'Dirty socks' that got CEO of billion-dollar company banned from eBay permanently

Ryan Cohen’s eBay account has been permanently suspended, the GameStop CEO said in an X post. Cohen shared a screenshot of the ‘ban message’ he received which says that his actions put “the eBay community at risk”. Earlier this week, the CEO made an “unsolicited” offer to acquire eBay for about $56 billion. The ban comes after Cohen shared he was “selling stuff on eBay to pay for eBay”. According to a Pubity post on X, Ryan Cohen was allegedly selling “his dirty socks for $5,000”.

Here’s why eBay banned GameStop CEO’s account

As per the screenshot shared by GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen, eBay found his account’s activity “was putting the eBay community at risk”. The decision, it said “was not made lightly and it's important that we keep our marketplace safe for everyone”. Here’s what the screenshot read:


Your account has been suspendedHello ryan_5050,We wanted to let you know that your eBay account has been permanently suspended because of activity that we believe was putting the eBay community at risk. We understand that this must be frustrating, but this decision was not made lightly and it's important that we keep our marketplace safe for everyone. For more information, see our article on how and why accounts can be suspended or review our User Agreement.Here's what you need to know• You will no longer be able to use your account to buy or sell items and any new accounts you set up may also be suspended.• Any listings have been removed and they can be viewed below.• We've credited any associated fees for your listings, except for the transaction ..

Move that reportedly led to Ryan Cohen’s eBay account ban

Earlier on Wednesday, Ryan Cohen said he was “selling stuff on eBay to pay for eBay” and shared a link to his personal seller page on the platform. The post came shortly after veteran investor Bill Smead questioned whether GameStop could realistically finance a reported $56 billion deal to acquire eBay. Smead, whose investment firm has owned eBay shares for nearly 20 years, said he saw little reason for eBay to agree to such a sale.


Earlier this week, Cohen also said GameStop could issue more shares to help raise money for the planned acquisition. Meanwhile, eBay’s board is reportedly expected to review GameStop’s offer later this week.