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$3500/day to ZERO in one day with FB - Help!

Marketing, social media, advertising

user1995

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Hello Fastlaners.

So I was spending about 1k a day on Facebook advertising my ecommerce store (fully compliant, in the Home & Garden space), and was making about $2500-$3500/day in sales..

Until one day they decided to ban my account - apparently for "suspicious payment activity" which was crazy because I had a $5000 billing threshold and I wasn't even due to be billed yet.

Appeals have failed and I keep getting the same cookie-cutter responses saying that they can't "confidently reinstate my payment account in interest of protecting their users"

Further attempts to create new business and personal accounts were effectively shut down by FB, tried new credit cards, Paypal accounts, virtual credit cards, different computers, family members' accounts, etc... even replaced the store with a new domain. Trust me when you go from 3k a day to zero you try everything LOL!

Anyone with similar experiences? Would like to resume advertising on Facebook ASAP, and it's really frustrating when I see people advertise illegal stuff like steroids and other shady stuff they don't crack down on them just because they're in foreign languages.. when I'm just selling regular household items!

Thanks in advance!
 
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oimate

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Screw facebook-Yes you were making great money from it but at least you now know for certain that there is a revenue source so build up your own website and drive traffic to it from a 'new' fb account, twitter, google ads etc.
 

f0reclone

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There are people, which are selling Facebook Accounts ready to advertise with a high spending limit. But can't give you a recommendation yet because I haven't such a service yet.
 

RHL

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I can't offer much insight except to say that this is why all businesses should diversify their traffic. CENTS. I work in the car space, and met the owner of a specialist junk yard. You get dirty in that biz, but they make big money; the owner of one for Corvettes locally (so, they buy wrecks from all over the country and sell the parts online) has a car collection that would get Ralph Lauren's grudging respect.

Anyway, this guy did it for a rare-ish Japanese car that is still very popular. I can't divulge too many details, but Paypal one day decided something was amiss with his perfectly above-board, legit business, and froze his account with high six figures in holding. By the time he got it figured out, he'd had to lay off most of his long-time employees, debts had mounted (because it not only froze old income, but shut down new revenue), and will be lucky now if he escapes bankruptcy. Last time I visited him he was running his office off a diesel generator because the power company cut off his utilities.

Don't let it happen to you.
 

Kung Fu Steve

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This is a wake up call.

@theag gave solid and real actionable advice. If it means that much to you, open a new LLC while still attempting to reinstate your account.

Beyond that it's time to start building a real business with multiple avenues of revenue. If you are selling home products are you on Amazon? Are you utilizing traffic sources like Instagram and Pinterest? Are you able to find a way to use Google PPC or the lesser used networks like Bing?

It's time to get resourceful and not only find ways AROUND that -- but to find ways to GROW from here.

I'm sure many of us are reading your situation and saying "well duh, that was bound to happen" -- but hindsight is always 20/20.

List out other avenues and then start taking massive action to replace that business.
 

user1995

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Screw facebook-Yes you were making great money from it but at least you now know for certain that there is a revenue source so build up your own website and drive traffic to it from a 'new' fb account, twitter, google ads etc.
Yeah man, taking a look at other traffic sources. Thing is this is quite a socially driven, "cool" product and it got a ton of likes and shares - it's not something that people search for in the search engines. Something like that magic sponge that was pitched on Shark Tnak - people don't enter that on the search engines it has to be put in front of them.
 
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user1995

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There are people, which are selling Facebook Accounts ready to advertise with a high spending limit. But can't give you a recommendation yet because I haven't such a service yet.
Will take a look at that, thanks. Have tried a few "mainstream" services with no success.
 

user1995

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New LLC + new address + employee CCs
Thanks for your suggestions theag! As for the new address how do you typically go about that? It's got to match the billing details, right? And also to my understanding I've got to be physically located in the zip code that I enter - do I change the address at my bank and get a proxy to be in that location?
 

user1995

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I can't offer much insight except to say that this is why all businesses should diversify their traffic. CENTS. I work in the car space, and met the owner of a specialist junk yard. You get dirty in that biz, but they make big money; the owner of one for Corvettes locally (so, they buy wrecks from all over the country and sell the parts online) has a car collection that would get Ralph Lauren's grudging respect.

Anyway, this guy did it for a rare-ish Japanese car that is still very popular. I can't divulge too many details, but Paypal one day decided something was amiss with his perfectly above-board, legit business, and froze his account with high six figures in holding. By the time he got it figured out, he'd had to lay off most of his long-time employees, debts had mounted (because it not only froze old income, but shut down new revenue), and will be lucky now if he escapes bankruptcy. Last time I visited him he was running his office off a diesel generator because the power company cut off his utilities.

Don't let it happen to you.
Wow that's shocking what happened to that guy - sometimes people in risk management just don't get the ramifications of impeding cash flow.. It can destroy their businesses' and lives. Paypal can be a pain, and most of the time advice in regards to Paypal are based on guesses - and regular merchant accounts are not less erratic :/

Taking a look at other traffic sources similar to FB, thanks for your insight.
 
