"Used for other purposes" meaning people will buy your box and turn around to ebay it with a knockoff iPhone. Do you want to encourage that? And you wonder why it's worth a lot on the black market?
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Can't sell empty iPhone box on eBay
- Thread starter airflite40
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You know what, I have changed my mind after reading this and want to give credit to feeBay (seriously).
They are 100% right. There are a LOT of people that base the authenticity of an item based upon the packaging. If I was selling a fake iPhone, a real box would go a long way into increasing the price (not saying on eBay, I mean black market (street), craigslist, or otherwise where chargebacks don't happen... lol).
The packaging can be used to house a fake item and make it seem real. I can look at a fake Rolex box and tell it's fake (I'm more of an Omega guy anyway, but not the point). However, if you take a high grade replica Rolex and put it in a REAL Rolex box, it makes it even harder to differentiate.
There are people out there creatively scamming people. I'm shocked I didn't think of it first, but eBay is right, if you sell a box you might be assisting in that scam. It's your right to still do so if you want, and it's their right to do what they think is the right thing and not allow it on their site.
No biggie. Sell it elsewhere. But kudos to eBay, as I never thought about that particular "angle" (and I'm a pointy guy)...
No offense, but as a Jew, I am calling you a Jew for wanting to sell an empty box then moaning about it on a forum...
I personally have purchased 3 different iPhone boxes because I had purchased phones without the boxes... The last box I got b/c the seller told me the phone I was buying didn't come with the box, but when I got it, the box was included after all...
I just took the listing I had purchased the box from on eBay, and listed it using the exact same description... eBay, of course, removed my listing saying it violated their selling policies... eBay is seriously beginning to annoy me with this garbage... Fortunately I was able to sell it through a forum and get most of my money back out of it...
I just took the listing I had purchased the box from on eBay, and listed it using the exact same description... eBay, of course, removed my listing saying it violated their selling policies... eBay is seriously beginning to annoy me with this garbage... Fortunately I was able to sell it through a forum and get most of my money back out of it...
Because there are people that will buy it. Usually resellers. A phone...or any item...is worth more on the shelf if it is in the original box. I sold probably 20 X-Box boxes a long time ago. Places like GameStop and others like it snatch them up. The local place still will buy them if you walk in with them.
So eBay won't let you sell an empty box even if it's perfectly described, but are quite happy if you sell a stolen password locked actual phone with a completely implausible story. Makes sense 
I didn't read through the whole tread, but the whole selling a box really started with the "x box"
people were selling them on ebay and literally were selling the xbox "box"
people were selling them on ebay and literally were selling the xbox "box"
Look, no one, and I mean NO one, hates eBay more than I do. They suck. I absolutely do NOT argue that even for a second. Blah.BUT...
They are all about making money. They aren't by restricting auctions like this. They aren't doing this to be "jerks" or to be "ridiculous", it's because idiots out there actually FALL for it, and then eBay gets to clean up the mess. They probably got tired of it. I don't blame them (and believe me, I love to...), mainly because the world is full of idiots, and this allows them to deal with a few less of them, at the expense of not allowing a few people to sell BOXES.
eBay sucks, but there is also the fraud issue, especially down the road in DIFFERENT auctions/live sales (as discussed earlier). For a craptastic company, they are right on this. And it pains me to say that about a company I loathe so much
BUT...
They are all about making money. They aren't by restricting auctions like this. They aren't doing this to be "jerks" or to be "ridiculous", it's because idiots out there actually FALL for it, and then eBay gets to clean up the mess. They probably got tired of it. I don't blame them (and believe me, I love to...), mainly because the world is full of idiots, and this allows them to deal with a few less of them, at the expense of not allowing a few people to sell BOXES.
eBay sucks, but there is also the fraud issue, especially down the road in DIFFERENT auctions/live sales (as discussed earlier). For a craptastic company, they are right on this. And it pains me to say that about a company I loathe so much
I get what you are saying, but for them to remove a well documented (in pictures), and well described auction in the text description, for a perfectly legitimate item ticks me off... ESPECIALLY when I just used the exact same verbiage from the auction I bought it from, that still hasn't been removed...
Keep in mind that eBay NEVER removed the auction I purchased this from, so why remove mine, and not the other guys?
Item I purchased: http://www.ebay.com/itm/200968530981?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Title of message I received from eBay: MC999 Listing policy violation alert: Trademark Violation - Unauthorized Listing Content
Message I received from eBay:
After reviewing your eBay account, it appears that you have violated eBay's Trademark Violation - Unauthorized Listing Content policy. As a result, we've taken the following action on your account:
- Listings have been removed. A list of items that were removed can be viewed at the bottom of this message.
- We have credited all associated fees except for the final value fee for your listing(s).
Accessories that aren't offered as a stand alone purchase from the manufacturer aren't allowed on eBay
Certain brand name products come with accessories (custom packaging, warranties etc.) that aren't available on their own. Because these types of items may be used to commit fraud or facilitate a fraudulent transaction, we don't allow them to be listed.
To add insult to injury, he's selling more of them and his listing is still live...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/iphone-5-16...582?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ecaf64446
The reason for this is because eBay manually shuts down auctions, they don't do it automatically. Because if this, if you're really sneaky you can list stuff that's banned by eBay (flashcarts for videogames come to mind) and if you can sell it, AND get paid before they catch you, you can sorta get away with it.
That's all the scammer you noted is doing. Well not a scammer, but you get the drift. He's working the system. And well it seems.
If you care about your account though, don't. They will eventually just ban you from selling, and getting a seller account re-opened after their "TRUST" team shuts it is tougher than Lance Armstrong winning without steroids. It aint happenin.
Nice to heard they are taking things more proactive now to minimize scams
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That's a lot of iPads
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That's a lot of iPads
There are plenty on eBay in the UK. This one is particularly deceptive:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-iPh...UK_Mobiles_Accessories_RL&hash=item4aca31bdb6
And only £50
Deceptive how? It clearly says Iphone Box.
It was deceptive when I posted it nearly 2 weeks ago. The listing now has a note on it that says:
This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing.
But the original listing still says clearly that it is just the box, both in the title and the description...