Being shadowbanned on the marketplace can be frustrating and damaging to your business. A shadowban is when your listings and account are hidden from search results and buyers without you being notified. This means potential customers can’t find your products or shop even though your account appears normal to you when logged in. There are a few ways to check if you have been shadowbanned so you can take steps to get back to full visibility if needed.
What is Shadowbanning?
Shadowbanning is a method platforms use to limit a user’s visibility and interaction without their knowledge. It is different from outright banning or suspending an account because the user can still access their profile and post content even though that content may not be seen by others.
Some key things to know about shadowbanning:
– It happens quietly without notification so you may not realize your reach has been limited.
– Search results and rankings will be impacted so fewer people see your listings or posts.
– Interactions like comments, likes, and messages may decrease dramatically.
– Other users can’t find your profile easily when searching the site.
– You can still access your account and post as normal when logged in.
Marketplaces may shadowban sellers and listings for various policy violations – some examples include excessive advertising, duplicate accounts, abusive behavior, or numerous customer complaints. It allows them to discourage bad behavior without complete removal.
Why Sellers Get Shadowbanned
There are a few common reasons a marketplace may shadowban a seller rather than fully suspend an account:
– **Policy violations** – Such as too much self-promotion, duplicate accounts, abusive language, or repeated infractions. This allows a warning before complete removal.
– **Multiple customer complaints** – If a seller gets numerous complaints about products, shipping, or behavior a shadowban may happen before investigating further.
– **Suspicious activity** – Any activity that seems inauthentic like fake reviews or unusually high sales numbers could trigger a shadowban.
– **Linking to prohibited sites** – Linking to phishing, malware, illegal products, or other prohibited websites in your profile or listings could lead to a shadowban.
– **Court orders** – In some cases court orders may require platforms to restrict access to a profile rather than delete it entirely.
– **Security concerns** – Accounts that are suspected of being compromised but not confirmed may be shadowbanned to limit damage.
– **Legal violations** – Listings or behavior that violates marketplace terms and local laws may cause a shadowban to discourage it.
So in summary – shadowbanning is usually used by platforms as an initial measure against terms violations, suspicious activity, or complaints before more severe action is taken.
How to Check if You Are Shadowbanned
There are a few ways you can check if your account or listings have been shadowbanned from search on the marketplace:
– **Search for your listings** – First, log completely out of your account and try searching for your products or username. If your listings no longer show up in results you may be shadowbanned.
– **Use an incognito browser** – Search for your listings using a web browser in incognito or private mode. This will ignore any cookies or cached data from your main browser.
– **Check sales and traffic** – Look for a sudden unexplained drop in orders, site visits, messages, or review rates. This can indicate you’ve been shadowbanned.
– **Ask friends to search** – Have some friends or colleagues attempt to search for and find your profile or products when logged out. See if it appears for them.
– **Use analytics** – Check traffic sources and behavior in analytics. A big drop in referrals and visits from the marketplace specifically can mean a shadowban.
– **Contact support** – Reach out to the marketplace’s support team, report an issue with visibility, and ask if there are any restrictions on your account. They may confirm a shadowban.
– **Check other accounts** – If you have another seller account or personal profile on the site, use it to search for your main profile or listings.
Using a combination of these methods is the best way to confirm if you have indeed been shadowbanned from search and visibility.
What to Do If You’ve Been Shadowbanned
If you confirm your account has been shadowbanned, here are some steps to take:
– **Contact support** – Reach out to marketplace support, be polite, explain you think your account has been shadowbanned, and kindly ask why. See if they can lift it.
– **Read policy guides** – Thoroughly review marketplace rules and guidelines to ensure you aren’t violating any policies.
– **Remove prohibited content** – Take down any listings, links, or content that violate marketplace policies or laws.
– **Improve behavior** – If shadowbanned due to complaints or conduct take steps to improve communication, service quality, and behavior when interacting with others.
– **Request re-review** – Ask the support team to re-review your account once you’ve addressed any issues to see if the shadowban can be lifted.
– **Wait it out** – Some shadowbans expire or lift automatically after a set time period like 30-90 days if you don’t commit any additional violations.
– **Submit appeals** – Check for any appeals process to submit a request to remove unfair or inaccurate shadowbans.
– **Switch accounts** – In some cases switching to a new seller account can give you a fresh start if violations were account-specific.
– **Last resort – move platforms** – If the shadowban seems unfair or permanent, you may need to move your business to another marketplace site as a last option.
With a mix of patience, communication, and improving your account, many unfair shadowbans can eventually be removed and reversed.
How to Avoid Being Shadowbanned
Here are some tips sellers should follow to avoid being shadowbanned in the first place:
– **Read all policies** – Actually read through the marketplace’s rules, terms of service, seller guidelines, prohibited content lists, and review policies. Follow them.
– **Provide quality service** – Ensure you deliver quality products, as advertised quickly with good communication to minimize complaints.
– **Don’t over promote** – Avoid excessive posts that only promote your product and don’t engage with the community. Market organically.
– **Watch for policy changes** – As marketplaces evolve keep an eye out for new guidelines and adjust your practices accordingly.
– **Avoid suspicious behaviors** – Don’t manipulate reviews, falsify sales, create multiple accounts, spam, or mislead customers.
– **Link carefully** – Be cautious about linking to external websites and make sure they comply with policies.
– **Use tags appropriately** – Only use relevant tags in listings don’t keyword stuff or over tag to game search rankings.
– **Don’t hard sell** – Avoid aggressive sales tactics, spamming users, or contacting people who haven’t consented to communication.
– **Appeal bans quickly** – If you receive any warnings or restrictions make sure to appeal them as soon as possible before harsher action is taken.
Staying aware of changing marketplace rules, selling ethically, and avoiding shady tactics can help minimize your risk of a frustrating stealth shadowban.
Conclusion
Having your account or listings shadowbanned can significantly damage your reach and sales as a marketplace seller. By learning how shadowbans work, keeping an eye out for signals like traffic drops, and taking remedial action if banned, you can get back to full visibility more quickly. Above all, following all platform guidelines, providing quality products and service, and avoiding policy violations will help you steer clear of shadowbans before they happen. With proper care and precautions, you should be able to maintain compliance on the marketplace and get your products in front of the right buyers.
| Shadowban Signals | Prevention Tips |
|---|---|
| – Listings removed from search – Profile missing from searches – Unexplained drop in sales – Lower site traffic – Fewer messages – Drop in reviews |
– Read and follow all policies – Provide excellent service – Don’t overly self-promote – Appeal any restrictions right away – Avoid suspicious behaviors |
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I check if I’m shadowbanned?
Some ways to check are searching for your listings while logged out, using an incognito browser, asking friends to search for your account, checking traffic analytics for unexplained drops, and contacting marketplace support to inquire about account restrictions.
What are common reasons for shadowbans?
Marketplaces most often shadowban for policy violations, customer complaints, suspicious activity like fake reviews or inflated sales, prohibited content, security concerns, and legal violations.
Is a shadowban permanent?
Not necessarily. Some shadowbans expire after a set time period. Others can be lifted if you address the root cause and appeal the restriction. But repeated violations may lead to more permanent bans.
Can I create a new account if shadowbanned?
In some cases where the issues were isolated to one account you may be able to start fresh with a new seller profile. But multiple accounts are often prohibited and could result in more severe action if caught.
How do I get a shadowban lifted?
Removing prohibited content, improving practices, appealing directly, waiting out short bans, and switching accounts if necessary can all potentially help get a shadowban reversed. Good communication with the platform’s support is key.