dodo4 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Does anyone have experience selling fossils on Our Favorite Auction Site? I wanted to try selling my overflow and created two listing. Both were rejected because, if I understand it correctly, there were words "turtle shell" in the description. See the text of the email I got from eBay below. I called customer service and explained that we are talking fossils, fossils that are millions of years old. They would not budge, so I escalated the issue and now awaiting for someone to contact me. "Some of your listings haven’t followed our Animals, Plants, and Wildlife policy. In this email, we're including some policy information to help you with your future listings. We also had to take the following actions: - Listings that didn't follow our guidelines have been removed. A list of removed item(s) is available further down in this email. - We have credited all associated fees except for the final value fee for your listing(s). You may list plastic, glass, or other man-made items with a "tortoise shell" design if you state clearly in your listing what the item is and that it isn't made from real tortoise or turtle shell. Due to state and federal regulations, items made from turtles or tortoises that are considered endangered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service aren't allowed on eBay. In your listing, it is required that you include the turtle species from which your item is made. Species that are protected by law aren’t allowed. You listed an item made from tortoise/turtle but you did not identify the species. We appreciate that you have chosen to utilize our site and, if you choose to relist, the specific species of turtle/tortoise must be listed in the description. If you are unaware of what specific species of tortoise this is, or if it is a species that is endangered or threatened, we ask that you please not relist the item on our site. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this information and be sure that your current and future listings, including any items that are relisted automatically, follow these guidelines. If they don’t, they'll be removed and your fees may not be refunded. It could also result in additional actions, including loss of buying and selling privileges on Favorite Auction Site." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 How interesting and a bit silly. But, as a tortoise enthusiast, I'm glad they're taking these things seriously. Just relist saying "fossil turtle shell" and list the species. Put "extinct" afterwards. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I would just look at what the other sellers are using for verbiage, and use the same. Maybe using skeleton instead of shell would work. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodo4 Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 Thank you, I will do just that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 1 hour ago, dodo4 said: if it is a species that is endangered or threatened A bit past that I am afraid... Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodo4 Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 5 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said: A bit past that I am afraid... That was the point I made to the customer service. So, anyway, I relisted my fossils and replaced "fragments of turtle shell" with "fragments of carapace" Lets see how that works. So far, they accepted the listing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anomotodon Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Had the same thing with a 70 million year old sawfish tooth. I simply deleted word 'sawfish' and replaced it with 'rostral tooth', although sadly customers won't be able to find the item with 'sawfish' keyword. The Tooth Fairy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodo4 Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 9 minutes ago, Anomotodon said: Had the same thing with a 70 million year old sawfish tooth. I simply deleted word 'sawfish' and replaced it with 'rostral tooth', although sadly customers won't be able to find the item with 'sawfish' keyword. Yes, I understand, and still, eBay gives us access to so many people that it make sense to stick with it, even if the description is not perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 4 hours ago, dodo4 said: That was the point I made to the customer service. So, anyway, I relisted my fossils and replaced "fragments of turtle shell" with "fragments of carapace" Lets see how that works. So far, they accepted the listing. Probably because none of the moderators knows what "carapace" means. It's amazing what some sellers label items as that have nothing to do with what is being sold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodo4 Posted March 22, 2018 Author Share Posted March 22, 2018 3 minutes ago, caldigger said: Probably because none of the moderators knows what "carapace" means. It's amazing what some sellers label items as that have nothing to do with what is being sold. @caldigger Was it a compliment? I am not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Just stating the people doing the judging of what is taboo to list might not understand the term "carapace", so it is allowed to pass under the radar. Anyone that is specifically looking for such fossils will know what it is and may bid on it. I have seen more than a few ads for fossil turtle shell and dont recall how they were listed. Look some up. What are they listed under? My comment about the labeling misidentification was not directed at you. Merely to say, there are many sellers out there that will put names in their titles that have nothing to do with the item at hand just to draw buyers in. Those that monitor listings seem to pay no attention to what is being sold. They just look for key "No go" words like tortoise shell, elephant ivory, tiger skin, etc. Just come up with a title that you won't think will raise red flags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 33 minutes ago, caldigger said: Just come up with a title that you won't think will raise red flags. Rubber baby buggy bumpers!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 4 hours ago, ynot said: Rubber baby buggy bumpers!!! Yes, I was almost tempted to buy one of those once Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodo4 Posted March 22, 2018 Author Share Posted March 22, 2018 10 hours ago, ynot said: Rubber baby buggy bumpers!!! That's it! I am going to use it to sell my next batch. Should I include the red flags too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 25 minutes ago, dodo4 said: Should I include the red flags too? Only if You are selling fake or misidentified pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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