eBay Forcing User ID

unreal2014

TKPeters wrote: »

Anybody the makes a bid on one of your items or an item you bid on from, are able to get your details from the contact information page

Of course they can, but you are the person responsible for bidding and buying items, this would be viable if ebay actually bid on items automatically for you, thankfully they aren't completely silly but still enforce some strange "policies" if you can call them that at all in the first place.

Flyonthewall wrote: »

First of all, have to say, turn it off and back on again usually works. That is good advice.

Sure, if you live in the early nineties or have a lack of knowledge or understanding of how these things work in the first place.

I agree there, but otherwise I disagree, graciously.

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Anyway, if you change it right away does it still remember that one? I know this has been said at some point, can't say I've see an answer.

It does briefly, the way ebay representatives would put it is that the change over will take a while before it is altered completely, otherwise they cannot be exactly certain on how long this will take. I was told under two weeks, due to the ebay system, or perhaps servers having to process this information without messing anything else up in the process.

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Either way, I imagine a lot don't know of this username thing happening. Even with a unique name most people might assume it's a name you thought of/like to just use online. Only the people you deal with would know it's your name but they'd find out your name anyhow regardless of username.

Correct, it appears I am the first to notice and would like to start the ball rolling as I can see many people unknowingly believing this is simply "how ebay works" when it was not always the case and simply ebay forcing a made up user ID, although they have managed to mess this up too but not making it random, and actually using your person details to do so.

Many of the MSE members are under the assumption that I am picking and choosing which comments I read and which I agree with on purpose when this is actually not the case and it is indeed something that needs pointing out as quoted by a fellow MSE member below.

Flyonthewall wrote: »

I know I said before about the ID history and not noticing that. I'm going to add that I can't say I take that much notice of usernames anyway. I glance at the username but I only really pay attention to the feedback they have and the listing. I don't look to buy from or avoid any specific sellers.

Sure, but you, unlike a minority of people out there, need their privacy and hopefully for you, you will never have to go through what some people do in life to require their anonymity as a basic and essential need.

Flyonthewall wrote: »

30 days really isn't that long. May feel like a while but think about how many days you've already lived through. 30 days is nothing. You don't need ebay, it's perfectly possible to live without the site and never use it again, nevermind for 30 days. Even for a business there are other options.

Do you know of any other sites that have anywhere near the same amount of traffic running through them?

I am fully open to suggestions, and unfortunately I believe there is none, at least none with the same amount of traffic, which is useless if you want virtually guaranteed sales.

Flyonthewall wrote: »

It's the internet, that's what happens lol

Yes, unfortunately it is, and I wouldn't go so far as the headlines recently with supposed trolls or trolling, but the initial response from some of you to somebody who is clearly asking a simple, albeit long question. It just comes across as cruel, maybe even bullying, although this does not effect me, the actions are like-for-like. I do not take this personally as many will say it is simply what happens and I am fully aware of this.

harveybobbles wrote: »

What about your bank card when you use it in the shop? What if the cashire spots it and then looks you up on Facebook? Or got forbid 192.com..

Completely different and inconsequential to what this thread is for.

forgotmyname wrote: »

I could probably give you the name of 20 - 50 websites that auto suggest a username based on your real name you used.

Where is the problem? When you deal with other members they will get your name and address anyway.

Again, no matter how many times it is said, a suggestion is a suggestion, if you opt to join a website and you're shown a list of names you can select, or further a box you can enter your own desired user ID then this is a suggestion and I completely agree.

What ebay have done is setup an automated system in which you have no such box or suggestion list to choose from initially on the register page, what you are actually given is their very own suggestion and it is forced, not suggested as you are saying, since the user simply does not have chance to enter their own user ID, it is simply created by ebay from your own personal details.

RFW wrote: »

If you register as a business seller (I think) you still get to pick your own user name first.
Not really sure what the point of Ebay picking it for you is.

That said I'm fairly sure it's not worth getting upset over and if this has caused you "three hours of pure distress and discomfort" you may live a very charmed life indeed. I do hope so.

No one is actually going to see your account unless you buy or sell something. People rarely read item descriptions these days so finding anyone who checks id history is going to be very tricky.

Do you know if the Ebay generated id stays in your id history? It used to be that you could only change id after 30 days, so perhaps this never appears if changed within the first 30 days.

If you register as a business seller, then you are give the option to create a Business Name and thank you RFW for pointing out that you are also clueless as to the reasons ebay are automatically choosing user ID's now.

Charmed life, no. I'm simply not that lucky and it appears that you or anyone else with that opinion has not thought about the reasons this could be brought up for.

I can confirm that it does indeed stay in your id history, this is a part of the concern. I am pretty sure I can add that the name will stay even after 30 days since ebay couldn't tell me fast enough how it is impossible to delete it, and they couldn't tell me enough times either, jumping down my throat like I was born yesterday and have no idea about such matters. It appears a huge majority of people simply are not aware of what appears to be quite the security issue, and this will be explained further below.

soolin wrote: »

Can I suggest that you don't go anywhere near etsy then....they do the same.

