Would a "pop up" possibly work? For example when a buyer clicks on bid or buy now maybe a pop up warning the buyer the seller hasn't logged on for xxx # of weeks and eBid recommends contacting seller for product availability.Sorry but I can't understand "Draconian approach" when we are referring to asking sellers to be responsive and to make the site more and more appealing to would be buyers.
Maybe 48 hours is extreme however 60 days is too long in any emergency.A 48 hour limit for sellers to login is too short. It ignores the fact that in the real world people can and do have other issues to deal with. There are many potential reasons for why a seller cannot administer their account for a couple of days - power loss, computer failure, sickness, family (or other) emergency, internet access failure and so on.
I would switch the term "shut down" with "suspend"If eBid were to shut down a seller's listings because that seller had just had to face more "real world" trouble than they wanted to, imagine how that seller would feel on seeing what eBid did. Stressed out, angry sellers would be flooding the forums, both here and elsewhere, complaining about it; eBid's member numbers and reputation would take a considerable hit.
So I agree with those who suggest that 30 days is about right before a seller's listings are closed. Perhaps after 14 and 21 days an email warning (reminding the seller of their obligation to sign in and the consequence of not doing so) could be sent.
As I responded to Damian, maybe the 48 hours is too harsh as is a full shut down. Suspensions, warnings or even a pop up would help.
I haven't been here for a real long time but I have seen members with health issues post in the forums they were shutting down for a while or putting up a holiday notice.
True emergencies do happen I realize that but in comparison to the amount of dump and run sellers we experience, emergencies are a drop in the bucket. Suspensions with the ability to relist our items quickly and easily may just be the answer. Also might be a blessing for those concerned with true emergencies. If one is in fact in the hospital for an extended length of time it would be nice to know eBid has put your listings on hold (suspended) until your well enough to log back on.