Locked
Discussions in this board are limited to the original poster and Community Mentors
Why is EBay demanding my photo I.D. when I am NOT a high volume seller? 2026, less than $250.
Summary: punkinmark expressed frustration with eBay, accusing them of holding funds unjustly and comparing it to theft, especially given their low sales volume. They challenged eBay's requirement for personal identification, arguing it should only apply to high-volume sellers as defined under the INFORM Consumers Act. eastlaneave responded by explaining that eBay's policies, including identity verification, are part of their User Agreement and necessary for compliance with U.S. regulations. punkinmark reported negative experiences with eBay's customer service and disputed the legitimacy of the identity verification requirement, maintaining no risk was associated with their account. inceptions clarified that changes in user agreements require ongoing compliance. The dialogue reflects tension over eBay's policies and procedures.
Holding funds is akin to stealing. No, it is stealing. It's bad enough that EBay has become so greedy as to scalp 13.5% profit off all sales, when they started, and became billionaires just two years after their start, charging a reasonable 3% fee.
Anyone who goes on about how banking institutions require it, or airlines, has no clue what they're comparing. EBay is not governed by the FAA or the Federal Reserve.
SHOW me the LAW that says you can keep my payout when I sell less than $250 in goods per YEAR. SHOW me.
Now pay me my last payout, and I will stop selling there. We will both lose, but it's on you.
punkinmark
OP1 week agoAnd because I wouldn't "comply," Ebay sent me a message on the Community Board: Your comment in Why is EBay demanding my photo I.D. when I am NOT a high volume seller? 2026, less than $250. has been removed.
Yes, don't fix the problem. Just delete the person who you don't want to respond to.
punkinmark
OP1 week agoEbay has decided that someone in East LA has the best answer, because they posted it twice. Awww, that's so cute.
inceptions
Mentor1 week ago@punkinmark
The developer of the Community pages you are using has designed it that way. All replies are listed. The reply marked as the best answer is duplicated in green.
eastlaneave
Mentor1 week ago@punkinmark
eBay is able to Hold Funds as part of the User Agreement:
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behaviour-policies/user-agreement?id=4259#section12
and
Payments Terms of Use:
https://pages.ebay.com/payment/2.0/terms.html#article-5
We may place a hold if we detect increased risk—such as identity verification issues or buyer disputes.
eBay is required to reverify members periodically to comply with US law on "Know Your Customer" (KYC).
I had to do this in October 2022, and again April 2026.
In 2022 my payments were on hold until I uploaded my ID.
This is part of the Terms of Service / User Agreement that you sign.
Here's what you should do:
1) Make sure your profile information is correct and complete
https://accountsettings.ebay.com/profile
2) Check for a message from eBay here that says something like: "Action required: Verify your information to continue selling" here:
- https://mesg.ebay.com/mesgweb/ViewMessages/0
Or in your messages "trash"
- https://mesg.ebay.com/mesgweb/ViewMessages/5
3) Upload the documents eBay requested (often it is an ID like a driver's license or passport; or a bank statement) to the place they requested.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is the message I got on October 16 2022 (also in eBay messages)
Hi [first name],
To pass verification, you'll need one of these documents for the primary contact on your account.
Driver License
Passport
Government issued ID card
You will need this info to meet eBay's regulatory requirements for selling.
Please upload your document by Nov 14, 2022 to release your held payouts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are unsure, you may want to talk to the eBay Customer Service area which specializes in this topic.
Here is how to get a phone call or live chat.
Go to this page:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/registering-seller?id=4792&from=ContactUs
Scroll to the Bottom of the page
1) Click "Contact Us" or the ? then select choices until you see
2) Chat with our automated assistant (to the left), click that
In the CHAT WINDOW
3) Type "Agent"
4) Click Your topic
5) You may need to click "Something Else" or "More Options" or type "Agent" a few more times
6) Click “Have Us Call You” (or "Chat with an Agent")
-- If you use a call filter on your phone, turn it off temporarily, or it might block the incoming call.
Customer service is open from 5am to 9pm Pacific Time
punkinmark
OP1 week agoI called six people in eBay. One was polite, the others were rude. Philipines - rude, Caribbean - polite, David in Colombia - started out polite, then rude. Christina in Asia (she didn't know that wasn't a country) - rude.
YOUR WEBSITE states that this data is required for high volume sellers. I have sold 125 items over the years, with 100 percent customer satisfaction. Next baloney excuse?
The user agreement I agreed to in 2001 did not state this, so no, not true eastlaneave.
We may place a hold if we detect increased risk—such as identity verification issues or buyer disputes.
No risk.
inceptions
Mentor1 week ago@punkinmark
Asia is NOT a country.
This website doesn't belong to anyone here, it belongs to eBay. You are receiving responses from fellow buyers and sellers who volunteer their time to help others as mentors (hence the name of the board, "Ask a Mentor").
Each time eBay revises the User Agreement, you are notified. If you continue to use eBay, you agree to abide by the most current version.
punkinmark
OP1 week agoYou responded twice with the same information. So I'll reply twice.
Key Components of U.S. KYC
Customer Identification Program (CIP): Requires collecting basic data at onboarding, including legal name, date of birth, residential address, and an identification number (such as a Social Security or Tax ID number).
You have this data already. I have no risk associated with my account.
punkinmark
OP1 week agoPlease note, EBay users, Ebay even says themselves: A high-volume seller on eBay is officially defined under the INFORM Consumers Act as a vendor who completes 200 or more discrete sales totaling $5,000 or more within a rolling 12-month period.
Transaction threshold: 200+ separate transactions in 12 months.
Revenue threshold: $5,000+ in gross sales over that same period.
Verification requirement: Must authenticate government ID, tax ID, and bank details annually.
Daily volume: Often characterized by sellers moving anywhere from 20 to 100+ (or thousands) of orders per day.