Who can access your contact details on ebay?

RainbowDrops

I've mentioned on some of my listings that I will be going on holiday soon.
Another ebayer has just messaged me saying that I should remove that message as someone might buy the item to get my address & burgle my house.
This seems a bit paranoid to me?
What do you guys think?

harveybobbles

A buyer only gets to see your postcode, not full address. Unless you are a business seller, in which your full address is displayed.

A friend of mine buys some random things on eBay to scare off posible burgalars:

Weight gain, gum shields, kick boxing things. All low value (Under £5) but he said it looks good/menacing on your feedback should someone want to try to be funny.

He's 5"7, 8 stone wet thru and works in IT..


I'm gonna think twice now when I buy things for my mum (knitting patterns and Chihuahua clothes lol..)

RainbowDrops

harveybobbles wrote: »

A buyer only gets to see your postcode, not full address. Unless you are a business seller, in which your full address is displayed.

I thought as much, I'm a private seller with just a few bits & bobs on.

harveybobbles

It depends how many properties are covered by your postcode too.

They could search your name from eBay and find your address via 192.com perhaps? They'd have to pay for that though.

RainbowDrops

It's a whole street, so about 50 houses, most of which are split into 3 flats.
I just want to forewarn potential buyers.
(My auctions end 1 week before I go on hols)

soolin

RainbowDrops wrote: »

It's a whole street, so about 50 houses, most of which are split into 3 flats.
I just want to forewarn potential buyers.
(My auctions end 1 week before I go on hols)

I am going on holiday soon, so what I have done is leave 8 days clear from auction end to my holiday to enable any NPBs to be completed.

I will then put up a holiday message when I go- but not mention holiday just say that I won't be online to answer questions until xx date'

RainbowDrops

soolin wrote: »

I am going on holiday soon, so what I have done is leave 8 days clear from auction end to my holiday to enable any NPBs to be completed.

I will then put up a holiday message when I go- but not mention holiday just say that I won't be online to answer questions until xx date'

Do you think I should just remove the note then, and maybe mention to a buyer once they've paid & I've sent the item that I'll have limited email access?

Crowqueen

I would end any listings and not relist until you get back and are in a position to manage things properly. If you are just a private seller you don't need to have items running while you are away and it will be difficult to respond to queries, which will at the very least put people off bidding. If something ends while you are away then you will get into difficulties if the buyer pays promptly and expects you to send out.

I end all my listings a week before I go away. As a private seller you can organise your time a bit better than a business seller who may need to make other arrangements to maintain listings properly. I wouldn't advise anyone just to take off with listings live or visible that has not made other arrangements to keep things under control; it's not going to end well.

Businesses have to upload contact details, including a geographic address and phone number (on eBay at least; the address is a legal requirement). If you have a shop you should probably use holiday settings to hide listings completely. If you tend to use auctions, I would imagine the same thing applies as it does to private sellers - there's little point in having active listings you can't keep control of.

Personally I wouldn't worry overly much about visibility. Many crimes are opportunistic - attacking the first property they see which is unoccupied - rather than deliberately planned based on eBay holiday settings. Even if that person is talking from experience, she may not know whether or not it was coincidental that her house was burgled while she was away with live listings, or that it was definitely linked to eBay.

RainbowDrops

Thanks for the tips Crowqueen.
They're just a few items from the last FLW.
I wouldn't have any running while I was away for the reasons you've stated (eg, can't answer queries). But just thought it was worth mentioning on the listings that I would be away after they ended.

I've taken the note about holidays off the items without bids now anyway.

Crowqueen

But just thought it was worth mentioning on the listings that I would be away after they ended.

In that case if you are not going to a wilderness area I would make sure to check your emails while away, just once or twice should do it.

Good luck . I guess in a way it's better to be safe than sorry. This question came up on the Seller Central board regarding a business seller with visible details and James the Pink (the moderator) got back to her after consulting the legal advisors saying they couldn't hide those while she was away, so the best thing to do was completely hide her listings until she got back using holiday settings (but you only get those if you have a shop). Unless you put your contact details directly on the listing when you don't need to, I suspect a thief might just go for 'low-hanging fruit' rather than mess about trying to get hold of details which they are not legally entitled to.

There are good reasons not to broadcast details or indeed things on the internet which are unsavoury (I know a couple of good Jimmy Savile jokes which I am having to fight hard not to publish online because they are that good but not something I'd want even some the people who know me on Facebook to hear). Stick to giving what you are legally required to give out and don't get overly panicky about burglars. Security systems, locking up, not leaving open windows etc. are much more important than something someone really has to waste time digging deep to find.

shaun_from_Africa

harveybobbles wrote: »

A friend of mine buys some random things on eBay to scare off posible burgalars:

Should they check out you ebay feedback, a copy of this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eat-Thy-Neighbour-A-History-of-Cannibalism-Daniel-Diehl-Mark-F-Donnelly-Goo-/130741041713?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item1e70c5fa31

One of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leather-Head-Harness-with-Ball-Gag-Blindfold-Gimp-Mask-Bondage-Restraint-HH2-/321008736786?pt=Adult_Fancy_Dress_UK&hash=item4abd9c9a12

And one of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-butchers-bone-saw-SONNESAGF-/181007486946?pt=UK_BOI_Restaurant_RL&hash=item2a24e30fe2

Should give any prospective burglar more than enough to think about.