This is good to know although I can say that I had not heard of etsy before you mentioned it.

mrs_sparrow wrote: »

Wow.

I hope that none of you are ever reduced to having had to move and live almost in hiding because of escaping domestic violence or something else such as having reported something and having your anonymity breached.

I can only assume that none of you posting these comments have been in this situation so please consider yourselves very, very lucky. Having been in one of these situations, realising that your 'real name' is readily available for people to see is actually a very scary experience. The person that you are hiding from can buy something from you and get your name and address - and phone number - in an instant.

Please stop saying the things you are to this woman as you have absolutely no idea of why she does not want her real name on screen.

OP, I do understand. Can you amend the screen so that it does not show your real name, address and phone number?

This is exactly the point of the whole post and can only hope that I have started the ball rolling in the correct direction in hope that somebody with the power to do so at ebay will attend to such a horrible policy if they manage to read this since the online help function is next to useless for personal matters and their phone manner leaves lots to be desired, I wouldn't talk down to anyone in the way that they have to me and when somebody asks a question I would not simply keep driving them around in circles with the same pointless answers.

campdave wrote: »

Name and address fairly useful on a shopping website.

Sellers should not be giving false information either, otherwise scammers prosper as identities cannot be verified.

Perhaps I have not been in a similar situation, but if anonymity is essential, ebay is a frippery that is not needed.

The only way to bypass their forced user ID giving is to sign up with a false name and then simply when they give you the id based on that name, it will have nothing to do with you and you may then change it to the correct user id you wish to have and amend your details accordingly before you begin any transactions through ebay.

You may call it frippery, but when it is the only site with such traffic on the face of the earth and there really is nowhere remotely similar to go just to make some pennies on the side to help you get by, it is the only option, unfortunately.


Though it appears I may have ruffled some feathers of fellow MSE members, I hope somebody out there takes notice and does something about this, as Mrs. Sparrow seems to be the only one to fully understand how this type of thing can help to wreck a small minorities lives. Yes this may sound crazy, but as people who have been through abuse do not need further abuse because a website has failed them, even if this does seem small to some, it will be a highly big deal to others since it can cause further harm both physically and mentally.

Thank you to everyone who has posted.

anotheruser

Look, OP - barely anyone is going to read your huge posts because they are simply boring.

I have no idea why you continue to reply when it's clear you just fudged up the registration. Hundreds of other users have signed up using whatever username they want with no problems. Some people even use their name as they're not too bothered, especially as when paying via PayPal, your name and address is there to see anyway!

Best just put it down to a bad experience... perhaps re-register if you wish.

unreal2014

anotheruser wrote: »

Look, OP - barely anyone is going to read your huge posts because they are simply boring.

Rude and ignorant, why do you continue to post if you have nothing constructive to add.

It's a rhetorical question.

If you find it so boring then simply refrain from entering a thread and replying, you're only wasting your own time.

anotheruser wrote: »

I have no idea why you continue to reply when it's clear you just fudged up the registration. Hundreds of other users have signed up using whatever username they want with no problems. Some people even use their name as they're not too bothered, especially as when paying via PayPal, your name and address is there to see anyway!

To contradict yourself, you state my posts are boring and then say you have no idea why I continue to reply when you clearly have not read what I have said, why would you reply if you didn't read it. Because users just like you assume they know what users like me are "raving" about. The fact is you simply have not read my post(s).

anotheruser wrote: »

Best just put it down to a bad experience... perhaps re-register if you wish.

This is the most constructive part of your post, but you still claim my posts are boring which is not helpful so if that is your view then please do not read them, or at least refrain from replying when you yourself have stated you have not read my posts.

Of course it is a bad experience, of course these things happen, and yes anybody can add their two pennies worth but at least be constructive and helpful with it otherwise you're just wasting your own time and anyone else who has had a similar experience and thinks ebay should at least alter the system at the very least.

If you are not going to read something then why comment in the first place. And likewise to anyone else who thinks my posts are long, I hope you never decide to take up reading books, heaven forbid you would have to read more than two paragraphs.

The last part of your post is almost helpful, but of course I already know I can re-register, if I wish. If you would have read the thread through then you would have known that, perhaps.

SlowCooker

unreal2014 wrote: »

And likewise to anyone else who thinks my posts are long, I hope you never decide to take up reading books, heaven forbid you would have to read more than two paragraphs.

The comparison between a post on an online forum and a book is simply absurd. Would you read a 1000-page letter from a complete stranger?

Learning to be brief and to the point is not a bad idea, particularly when you are asking people for help/advice.

redcard

So, in summary, ebay suggested a username such as JohnSmith.256, OP was too lazy / stupid to amend it, and is now on a 1-man crusade to get compensation?

What a bore this thread was. I thought there would have been at least some meat on the bone.

How can one man write so much, yet say so little?

unreal2014

thriftymanc wrote: »

Out of interest, I just went onto the Ebay website and went through the registration process with fake details.

Page 1: type in my first name, surname and email address, and choose a password, then click next.

