Is it a bad idea to have product ID and device ID in listing?

[jalav-3555]

Hey, 

I'm just trying to work out wether it would be a bad idea to have product ID and device ID included in the Specs when listing a Laptop?

[gator08041971]

I'll be honest, I used to be really particular about blocking Serial numbers and the like, and sometimes even those.

But SO MANY laptops are listed with all that info anyway, I felt it was kinda pointless.  Product ID doesn't matter, but Device ID is mostly an identifier for networking.  Can it be abused? Probably.  Will it?  Doubtful.

Now, if I list a very expensive item or computer, yes, I will block those numbers.  But like the one I have listed right now, I, nor anyone else will care one way or the other.

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@jalav-3555 wrote:

Hey, 

I'm just trying to work out wether it would be a bad idea to have product ID and device ID included in the Specs when listing a Laptop?

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Hi @jalav-3555  It’s a smart idea. There’s an advantage for sellers when doing so. Any action that can offset some risk for the seller is a step in the right direction.

Documenting the specific details about one’s items can aid you should a dishonest buyer attempt to defraud. (The old switcheroo, for example.)

But it is easier to prove a buyer’s ill intent when he returns his used beat up widget and keeps the new one you sold to him. The numbers won’t jibe.

eBay provides a special section, the Item Specifics,  for the product’s unique identifier's in the listing. It’s for things such as the serial number, manufacturer ID, model # and the like). This may help thwart fraud.

It’s not foolproof, of course (nothing on eBay is), but one can readily match up data from the listing, and compare it to the returned item to verify that what has been returned  is not  what was sold.