Strikes, and what each one costs you
A strike is what is left on your account after a moderator has upheld something. Getting one is not the end of anything, but they add up, and we would rather you knew exactly how.
A flag is not a strike. A photo hidden by an automatic check, or a word picked up in your description, leaves nothing on your account. A strike is only recorded once a person has looked and agreed. If they decide the check was wrong, nothing is counted at all.
Three kinds
Not all strikes work the same way
They are counted separately because they mean different things and cost you different privileges.
Content strikes
How you get one: A photo of yours is deleted, or a moderator upholds a finding about your listing's wording.
Counted per account, not per listing. Every warning email tells you the number you are on, so it is never a surprise.
There is no automatic cut-off. Enough of them and a person will restrict selling or suspend the account, but that decision is always made by a human looking at the whole picture, not by a counter reaching a number.
Auction non-payment strikes
How you get one: You win an auction and do not pay within the payment window.
The one strike system with automatic consequences, because a bidder who does not pay costs a real seller a real sale. The ladder is set out below.
Each strike can be appealed from the notification you are sent.
Abusive reporting strikes
How you get one: You report a listing that is clearly fine, and moderation judges the report malicious.
Reporting exists so buyers can protect each other, and it only works if it is safe to use. It stops working if it can be used as a weapon against competitors.
One of these and your reports stop taking listings off sale on sight. They still get read.
Auctions
What happens if you win and do not pay
These are applied automatically, in this order.
| Strike | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1st | 1-day cooling-off period |
| 2nd | 7-day cooling-off period, and you must pay up front to bid |
| 3rd | Bidding suspended pending review |
Sellers see a marker on bidders who have a history of not paying, so they can decide how much to rely on a bid. Paying on time is all it takes to keep this off your account entirely.
Reports
Reporting in good faith costs you nothing
Being wrong is not the same as being malicious, and we do not treat it as such.
A dismissed report
Nothing happens to you. Most dismissed reports are honest misreadings of a listing, and the alternative — buyers hesitating to report — is far worse for everybody.
A report judged abusive
A strike, and your reports stop hiding listings on sight. Accounts younger than 3 days never had that ability in the first place: their reports arm a 3-day timer instead.
Some things skip the ladder entirely. Selling stolen goods, counterfeits, sexual services or controlled drugs can close an account on the first offence, without a warning and without a strike being counted first.
Everything else is meant to be recoverable. Fix the listing, and the matter ends there.
Think a strike was recorded wrongly? Appeal it in the resolution centre. Upheld appeals remove the strike.
Most sellers never see a single one of these
List honestly, describe what you are actually selling, and pay for what you win. That is the whole policy.