Page 2:
"Welcome to eBay, Fake!
You'll be able to sign in to eBay with [EMAIL="fake@fakityfake.com"]fake@fakityfake.com[/EMAIL]
To save you the time of creating a unique user ID, we've selected uk-name for you. This is what will display when you bid, buy, or sell on eBay.
Want to choose your own user ID? Just go to My eBay on your computer, click the Account tab, and then go to Personal Information."

...and the problem is?

Yes, the registration process is now slightly different - when I signed up, I chose my own username during the sign up stage. But during the new process it tells you right there how to change it!

You point out the issue yet fail to see it right in front of you, they create it and then tell you to change it once you are already signed in with said user ID. In short this is what I should have said.

redcard wrote: »

So, in summary, ebay suggested a username such as JohnSmith.256, OP was too lazy / stupid to amend it, and is now on a 1-man crusade to get compensation?

What a bore this thread was. I thought there would have been at least some meat on the bone.

How can one man write so much, yet say so little?

No, they did not suggest anything, they give you the name and then tell you to change it. How can so many people be so ignorant to this fact.

To be clear I wish no compensation, but to point out if this kind of thing lead to somebody being harmed everyone would soon change their opinions. When people want to be malicious they can be. It appears 1% of replies here have no idea about the subject and prefer call me stupid or lazy.

The fact remains that the given name, given and not suggested, which holds your person details, is still issued to you and permanent on your account for the world to see, if your name is John Smith this is fine, if it is unique then your name won't be changed once you click submit and it will remain on your history id forever unless you create a new account under a false name and amend it once they have issued your user ID.

Flyonthewall

unreal2014 wrote: »

Sure, if you live in the early nineties or have a lack of knowledge or understanding of how these things work in the first place.

I agree there, but otherwise I disagree, graciously.

As someone who knows a lot about tech and computers and has qualifications in them, turn it off and back is still good advice. When I was at college just a few years ago the IT technicians first words in any IT problem were turn it off and back on and 9/10 that worked. Before you say anything about the technicians, there was more than one that said it and I've had IT teachers at more than one college say it as well (very good colleges too).

My PC the other day loaded up a temp desktop - off, back on, fine. My mobile wouldn't type on texts - off, back on, fine. PS3 couldn't connect to online server for a game - off, back on, fine. Sometimes things just need a reboot whether it's because of a glitch or something not loading properly.

Sure, we've been doing that years but we keep doing it because it works. Course, sometimes issues are more serious but most of the time off and back on solves the issue. It's not outdated advice, it's not for those who don't have a clue, it's advice even IT pros give.

Correct, it appears I am the first to notice and would like to start the ball rolling as I can see many people unknowingly believing this is simply "how ebay works" when it was not always the case and simply ebay forcing a made up user ID, although they have managed to mess this up too but not making it random, and actually using your person details to do so.

So you agree that people may think nothing of it yet despite being upset about it using your real name you want to "start the ball rolling" in making people realise it is, in fact, not that way and it is using a real name. A name you don't want people to know.

Does it really matter how it was? Those people who create new accounts won't know any better and can only create it with the current system and those that have accounts don't need to worry how it is now because they have accounts. Even if they create a new one they can only go by the current system - knowing doesn't change that. They'll just change their usernames later if they want to. Ebay is not the only site to assign usernames to people.

Sure, but you, unlike a minority of people out there, need their privacy and hopefully for you, you will never have to go through what some people do in life to require their anonymity as a basic and essential need.

I don't have the most common name but I wouldn't care if ebay used it as a username. Ebay hide usernames in bidding and feedback anyway now and the sellers are going to find out your name anyway.

If I'd been through something where I had to keep my name really private I'd possibly avoid shopping online altogether because you'll have to give the site your name and details to buy. If nothing else I'd avoid ebay with it being a third party site, you could be dealing with anyone.

Do you know of any other sites that have anywhere near the same amount of traffic running through them?

I am fully open to suggestions, and unfortunately I believe there is none, at least none with the same amount of traffic, which is useless if you want virtually guaranteed sales.

For 30 days, try ebid, perhaps etsy, gumtree, facebook selling pages, local newspaper. Sell to your local cash converters/cash generator or whatever. Do a carboot even.

If you can't live for 30 days without ebay you've got serious problems.

If you never use ebay again and you're a business then start up your own website, get a shop or market stall. I'm not saying you'll get as much traffic/business but it's not the end of the world to not have ebay. You can get a decent income or sell your unwanted items without ebay.

Amber_Sunshine

Please, OP, never buy a sandwich in Subway.

mgdavid

suzeesu2000 wrote: »

Maybe I am being a bit thick but....if you are an honest seller, why would you mind anyone knowing your name? you need a persons name and address when posting their purchases or, if a buyer, when returning goods. Why is anyone knowing your name an issue?

Unless you didn't want Mr Taxman to know.....or planned on selling hooky merchandise.....just a thought

+1 this...

redcard

So, I attemped to create a new account, using the name Paul Smith.

The suggested user ID was 'paulstuqyqlb87'

I have absolutely no idea how someone would identify that as being Paul Smith.

You then go to your profile and change it. I guess the OP just doesn't like this extra step.