You can't sell on eBay if you don't own a cell phone!

[paytonrules2003]

On October 26th I got an update from eBay asking me to update my seller information, specifically my email and telephone number. They have not changed in the 17 years that I've sold on this platform so I verified them and the screen said DONE. No problem right? WRONG

The next day I got a nasty ACTION NEEDED message that stated:

We recently asked you to review and update some details on your eBay account. Looks like you haven't made any updates yet. Your payouts will be on hold until you fix this. Please do this by 2023-01-24 to get your account back in good standing.

I called in and was told that I was fine, it just might take time for the system to verify things since they were sending the message out to many sellers.  Each day I had a nasty pink banner telling me to update my information and on November 4th I got the threatening message again. I called in, got routed through 3 people into Europe somewhere and was told that I was fine. This time I made one of them actually send me a message in eBay verifying that fact:

Thank you so much for reaching out to us for the account information inquiry, you needn't worry about any update to the information since it is currently undergoing said verification with no issues at all.
The payouts are active and eligible to be sent to the bank account on file.

Problem solved, right? WRONG!

The daily pink messages kept coming and the threatening ACTION NEEDED message came again this afternoon. Another phone call and another routing to Europe, to the UK this time. A very nice young lady put up with my by this time very angry response to this continued threat to not pay me what I had earned.

We went through everything step by step and I found to my horror that since my phone number was a landline they could not verify it by sending a text message to it. I literally had to change my primary number to my wife's cell phone number in order to get my information verified. And even that was not good enough at first because they sent a verification code to my email address which when I put it in was not enough for the system to verify me. Only when they sent a second verification code to my wife's cell phone was I able to be verified and hopefully off the pink threat list!

Which leads to the following questions:

1. Why did it take 3 weeks and 6 phone calls for someone to tell me that I needed text capability in order to continue to sell on eBay?

2. Is that even legal? Since a larger proportion of older adults in the US may not have text capability like yours truly (maybe I'll change my screen name to Dinosaur1 or something) is that not age discrimination?

3.  Why is this second layer of verification so important? Even the patient lady said that I could request a call back from eBay on my landline if I needed it and that it was more necessary in Europe than in the US to have this type of verification.

4. Why does Ebay continue to make simple things hard? Instead of sending threatening emails couldn't they simply have sent one saying they needed to be able to send me a text in order to verify my account information?

5. Am I the only dinosaur left or is anyone else in this predicament? If you are getting these messages and don't know how to deal with them you simply need to find someone with a cell phone to help you out.

All this angst because I was perfectly happy using the same phone number since 1987 and not thinking that the world has a right to track my every move through a cell phone!

[hartungcards]

It's almost 2023.  If you want to do anything at this point you need text.  Not being able to sell on eBay because you don't have text capability is the least of your problems.  Get a cell phone.  It's not rocket science.

[chapeau-noir]

They screwed up - you do not need a cell phone to sell here.  You do not need text verification.  Email verification is perfectly acceptable. 

[onefootflipper]

Everyone is going to assume everyone else has the ability to receive a text message these days. Those that only have a landline are an incredibly tiny minority that also don't tend to use the internet either.

I suggest getting rid of the landline. I am 45 years old and have never had a landline as an adult. Any reason why you think you still need one will probably fall apart upon actually examining that reason. 

[paytonrules2003]

So it is more important to own a cell phone than to use that money to buy groceries, or medicine, or to support a charity?

Why should eBay be able to force that on someone? And if you think they should be able to do so, why can't they simply say so in plain English?

Perhaps I don't want instant access to the world of Twitter?

Perhaps I don't want to own a device that enables some entity to be able to pinpoint my location in an instant?

Just saying that being glued to a cell phone all day like many people is not a life goal of mine!

[paytonrules2003]

I think that I need a way for people to get in contact with me. One way is via email, another is via phone. I just never dreamed that some corporation could dictate to me which type of phone I had to have!

