So, I got this bright idea to start selling things on eBay for profit. I bought a couple dozen ebooks and got started. One of the ebooks I purchased written by a man who makes his living selling on ebay suggest using ali express and dh gate. So, I thought they were reputable. I researched what was selling the most and Lifeproof cases came up. I didnt even consider the fact that they might be fake at the time. I starting selling them and they sold like hotcakes! One day a customer wrote me and told me she thought is was a phony and wanted her money back. I thought she was just saying that to get her money back but I did refund her right away. Then another customer wrote me and said it was phony. So, I did some research and found out the company I bought from was not very reputable at all and they probably were phony. So, what do I do now I thought? I am not a business owner, I am not a professional I am barely getting started, testing the waters. I researched other sellers selling the cases on eBay. Sellers who have been around much longer than I. I assumed they would be doing things correctly. I saw that they were still selling the cases and just stating that the cases were not original and rather equivalents and that you cant warranty them with Lifeproof. So that's what I did just to sell the rest of my stock and then I wasn't going to mess with that any more. I also sold generic flash drives and some items I purchased on clearance at Walmart. I sold about 40 of the knock of Lifeproof cases in all. I had no intention of doing anything illegal. I thought I researched what to do by observing other seemingly reputable been around a while us based eBay sellers. Then, I did some more research and found out you cant sell them even if you state that they are fakes. So, I cancelled the last listing I had left that was posted and did not list the last of my cases for sale. Then, I ended up calling eBay to see about raising my selling limits because things were selling really well in my first month of trying. That's when the representative asked me where I got my stock and I told her. She stated that you can only get Lifeproof cases from Lifeproof directly and that mine were fakes. I told her I had just realized that and had stopped selling them. She asked me to guarantee I would not sell anything marked Lifeproof again. Of course I accepted I had no intentions of doing so. I learned my lesson. Next thing I know my account is suspended (which they made no mention of on the phone) and they are requesting all kinds of information like a copy of my id a copy of my credit card statements and receipts for items I sold and planned on selling. I complied with all that they asked me to send. I googled what happens when eBay does that and I found a lot of posts where the people get sued and the really scary thing is most of those people only sold one such not allowed item or just posted them and I sold like 40! I am so scared. I have never been in trouble for anything in my life. My last vehicle ticket was more than ten years ago and I went to traffic school and got that off my record. I am not a con woman or a criminal. I made a mistake realized it and stopped as soon as I did. I was so scared of what might happen I even paid a lawyer to email me about the problem. All I did there was pay to get scared because he said basically I was in big trouble whether I knew what to do or not. He suggested I contact them and offer to come to some kind of an agreement to undue the wrong I had done. I called eBay and they told me there was no action being taken against my account and didn't look like there would be because I explained myself thoroughly to the first call rep I spoke to and it was an honest mistake that wasn't going to happen again. Than they just said thank you for calling eBay goodbye and hung up before I could even ask a name. How can they say no action. My account is suspended. Would it be legal for them to tell me everything is fine over the phone and then still sue me? If they did end up suing me that is.
To make matters worse. Another item I ordered from the same site the seller (btw after all of this I requested cancelations of all my orders that were still in progress just to be safe I was only going to buy from good ol' USA from now on) contacted me and said btw if the order gets seized by customs we only refund half of what you paid. Seized by customs!!! What?! I assume this means that product is a fake too. I As soon as I got that warning email I sent them several emails begging them not to send me the items. I did not want them! I even offered to let them keep some of my payment as a processing fee or whatever and just please don't send me the items. But so far they have ignored my emails and I see the package has been marked as shipped. I am really scared of this issue with customs too. I feel like I'm living a nightmare right now. I can't eat , I can't sleep. I may have really screwed up my life being ignorant. If anyone can offer any kind of advise I would be so much more appreciative than you would ever know. Thank you!
To make matters worse. Another item I ordered from the same site the seller (btw after all of this I requested cancelations of all my orders that were still in progress just to be safe I was only going to buy from good ol' USA from now on) contacted me and said btw if the order gets seized by customs we only refund half of what you paid. Seized by customs!!! What?! I assume this means that product is a fake too. I As soon as I got that warning email I sent them several emails begging them not to send me the items. I did not want them! I even offered to let them keep some of my payment as a processing fee or whatever and just please don't send me the items. But so far they have ignored my emails and I see the package has been marked as shipped. I am really scared of this issue with customs too. I feel like I'm living a nightmare right now. I can't eat , I can't sleep. I may have really screwed up my life being ignorant. If anyone can offer any kind of advise I would be so much more appreciative than you would ever know. Thank you!
