Thanks, QM55, just what I was hoping for. And good advice from you, Mikey - will do.
Flonska, perhaps you've never sold anything on ebay, but if you open it and click on 'My ebay' you will be presented with a number on options, one of which is ' Selling.' This takes you, surprisingly enough, to the items you are selling !
My account had previously been 'hacked' where I was alleged to be selling a fork lift truck/bulldozer for £7000 and I wanted to be sure that I was clear about what you were saying and was not highlighting another problem with my own account.
In reply to your comment . . . no, I haven't sold anything on e-bay - hence my seeking reassurance through my question.
Having logged in and clicked on "my e-bay" and selected "selling" as you stated, I see that the padlock does, indeed, disappear from the scroll bar.