You are absolutely right.  I committed a bonehead error and was trying to Import a Private Key from which I had already moved all my coins.  They are actually under another Private Key.  I followed the steps with that one and it worked like a charm, so thanks a lot.

Now I'm on the fence about selling though!  I'm a bitcoin true believer (not a speculator), but I could really use the cash for a business venture I'm involved in.  I'll have it back and then some in one year or so, at which point I will most certainly by back in to bitcoin.  My one concern is that the price of one btc might go through the roof during this time for some reason e.g. US economic collapse, so I'd sell relatively cheap coins but have to buy back into very expensive coins.  Quite the quandary

I did step 8 correctly, there are now zero coins showing at my paper wallet Public Key address.  But there are still zero showing in my Blockchain wallet.  Is this a normal delay?

Re: step 9, I can send to Coinbase just as well right?

Great advice.  I have AVG AntiVirus FREE -- is that ok?  It says everything -- Computer, Web, Identity, and Email -- are "Protected."  Firewall is greyed and it says "Upgrade to Activate". 

I ran a full scan just now and it came back totally clean

Can you please dumb this down for me?  Is this right?
1. Go to Blockchain.info
2. Wallet
3. Login
4. Import/Export
5. (ominous "Advanced Warning!" message).  Click "I Understand"
6. Import Private Key

Is that right?  I got through Step 6 and then after that it started recommending that if the Private Key is from a "shared source" I should Sweep instead of Import Directly.  It is not from a "shared source" so I chose Import Directly, but then it gave me another ominous message that basically forced me to click Sweep.  I did and then I got pink highlighted message in the top-right corner of the screen, but nothing happened.  I just checked my paper wallet and all coins are still there.

So I have my bitcoins in a paper wallet/cold storage.  I have both the public and private keys for this.  Now I would like to get some of those into my Bitstamp account so I can sell them.  Unfortunately I have no idea how to do this. 

Help?

You are totally right.  But I would think if that's what they thought they would at least explain that to me, not just say "sorry but you're out!"

Yeah that makes sense but honestly we are not talking about thousands of coins or anything like that, we are talking low small fry numbers.  If they truly yanked by account for 10 or 20 coin transactions here and there I would be very surprised.  Looks like their policy over there is guilty unless proven innocent, or rather guilty guilty guilty despite evidence proving innocence.  I'm gonna use Bitstamp from now on

No I have not.

Maybe minimal additional inputs that I got from my dad or bro, but even those they initially got through Coinbase.

Well if they don't want my [legitimate] business then I'll go elsewhere.  Any other reputable American bitcoin brokers out there that y'all would recommend?

I answered everything honestly.  Look at their reply.  This is nuts.

-------------------------------------
NOV 06, 2015 | 03:22PM PST
Danielle replied:
Hi [anonymized],

We regret to inform you that a manual review has determined that you are ineligible to use the Coinbase platform to purchase Bitcoin. We’re sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause.

Please note, that we have not blocked access to any bitcoin balance currently in your Coinbase account; while we can no longer process transactions of this bitcoin via our banking relationship, you may send this bitcoin to a local wallet or another bitcoin address.

Again I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.

Respectfully,
Danielle | Coinbase Compliance

How satisfied were you with the quality of service we provided today?
 Poor |  Fair |  Good |  Great
NOV 05, 2015 | 12:40PM PST
[anonymized] replied:
Hi Danielle,   

I never got emails from y'all on 2/16 or 2/23   *I barely use my Coinbase account so any purported "high volume transactions" were not by me.  Additionally, in Sept/Oct 2014 I had a heckuva time placing a couple orders -- they kept getting canceled, I believe b/c of fraudulent activity and bogus accounts. See far below to see my email communication with your Coinbase colleagues. Looks like my Coinbase account, for whatever reason, is plagued with some sort of fraud.

Now let me take a stab at your questions:   
*I don't own any others, just the one associated with this email address i.e. [anonymized]   
*Buy bitcoin when low, save them in cold storage till down the line in the future after probably USD collapse. I have yet to sell any back through Coinbase but I might want to do so at some point   
*I don't remember every single transaction but some were probably from my brother (who also trades bitcoin here and there),
maybe some from my dad   
*My own personal bank account, the one linked to Coinbase   
*Services? I don't think I've ever "spent" a bitcoin on anything. I transfer some to cold storage, some to BTC-e to do some
cryptocurrency day trading, but I really don't "spend" bitcoins on anything

Please advise asap, thanks
- [anonymized]

Good idea, where can I find that?  If it's anywhere in my Coinbase account I cannot access that as it is locked down

I answered them as honestly as I could.  Will let you know when they reply.

