Selling merchandise online has never been easier than with the use of today’s apps, websites, and online selling platforms. Not too many years ago, if you had an item you didn’t want, you would either throw it away or set it aside until you had enough items to have a garage sale. This meant, spending your entire weekend setting up tables, placing prices on items and keeping a close eye on your goods to make sure no one stole any items. Online market places are not restricted to small or inexpensive items. They can be a home for sale, a car or even property.
Some common selling platforms in today’s modern technologies afforded to us through cell phones, laptops and computers include the following:
- eBay
- Craigslist
- letgo
- OfferUp
- Mercari
- Amazon
- Facebook Marketplace
How to Avoid Having your Item Taken Down
In order to take advantage of these platforms, it is understood that we must follow a given set of rules set in place by the administrators of these mediums. In most cases, the rules are simple and straightforward involving nothing more than common sense to avoid any issues with items you may post. If you have recently listed an item on letgo and received a message stating “your listing has been discarded” chances are you have broken a rule or law set in place for both the buyer and seller’s protection.
E-commerce and selling platforms are held to a high standard which includes following the law. It is mandatory for them to follow it, therefore you should to. Take into consideration it is your responsibility to understand all laws where you live and make sure anything you list or post is legal to sell. If you are receiving an error message and your listing continues to be pulled down after more than one attempt, please look into the privacy policies as well as community guidelines for your answer. Some basic prohibited content of most online marketplaces include the following:
- listings or messages that are defamatory, fraudulent or violate the law in any way.No violation of privacy or publicity.
- Pass or transmit any virus, Trojan horse, spyware or other computer code, file or potentially harmful program intended to do harm or damage to the operation of software, hardware or equipment.
- Purposely using the platform for fraudulent or unlawful activity.
- Collecting information about other users in sending or selling to other websites or apps.
- Disrupting the platforms servers or networks.
- Preventing another user from using the platform.
- Asking a potential buyer about sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, family status or gender.
Prohibited services
Most services are considered as acceptable for listing and marketplaces and include legitimate jobs. Just like with in a normal job, you cannot offer someone something that is illegal. The same can be said with listing services online.
Below you will find a list of prohibited services not allowed in many if not most Ecom based websites.
- Financial services – this would include tax filing, insurance, credit gimmicks and loans.
- Legal support for services such as debt and tax collection, preparation of one’s will, and other legal advice.
- Medical services – Botox and chiropractic to name a couple.
- Escort or dating services or matchmaking
- in-home visits for massage services
- services which may include illegal activities for example unlocking paid subscriptions
- guns or weapons
- affiliate marketing or pyramid schemes
- absurd or unrealistic promises
This list does not include all items which would raise a red flag or be considered as misconduct, but it does contain many that are considered common sense and should help guide you towards using your best efforts when selecting products or items that you choose to list or not list.
How To Fix The Your Listing Has Been Discarded Issue
If you have received this violation or something similar causing your item or listing to be pulled, first try and relist the item see if there was a mistake in your listing being removed. If it happens a second time, look for obvious mistakes you may have made in the listing that could have caused the issue. If you cannot pinpoint the issue, have a friend help you look over the listing as well.
Sometimes the answer is not as obvious and you must comb through the privacy policy page looking for a specific reason your item may not qualify to be listed. Furthermore, as a last effort to gain good standing for your listing, reach out to the support team or staff of the platform you are using. In most cases this error can be resolved quickly and easily in your listing can be reposted.