Market banned after trading regularly

Hey there,

I know that no EA representative will probably ever care about what I post here, or do anything about it for that matter, but what the hell.

I returned to the game after a 4-month hiatus for the World Cup promo. Naturally, my team was outdated, I had very little coins, and I needed to catch up quickly. So I spent hours grinding the market through the game itself, the web app, and the companion app — using the exact tools and functionalities that EA provides for players to trade and improve their teams.

After a few hours, I finally managed to find some great deals. One of them was TOTS Dumornay, listed for 28.5k. That was obviously far below her market value, and probably listed by accident, but that has always been part of Ultimate Team trading. Sniping, mass bidding, finding underpriced cards — these have been legitimate strategies since FUT has existed. It's precisely what makes the game fun, FFS. 

Not even 30 minutes later, boom: my account gets banned from using the transfer market on any platform for the current FC title.

Brilliant.

When I appealed the ban, EA failed to provide any actual data-driven proof that my account participated in coin buying or coin selling. I received nothing except generic, copy-pasted replies after waiting 24 hours. No transaction logs. No specific explanation. No actual evidence showing what exactly I supposedly did wrong.

This has been a controversial topic for years. People apparently get false flagged for mis-clicking and listing a player too cheaply, or for buying a card that someone else listed too low. Meanwhile, I still see low-value cards going for ridiculous amounts on bid on a regular basis. So who decides what is suspicious and what is fair? Why does making a good deal for breadcrumbs get treated like coin trading?

Are players not allowed to use the market to make coins anymore? Are we expected to live off the 500 coins we get per game? If finding an underpriced card is enough to trigger a ban, then what exactly is the point of having a transfer market? Are we all just supposed to turn to the store when we want a certain card? 

The worst part is the appeal process. EA expects players to defend themselves in a tiny text box with a character limit, while providing no meaningful information about the accusation. A normal player cannot go through hidden market logs and explain every transaction in detail. You are basically asked to build a case against an invisible system, with no evidence, no context, and no real transparency. How am I supposed to prove that market sniping or mass bidding was legitimate when EA does not even tell me which transaction caused the flag? They provide no solid proof, but hey, they give you an option to appeal the case, where all you can really say is that you haven't bought or sold any coins from anyone/anywhere. How am I supposed to back something I haven't done? 🤣 Am I supposed to provide a screenshot of all my bank transactions over 2 months course, or what exactly is expected from me? All of that anyway, just to get an AI generated pre-written response. At this point, I'm convinced that the appeal process is only there for the sake of existing. Same as the customer support, where you're greeted with an AI agent, that will only refer you to articles that you've read a 100 times instead of connecting you to a human being, capable of actually understanding that you've been false-flagged and have in fact done nothing wrong. Apparently, times have changed and you are not actually allowed to grind market for coins. I suppose it's better to join a trading discord that's price fixing the market, based on leaked information. That's supposedly not an unfair advantage, or against the ToS, but buying cheap players, within means that the game naturally provides is.... 🤣. The funny thing is that trading finally felt useful again. The market felt less saturated, there were fewer obvious bots, and for once it felt possible to grind coins properly instead of constantly losing value. Then the moment you actually make a good purchase, you get punished for it.

I do not care much about the ban at this point, and honestly, I care even less about the game after this. I have played FIFA/FC for around 12 years, bought the game almost every year, supported the franchise, spent money on it, and this is how legitimate players get treated.

Brilliant stuff.

So, moral of the story:

If you are an EA employee, do better. If you are going to punish long-term players, at least have the decency to provide clear evidence and a real explanation instead of hiding behind generic replies, where all you get is this : 

You break our rules (link) if you:
• Engage in coin distribution
• Buy Coins
• Sell Coins

If you are an FC player, be careful what you buy. Apparently, the dopamine from making a great purchase can only last so long. 

Goodbye. You won't be missed.😐