How eBay are forcing people to give their SSN!

[samurai-pizza-punk]

So I've been around on eBay for nearly 20 years as both a casual buyer and a seller.

Recently they said I have to move to their new payment system so I figured I'd check it out.

I saw that I'd have to give eBay my SSN which I have no intention of doing. The same happened with PayPal but with them all that happened was that I could not use PayPal as a "bank" if I didn't do it (which I didn't) and now I have to use it only as a sort of a funnel. Fine by me. I thought eBay would probably be the same?

To set up a probe on how this is going to work I put up something rather cheap for sale so if I end up not liking it no big deal.

I put up a book for sale. 2 days ago it was sold.

I go in and I see that I have a payment pending. At this point I'm thinking ok... they would have told me by now that I couldn't accept the payment because they didn't have my SSN, right?

WRONG!

They let me put an item for sale, then showed me that I have money coming and that I should send the item. Then let me get the shipping label and send the item. All that without saying a word.

But when the time comes to withdraw the payment? Of course this is where they stop me.

I called eBay support and asked what now? The representative suggested that I put my SSN in. When I made it clear that this was not going to happen and started going on about how it was not ok that they let me go through the entire process without a word about not being able to withdraw she just hung up on me!

In any case I'm scratching this as a lost cause and just had the urge to vent my anger on how poorly I feel that eBay are handling this.

I'm sure eBay won't shed a tear for losing my business but they lost one more seller.

[alcoforever]

Ebay may have lost you but ten more sellers will pop up in your place.

[bonjourami]

With over thirty million sellers here..the few that are leaving because they refuse to give their ss#(its the law),probably wont be missed. No ss#..no selling here.

[bonjourami]

By law, Ebay has to have your SSN for managed payments. They are complying with U.S. Anti-money laundering regulations, specifically the Bank Secrecy Act and more specifically the Customer Identification Program requirements.

[jda12121]

The whine has gotten really old!

[m_pthisandthat]

Are people really serious about this SS# and MP it is simple do you want to sell on ebay read ebay policy. Switch to MP or go somewhere else to sell. Good luck on finding venue as good as ebay. Regarding your SS# how many documents do you have with that information on it. I would be willing to bet quite a few. I would be more worried about a store credit card than I would ebay. I do not want to be nasty but what is your really issue with providing your SS# to ebay. If it is some concept of being hacked the truth is there is probably not a system out anywhere that can not be hacked.

[tdrake]

You knowingly put an item up for sale knowing that eBay required your SS# to get paid.  You cry because even though they had informed you, they didn't stop you from taking an action that to end well would require your SS#.   And you thought that by creating a situation where they had your money that they would cave in to your scheme and let you slide on the SS#. You were wrong.

Anyways, good luck wherever you go that doesn't require your SS#.   

[1tuna]

I get what you are saying..............its not really fair for ebay to hold some payments hostage

the listing should have been prevented in the 1st place if you were not signed up

ebay sort of has you in a tight spot with those funds

I wear a mask because its a mandate and every one else wears one

you can call SS# a rule,mandate or a requirement if it makes you feel better

whether or now its a law does not even matter..right now its an impediment to geting your funds

good luck

[bonjourami]

I suppose Ebay thinks sellers are smart enough not to do a managed payment listing without submitting their ss# and bank info first...guess they better rethink that.

[noiseheadnoggin]

Over 20 years on eBay here, constantly getting harder to get answers to questions, and more difficult to follow rules. Called eBay, person on other end hard to follow with an obvious accent, probably in another country. I gave up. Don't  think it too smart to just send sensitive information to yet another entity. Have fun when someone takes over your identity.  I already am getting hit over the head with crank calls and all kinds of scams on email accounts.  I have 3 venues where I can be person to person to make a sale. I will remain for now as a buyer on eBay, but think seller days are gone.  No whining here.  And why can't eBay stop those Friday end of day fraudulent ads that pop up in the thousands in all categories?   Been happening for a long time now.

[bonjourami]

Ive never seen one ad here..do you have an ad blocker?

[samurai-pizza-punk]

1. Speaking as a Product Manager and a UX specialist who's working on user flows for a living - building a flow that pushes people along a funnel to do something that you know they cannot accomplish is just bad design. It's bad design when you do it on small things like a purchase flow that only in the end lets specific users know they can't finish the transaction (where the user didn't actually lose anything except for their time) but it's much worse for larger things like handling people's money - letting them go along with a full flow to sell something and only THEN after they shipped the item wit your help, let them know they can't cash out.

2. I call bull**bleep** on this being a legal obligation. It's more how eBay chose to do things. Large companies like PayPal who handle people's money on a daily basis have resolved it without making it mandatory for people to share VERY sensitive information by just restricting what they can and cannot do with the service. eBay could have found a similar route but instead decided to design everything without user privacy concerns in mind. It is their right. This is not the thing I'm complaining about. eBay  can do whatever they want for as long as they don't think it'll hurt their bottom line, and from the looks of it this move indeed did not hurt their bottom line. Good for them.

The thing I AM complaining about is the practice that I've described on point #1. This is something I'm rather sure they did knowingly to push people to give them sensitive information they're reluctant to give. They could have definitely let people know right at the beginning of the funnel that they cannot add an item for sale without giving their SSN, or even cannot get a shipping label through them without doing it. Hell they could have warned not to send an item before you give your SSN. Instead they CHOSE to lock people which is just wrong and a very bad UX practice.

[inhawaii]

I wasn't too thrilled about the recent changes either. But i told myself ... if  30 million other sellers are dealing with it, i guess i can too. 

What ever you decide to do in the future, good luck and stay safe.

[lightlily_arts]

You'll love this.  eBay did tell you that the SSN was required to continue selling on eBay.  No different than driving without a license.  You are required to have a license to drive.   You can pay for insurance on the car and keep it gassed. The DMV doesn't come and confiscate your car.   But if you are caught driving it not only will you get a ticket, but they can impound the car.  If you want the car back.  Pay the fines and bring a license to drive with.

[johnrj1226]

I seem to recall that I had to provide a SSN# to PayPal when I signed up.    it would be required "if" they needed to send ya' a 1099