New ebay policy about email addresses

soolin

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/201303180639402.html


We've updated eBay’s member-to-member contact policy to prohibit members from exchanging the following items of information in member-to-member communications:

• Email addresses,
• Offers to buy or sell outside eBay,
• URLs to non-eBay sites that don’t directly help buyers purchase items on eBay.

Messages that include phone numbers and links to additional information that aid in the purchase decision or facilitate item delivery will still be permitted. These include warranties, manuals, and tracking links. We discourage buyers and sellers from sending offers to buy and sell outside eBay, as these transactions aren’t covered by eBay buyer protection programmes.

For more information about these changes, see eBay’sMember-to-member contact policy, and learn more about eBay Buyer Protection.

Regards,
The eBay-Team

marking_bad

They've lost the plot, passing email addresses via messaging needs to be banned? Give me a break.

TKPeters

Nothing to stop us Business Reg'd Sellers with Shops having a business info page with our email contact details & then direct the buyers to that eBay page to contact us directly

RFW

They've been 'banned' before, when the messaging system first started. As I remember there was something wrong with the technology that ended up blocking other things sent in messaging too.

Can't say it will make much difference here, very rarely had the need to send or ask for an email address. If you really need to email a customer and they have paid by Paypal you'll have an email address anyway.

soolin

The big sellers on the community board have pointed out that the DSRs require businesses to list an email address if they sell online and many of us have our email address clearly showing in our business details. That email address has been out there by eBay.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

I have contacted 2 sellers local to me becuase of what they sell on the bay... I contacted them to see if they would be interested in buying those items in bulk of me, instead of going round the bootsales and charity shops etc...one buyer has been buying off me for atleast 6 years, and the other one a good year...

So by me contacting them, they have a good supply of items to keep listing and selling on the bay....

I personally would not have listed these items on ebay individually or in bulk ( jusy got so much i can list myself)..

So basically from my situation. if I could not have contacted/spoken too these ebayers, then Ebay would have lost out with sales in some shape or form...


for us it is a win - win siituation...

Also what about people who would want to go and view an item before bidding. or speak to the person direct and ask questions, which might not be so easy to discribe in a written discription???


The next thing they will be looking at is ALL items listed will have to paid for via paypal... regardless if it is pick up only, and only one street away

bxboards

marking_bad wrote: »

They've lost the plot, passing email addresses via messaging needs to be banned? Give me a break.

Amazon Marketplace messaging has done this for years, anyone sending an e-mail adresses within gets the e-mail address removed. The rest of the message comes through but the message reads [e-mail address removed] in place of the e-mail address.

ThinkingOfLinking

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

The next thing they will be looking at is ALL items listed will have to paid for via paypal... regardless if it is pick up only, and only one street away

All software items are now Paypal only...it is only a matter of time until everything is Paypal only.

RFW

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

So basically from my situation. if I could not have contacted/spoken too these ebayers, then Ebay would have lost out with sales in some shape or form...



Also what about people who would want to go and view an item before bidding. or speak to the person direct and ask questions, which might not be so easy to discribe in a written discription???

Why would this be affected by not allowing email addresses in messaging?
You can still send messages. If it's a business seller you should have their email address, address and phone number from their seller pages, so what's the difference? You can still go and view something if there is that option.
Not being allowed to put an email address in a messaging system is hardly an abuse of your civil rights. Calm down people:beer:

sham63

How will they police this?

If it's automated couldn't you get round it with the ' at yahoo dot co dot uk' trick?

ballisticbrian

Last time eBay phoned me on some promotion for businesses, they mentioned putting a slip in the package with my web site on, so they know from the first purchase, a customer has your details. I think the problem is, some sellers can't find their way through the minefield and low margins of making a sale on eBay and are simply using eBay to try to promote their off site sales.