sell to an under bidder using Second Chance Offer. Your transaction will be covered by eBay services such as the Buyer Protection Programme and Feedback.
Report offences to Investigations here
| Contact information / identity offences | |
- 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 offences to Investigations here
| Account Theft | |
There are simple ways to tell if you might be the victim of such an attack, such as unauthorised email and password changes, or bids and listings placed under your User ID without your knowledge. The best way to deal with account theft is simply to change your password and password hints immediately.
If you are unable to access your account and suspect account theft, please visit Problems Account Theft.
Report offences to Investigations here
| Miscellaneous offences | |
- Interfering with eBay's site and/or operations - Using any software program, routine or activity to interfere or attempt to interfere with any of eBay's operations. Example:
- Purchasing multiple items from a seller without the intention of following through with your payment
- Bid siphoning - Emailing another seller's bidders and offering the same or similar items
- Sending spam - Sending unsolicited (without prior permission), commercial email. Examples:
- Sending unsolicited offers to bidders/potential bidders for the same or similar products that they have bid on in the past.
- Sending an email to active bidders in an open auction offering them the same or similar items.
- Adding email addresses to your mailing list without first obtaining permission from the users (this includes past winning bidders/buyers or sellers).
- Sending a direct or stand-alone email invitation to users to join your mailing list.
- Using the "contact eBay member" link on the eBay site to send any unsolicited commercial offers.
- For additional related violations, please see Transaction Interference here: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/community/investigates.html#bidding
- 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 contact information - Publishing contact information of another user on ANY online public area (Make sure to send a copy of the post with the subject line).
- Use of profanity or patently vulgar language - Using language that is racist, hateful, sexual, or obscene in nature in a public area.
Report offences 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!
If you have any questions, please contact customer support