[paytonrules2003]

And yet it wasn't! I tried email verification and it wasn't enough.  And if anyone had simply had enough brain power to simply help me any of the first 5 times I called it would never have gotten to this point.

[ittybitnot]

 Get a cell phone.  It's not rocket science.

@hartungcards 

I have a cell phone.  I have no service where I live and need to travel at least a quarter mile away to get a signal.  It doesn't work out so well when there is a time limit for a code.  I did, however, get problems solved with my website's merchant account and my bank to bypass that requirement for constant two step verification through text.  eBay should have an alternative. 

@paytonrules2003 

You are likely correct in that eBay requires sellers to have a cell phone.  It was posted by the eBay rep devon@ebay in this thread: 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Received-Message-To-Verify-Account/td-p/33342681

Please let us know if eBay offers any alternative to this requirement.   

[simply-the-best-for-you]

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@onefootflipper wrote:

Everyone is going to assume everyone else has the ability to receive a text message these days. Those that only have a landline are an incredibly tiny minority that also don't tend to use the internet either.

I suggest getting rid of the landline. I am 45 years old and have never had a landline as an adult. Any reason why you think you still need one will probably fall apart upon actually examining that reason. 

---

And lots of people have absolutely no need for a cell phone.   I only got one 2 years ago & frankly, I almost never use it.   Some people prefer land lines & have no use for cell phones & spending a small fortune to get one.  

<< Those that only have a landline are an incredibly tiny minority that also don't tend to use the internet either. >> 

Nope.  We use the web EXTENSIVELY, as in 14 hours a day LOL, but still no need for the cell phone.   I know many people the same.   It's a very expensive purchase & if you know you're not going to use it much,  I totally understand not buying one.  

Whether or not you need one for eBay is up for debate, as in another thread, devon@ebay  @chapeau-noir  said we do need one.   I personally find that very hard to believe b/c I didn't have a cellphone until 2 years ago, but I sold on eBay just fine, but Devon says you have to.  

[janet9988]

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@onefootflipper wrote:

Everyone is going to assume everyone else has the ability to receive a text message these days. Those that only have a landline are an incredibly tiny minority that also don't tend to use the internet either.

I suggest getting rid of the landline. I am 45 years old and have never had a landline as an adult. Any reason why you think you still need one will probably fall apart upon actually examining that reason. 

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Ebay could have SIMPLY TOLD them instead of making up lies and wasting the OP's time.

[hartungcards]

Uh.....aren't you paying for your land line?  Reapply those funds to a cell phone, and you can still buy groceries.  And by the way, owning a cell phone does not require you to be on Twitter or to spend any more time on it than you would on your antique landline.  And if you're worried about your cell phone violating your privacy, you probably shouldn't be on the internet either.

[onefootflipper]

Seems like your wife already has a cell phone, just putting that number in with any internet related thing that requires a phone number should solve your problem entirely. 

Also, you can literally get a dumb cell phone and use it exactly the same as a landline, never taking it out of the house, and it would allow you to get text messages, which can be very useful both for verification codes and for the occasional customer issue from those who won't answer ebay messages. As many customers will not answer a call from a number they don't know, but if you text them "Hi, you just bought this widget from me on ebay and there is this issue" you will usually get a quick answer.

[lakefor94]

"5. Am I the only dinosaur left or is anyone else in this predicament?"

There are a few of your species still walking the earth.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

LOL, landlines are WAY cheaper than cell phones.  We now have several of each.  Absolutely MUST have a land line since that's how DH works from home.   Both are land lines together are MUCH cheaper than a cell phone.  

Regardless, OP Is not nearly as unusual as some people think & no one s/b forced to get a cell phone if they don't want one.  

[ittybitnot]

If you are getting these messages and don't know how to deal with them you simply need to find someone with a cell phone to help you out.

@paytonrules2003 

You are probably right.  Your neighbor's cell  phone would likely suffice, but what does that say about the "verification" process in general?  I suppose you satisfy the requirements of some bot by using someone else's phone.  The computers are satisfied it is YOU...even when it is NOT.  LOL.