See Coinbase response below.
1. I never got emails from the on 2/16 or 2/23
2. If there were a "high volume of transactions" that something funny is going on b/c that was not me

I will respond to her and answer her questions and report back

NOV 05, 2015 | 09:41AM PST
Danielle replied:
Hi [anonymized],

Danielle here, with Coinbase Compliance. On February 16, 2015, we sent you a request for additional information regarding your Coinbase account as part of a routine compliance review. We followed up on our request on February 23rd, 2015, but did not receive a response. Accordingly, your Coinbase account was restricted pending your response.

I have gone ahead and copied our request below, for your convenience. If you would like to continue using our service, please respond at your earliest convenience:

During a routine review, we noticed your account has conducted a high volume of transactions. Please know that we are required by law to periodically review high volume accounts as part of being a regulated Money Service Business.

In order to assist in this process, please provide the following information within seven (7) days to avoid disruption of service to your account:

- Please identify the email addresses of any additional Coinbase accounts you may own
- Briefly describe the primary use case for your Coinbase account
- Describe the source of the bitcoin being deposited into your account that was not purchased through Coinbase
- Identify the source of funds for your purchases of bitcoin
- Elaborate on the nature of your outgoing transfers and what service(s) they may be related to

If you would like to discontinue service, an easy way to clear out that last bit of money without having to deal with fees would be to donate your remaining bitcoin to a non profit that accepts bitcoin such as Khan Academy. Kham Academy is a non-profit aimed at providing a free, world-class education to all. To donate, direct your remaining bitcoin to donate@khanacademy.org via the Send/Request page. Please specify the amount you’re sending in BTC, rather than USD. For example, if you have 0.00009732 BTC in your account, and currently that equals $0.06, enter ‘0.00009732’ in the BTC field rather than ‘0.06’ in the USD field. Once your account’s balance is at 0, head back to https://www.coinbase.com/settings/security_settings and scroll to the bottom to close your account.

I hope that helps! Should you have any further questions or need anything else, we are here to help.

Thanks [anonymized].

Respectfully,
Danielle | Coinbase Compliance

I have a decent amount coins in cold storage, I'm considering cashing in some at some point through Coinbase (which is linked to my bank account).  That is why it is important that my Coinbase account be active and stable.

That makes sense, but I did not violate any of those TOSs.  I'm just a regular Joe trying to make a buck.

Define and give examples for "Bitcoin client" please.  You mean like Coinbase?  What about https://blockchain.info/?  If so what is considered the "safest" one these days?

I already have a BTC-e account and BTC deposit address so I'm good there

Both excellent points -- dormant account, very little coins in there.  Ok so no reason to be suspicious then?

I will post their reply here as soon as I get it

I have my BTC in cold storage/on a Long-term storage paper wallet.  I have (and protect with my life) the private key for that.  I would like to transfer my coins out of cold storage into BTC-e and set up an autosell point, but I can't figure out how to do that.

Help?

Well I tried to withdraw the tiny amount of BTC I have there but I kept getting error messages, despite being certain that I was doing everything right.

I have no violated their TOS as far as I know.

The bulk of my coins as in cold/paper storage i.e. offline.  I only use Coinbase as an exchange.

Yesterday I logged into Coinbase for the first time in about 4 months and was met with this message:

Unfortunately we have had to close your Coinbase account. Before your account can be closed, you will need to withdraw your bitcoin to an external wallet and any other funds to an attached bank account. Please be sure to delete any references to bitcoin addresses generated by Coinbase, as bitcoin sent to those addresses will not be retrievable once the account is closed. If you have any questions you may contact us at support@coinbase.com.

Transfer 0.00007033 BTC out of your Bitcoin accounts
Enter a Bitcoin address to which we will sweep all of the funds from these accounts

I wrote them an email at the support address but have not heard back yet. 

Anybody else experience this?  I am suspicious, possibilities I am worried about:
1. This is an elaborate scam of some sort
2. USG is cracking down on Coinbase
3. Coinbase is having internal issues and about to shutter like Mt. Gox

?

So to transfer coins from one paper wallet to another, I need an "intermediary" software wallet - ?  If that is correct, which one would y'all say has the best security:ease-of-use ratio? 

How about Bitcoin Wallet for Android?  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.schildbach.wallet