why all of a sudden does ebay need our Social Security Number?

[infinite.electronics.usa]

Why all of a sudden does ebay need our Social Security Number? I have been selling since 1999 and as though with their high selling fees and now paying taxes isn't bad enough now they want our social security number. I have deleted all my selling items because of this. This is deceitful and unnecessary, and never needed before. I obviously, like several other sellers cannot get a respond out of ebay. Maybe because they know its Illegal and not needed and hurting sellers trying to make a living.

[wastingtime101]

eBay announced they would be integrating sellers into managed payments several years ago, so it's not really all of a sudden. They've been switching sellers over in batches for years. They need your social security or tax ID # because the government requires it. Sellers had to provide the same information to PayPal years ago - many have forgotten.

eBay has to comply with federal and state laws. You don't have to like it, but if you want to sell here you do need to comply. The choice is yours. You still have 2 items listed for sale.

[lagarto_electronico]

I would like to know what law changed that required this as well. EBay is inherently insecure due to the number of hands involved in the back-end of the infrastructure.

It also doesn't help that some of their call centers are near South American gang war zones.

Now we have to risk putting our checking accounts and social security numbers in the same place? EBay isn't a bank. It isn't a government body. Why does it need information like that?

[fashunu4eeuh]

“Maybe because they know its Illegal and not needed and hurting sellers trying to make a living.”

Sorry you are upset. Ebay needs it to comply with federal law. How is it hurting you? What illegal act?

[buyselljack2016]

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@lagarto_electronico wrote:

I would like to know what law changed that required this as well. EBay is inherently insecure due to the number of hands involved in the back-end of the infrastructure.

It also doesn't help that some of their call centers are near South American gang war zones.

Now we have to risk putting our checking accounts and social security numbers in the same place? EBay isn't a bank. It isn't a government body. Why does it need information like that?

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eBay was not processing our payments before MP.  They are now required to "know their customer" to comply with "anti money laundering regulations" that were not in their area of concern prior to MP.

[annadryl]

Ever had a job? They'll ask you for a W-4 form so they can pay you. They'll need your name, address and marital status. They'll also need your SSN for tax purposes. I'm pretty sure it's legal.

[whattheactualfox]

I mean, you are selling, and you are generating income. So they would need your number to report taxes. PayPal did this when you signed up, so what difference is there?

Besides its state and federal regulations.

[coolections]

Ebay does not need your SS number, the payment processor that the buyer gives the money to needs it. Once the buyer gives the money to them, they need your SS number so they can give you the money.

[downunder-61]

Sorry, but it is eBay that require SSN (only the last 4 digits now I believe) as it is eBay that are responsible for supplying the 1099k's not Adyen.

[lagarto_electronico]

Okay, the law that comes into play is Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act which involves merchant accounts and payment processors.  It came into existence in the year 2002.  That was when eBay picked up PayPal. That isn't a coincidence.  This is the law that requires you to give your SSN to a payment processor.

The problem is that with only a few years to build their system, eBay has not built a credible, secure, or reliable payment processor like PayPal.  EBay only announced a plan to use Adyen to run their payment system back in 2018, to be completed by 2021.  PayPal had 20 years.  A few years isn't enough time to integrate a system like this with a foreign banking system that doesn't understand or care about an online flea market...

...unless the unspoken plan is to allow every sort of harm to befall casual sellers to the point that they leave the platform almost entirely to large business that Adyen is familiar with.  Does anyone really think that Adyen and eBay care if a person living off of food stamps loses his social security number to hackers in a breach? Just less of a hassle to them. What we do know is that they do care about their large corporate customers (who are afforded a completely different level of security).

The fact that Amazon and eBay deny these breaches take place is irrelevant. Some of the compromised accounts I'm aware of could not have been hacked due to simple password spraying / brute force dictionary attacks. There are compromised accounts that were very secure and could only have been acquired through a breach.

I really don't think this IS eBay anymore. This is a different place that is borrowing the name.

[inhawaii]

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@infinite.electronics.usa wrote:

Why all of a sudden does ebay need our Social Security Number? I have been selling since 1999 and as though with their high selling fees and now paying taxes isn't bad enough now they want our social security number. I have deleted all my selling items because of this. This is deceitful and unnecessary, and never needed before. I obviously, like several other sellers cannot get a respond out of ebay. Maybe because they know its Illegal and not needed and hurting sellers trying to make a living.

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Did we answer all of your concerns?

[j.cleaver]

And now you know why everyone's leaving Ebay in DROVES... NOW I know why facebook marketplace is blowing up.... 

[releasethekraken_1]

This thread has been dead for four months. No need to resurrect it.

[3boysmom77]

Sure, without more enslavement there can be no progress....what kind of an answer is this?  Yes, let's make our go(vt bigger and bigger and bigger and more powerful so that we can serve IT---instead of the other way around.  Ever heard of the constitution?

[releasethekraken_1]

Necro thread.