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user1995

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This is a wake up call.

@theag gave solid and real actionable advice. If it means that much to you, open a new LLC while still attempting to reinstate your account.

Beyond that it's time to start building a real business with multiple avenues of revenue. If you are selling home products are you on Amazon? Are you utilizing traffic sources like Instagram and Pinterest? Are you able to find a way to use Google PPC or the lesser used networks like Bing?

It's time to get resourceful and not only find ways AROUND that -- but to find ways to GROW from here.

I'm sure many of us are reading your situation and saying "well duh, that was bound to happen" -- but hindsight is always 20/20.

List out other avenues and then start taking massive action to replace that business.
It's absolutely a wake up call Steve. I spent a long time learning Facebook advertising and was scaling rapidly, was even about to get a loan to set up even more campaigns, then BAM!

I'm gonna keep trying and see what comes of it. It'd be a real shame to just let it go.

But in the meantime I'm searching for new traffic sources - thing is this is not something people actively search for, it's more of a novelty product, and the post on FB was getting a ton of shares and likes. Maybe contacting niche sites and negotiating a deal - not as easy to scale as FB where you just have to up the budget and expand interests, but it is what it is.

Thanks for your insight!
 

JasonR

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Since Facebook was giving you such good returns you can't just ignore it and move on. It's obviously worth the time to figure it out.

You can't just move on to other traffic sources so easily, as others have suggested.

"Real" businesses are being built on Facebook every day.

Where you went wrong is trying to create new personal accounts. Never, ever do that.

At your spend level you should have had a rep. If I were you I'd be on the phone/email every day trying to get the account reinstate. Be annoying.

@theag posted good, actionable advice. If you set up a new account you have to do it on a new IP everything. I would try to use a family member or friends account that's never used your same IP. There are guys here that know more about this to me.

I've had my legitimate Facebook account suspended several times and always got out of it.

Sell to your email list while you're still in limbo.

Good luck.
 

Silverhawk851

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You can get the account back still,
you just have to be mad annoying.
Email them!

Message me I'll show a way you can get your account back

The second thing is....DIVERSIFY

Never rely on just one account.
Have 2-3 always in backup, and spread across multiple accounts.

Don't buy any accounts from people that you don't know.
There are a ton of guys making ton of claims, but trust me
you'll get burned. Ask me how I know.

There is a better way of setting up multiple accounts.

Having multiple traffic sources is ideal,
and you want to have a funnel for each.

But it takes time to learn a new traffic source,
and figure out the funnel that converts.

The opportunity cost to start from scratch on the new funnel is too high I'd say,
IAt $3500/day I would work to get this back up
and yes use it as a lesson to never rely on just a traffic source for sales anymore

and THEN figure out more traffic sources

Email, Native/Content networks, GDN are all somewhat transferable to, if you have a broad interest type offer.

My 2c
 
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csalvato

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Silverhawk851

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VyprVPN makes this realllll easy.

Negative, unless they use brand new commercial/residential IPs, VPN will instaban.

has to be a Residential/Commercial not a datacenter like a VPN would be
and not encrypted
 

Mike39

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Gotta love FB!

Don't try to buy fake FB accounts, I wouldn't even try to set up new FB accounts on your own. You won't get anywhere with it, or at least not for 6+ months.

Regardless of being whitehat or not, always a good idea to have a few backup accounts going.

I'm sure one of the guys in the thread or myself can help you out (for free) if that's the way you want to go, if someone hasn't already PM'd you feel free to reach out.
 
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user1995

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Thanks for the great suggestions everyone! Very established folks have given some awesome actionable suggestions.

I've been trying to reinstate that account for ages, but I think it's a lost cause - they haven't even debited me for the $2000+ bill LOL they must hate me.

Here's my plan on what I've gathered on this thread and reading online :

1.) Warm up a new Facebook account for a week - use it normally, chat with friends, like posts, join groups, etc... I've set up the Business Manager there (not yet the ad account)

2.) Report lost card at my bank to get a new one - it's a business checking account at Citi but for some reason they don't have "employee cards" you can only have one - I've already reported 3 times previously so I want to do this sparingly.

** I'll learn more before doing this : A forum member suggested using a new address, so I might change my address at the bank, but I learned that you've got to be physically located at the zip code associated with the card.. so maybe not?

3.) Create the Facebook ad account on a different IP address as mentioned before. Thinking of doing it on an Internet cafe but I'm worried it might trigger a security thing (to identify 6 friends or solve some ridiculous puzzles) as it's an unknown machine.. which in turns leads to the "suspicious login activity" trigger...

4.) Add the new card and start promoting very conservatively.

5.) If they ban me (knock on wood) - they're gonna be hearing from me, in a big way.

I was hesitant to ask this question because it sounds like a newbie question...

Cause these are things that people learn anecdotally, not things you learn from online docs.

It's a shame that I have to jump through so many hoops to promote my legit products, when others go years unscathed promoting shady stuff..

But it's something I've got to do while I explore other traffic sources!

