How to Reinstate a Suspended eBay Account 

Getting your eBay account suspended can be very frustrating, even devastating. In particular, if you run a business and rely on the income it makes. Therefore it is very important to educate yourself on eBay’s policies so you won’t get suspended in the first place. In case it is too late and your eBay account is placed on hold, restricted or is even suspended, the below article will go over some of the steps to get your eBay account reinstated. 

Types Suspensions

First things first, let’s understand the different types of eBay account suspensions. 

Hold 

Usually caused due to minor issues such as a late payment, which is the most common cause of accounts being placed on hold by eBay. Making a one-time payment on your eBay account will lift the hold. 

Restrictions

eBay account restrictions are a bit more serious. Restrictions are placed on eBay accounts that do not meet eBay standards. This means that sellers must meet a minimum performance standard, if you are curious if you are meeting yours, you can go to your eBay Seller Dashboard. The specific causes for an eBay restriction can vary, based types of based on your late shipment rate, tracking uploaded on time and validated time, transaction defect rate, late shipment rate and many more. Account restrictions, can have an impact on your eBay business as eBay may lower your seller position in the search results or restrict you from selling certain items on eBay.

Suspensions

Account suspensions mean that you are not allowed to sell, bid, leave feedback or even message other users on eBay. This is the hardest form of account penalty that eBay can place on your account. eBay account suspensions occur only in extreme cases e.g. selling illegal items or engaging in hate speech. 

Why does eBay suspend seller accounts? 

eBay is a marketplace for buyers and sellers. It is in their best interest to ensure that the marketplace stays a safe place for both parties. You can read the full eBay listing policies here. This does not mean that some of the suspensions are fully justified. As a seller, you should always try to reinstate your eBay account. 

How to reinstate your eBay account 

1. Understand your account suspension. There is a high likelihood you received a vague email from eBay about your account suspension (similar to this image on top). This is a great time to sit down and evaluate any policy violations that you might have done. If you are a seller, you might want to take a look at the eBay’s Selling Policies. Understanding what policies you might have violated gives you the best leverage points for the next step. 
2. Follow eBay account reinstatement steps. Depending on the violation, eBay offer steps to reinstate your account electronically. This can involve taking an eBay quiz to ensure you understand the policy, sending in documentation to confirm and verify your identity or in some instances waiting a temporary suspension to finish. The steps on how to reinstate your eBay account will be provided in the email that was sent out from eBay. If you rely on your eBay sales and you take this suspension not lightly, we recommend to follow the next step.
3. Reach out to eBay. Before you give eBay’s customer service a call, make sure you had some time to review eBay’s Selling Policy so you know exactly what policy restriction you violated. In addition, if eBay is your main source of income this can be a very emotional call, we urge you to remain calm and professional. 

Once you are ready to make the call make sure you have the following:

• Your eBay User ID 
• Your case reference number 
• A copy of the eBay suspension email

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eBay’s customer support number is +1-866-540-3229

Last pointers before you call eBay, even if you did violate eBay’s policy, let the eBay customer representative know what steps you want to take moving forward to avoid any future violations. 

We hope you found this guide useful, please comment below with any additional questions.