So thanks - and wish me luck Fastlaners!!!!
 

OldFaithful

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If I were you I'd be on the phone/email every day trying to get the account reinstate.
Yes to this! It's very easy to treat people badly over the internet, so you need to reduce the distance between you and the people limiting your business. Call FB, get the name of the rep to deal with. Keep asking and keep calling until you find the right person to handle your case. Be friendly, polite, honest and tell them your name/details. Explain the situation and ask for that person's help. Most people want to help friendly people, and in their position they typically deal with so many JERKS that 1 friendly voice will really stand out. They will likely go out of their way to help you and teach you more about the inner workings of FB.

I speak from 1st hand experience. I am naturally a "matter of fact", curt, and "straight to business" type of guy. My wife on the other hand is one of the friendliest people on the planet. For example, I called and called the local BMV, and got absolutely no help with a particular problem. My wife stops by the BMV, and gets to know all of the people working there in just 15 minutes. She finds out what/who they have in common, remembers their names, etc. She gets excellent service and they go out of their way to help her. The problem was solved in just 15 minutes. It happens every time, at every store, in every locale!!! I'm learning, but I've still got a lot to learn here!
 

user1995

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UPDATE : I got to 1k/day in spending a couple of months ago before getting banned again for "unusual payment activity" when I haven't hit the billing threshold yet and wasn't even billed.

Tried almost everything...

It's been a ride. LOL

Gonna go for a sponsored email blast to a list in my niche - don't think it'll be as profitable as FB but we'll see... $2500 for 500,000 newsletter distribution.
 
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The-J

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Do you have a rep at Facebook that is actively helping you?

Facebook's customer service is notoriously piss poor, but if you're spending over $1k a day you NEED to contact them and get someone who is on your side. Get them to verify your shit prior to your spend.

(You may be promoting some non-compliant shit and not telling us, though, in which case you're SOL)
 

458

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Good learning experience. In business you need fail overs for EVERYTHING. For example, our phone system is through the internet in our office, we have both Comcast and ATT internet on a fail over router, that way there are zero interruptions in our calling. Goodluck
 

Scot

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Man, they must hate you. Agreed with The-J. Try and work with a rep there, see what's going on.
 
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user1995

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Do you have a rep at Facebook that is actively helping you?

Facebook's customer service is notoriously piss poor, but if you're spending over $1k a day you NEED to contact them and get someone who is on your side. Get them to verify your shit prior to your spend.

(You may be promoting some non-compliant shit and not telling us, though, in which case you're SOL)

Hi J,

Unfortunately I do not have a dedicated rep.

I always get banned once I'm in the perfect position to request for one LOL..

Will take your advice and request for one at the $500/day mark in the future.

I've been dealing with FB support and it's terrible - cookie-cutter responses that directly contradict their previous messages and I'm certain they don't even read the replies.

It's just recipes and stuff, the message that always pops up is that there has been "suspected fraudulent payment activity", not for policy violations.

Which is extremely weird and uncalled for as I haven't even hit the billing threshold.

Who knows, this might be a blessing in disguise that forces me to seek out more profitable and scalable traffic sources... :dead:

But I must say... there's nothing like Facebook traffic.
 

The-J

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ho knows, this might be a blessing in disguise that forces me to seek out more profitable and scalable traffic sources... :dead:

Not much more scalable than Facebook. More profitable, sure.

You never mentioned what you're offering, by the way... I'm gonna bet that it's just not compliant. Facebook doesn't ban twice for no reason.
 

TheTruth

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So first thing is first... yes people have been banned on Facebook for stupid reasons (trust me I have gone down this road before). But, i'm willing to bet you didn't check everything in their guidelines.

Let's say you did though. Let's just say everything was 100% super compliant and above board, how are the comments? do you get a lot of negative comments? do people flag your posts? ---> If they do, this will always be issue #1.

Also, what city do you live in? You can get a rep (scratch that, you should get a rep and go for lunch with them). The reps will take care of you and it will never be a problem again.

Lastly, are you using a business manager? If not you are missing out. It is way easier to deal with Facebook when you have a business manager account.

I have friends who spend $5,000-$10,000/day on Facebook and never get banned. So please do some digging because my advice is to NOT AT ALL DIVERSIFY before you figure this out. If you have a real business, please for the love of business get this issue resolved. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't sleep for 7 days until I got a rep and figured out whats wrong. I used to email Facebook twice a day sometimes to get things like this fixed.

Give us an update, this would be such a shame if you left it as is.

My 2 cents.
 
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hughjasle

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Your best solution is to hire a business account on facebook certified resellers.
LOL

Yes, your best solution on a white hat long term business is go out and buy shady BH accounts from someone who has to come to THIS forum and sell. Anyone who is worth anything in selling FB accounts btw doesn't have to advertise, just remember that.

@user1995 Shoot me a PM and I'll see if I can help you out. I have a rep, but that probably wont help you much, but I have some ideas on how to make that work.
 
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JayTGold

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I concur with what other posters have said, email the crap out of them, phone them, fly over there if you have to!
 

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