eBay

paytonrules2003 · ‎11-11-2022

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!

anasazirose · ‎03-13-2023

@hartungcards wrote:
Well, let's see, I pay about $12 a month for my cell phone, and it ain't bundled with anything. And that's the total monthly fees. If you think a cell phone has to cost a fortune, you ain't doing your homework, you're just being stubborn.

eBay has a lot of requirements. If you don't like them, nobody is forcing you to use their platform.

Share how you have a cell phone for $12 a month, please.

stephenmorgan · ‎03-13-2023

@anasazirose wrote:
@hartungcards wrote:
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.
My mom's landline, with no bells or whistles, no call block, caller ID, call forwarding, voice mail, etc. is $20-25 a month. Is there even a cell plan for that price? PLUS because she has no wifi or internet, she needs the landline for her security system.

If you have little need for data and are willing to learn how to work a smart phone there are Cell Phone Plans in the $15 to $20 per month range with unlimited talk and text.

harafkac0 · ‎03-13-2023

@paytonrules2003 wrote:
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?

Taking it that way, a cell phone is almost always cheaper than a landline.

anasazirose · ‎03-13-2023

@hartungcards wrote:
Uh.....maybe because having a cellphone is one of the most important things you can have in an emergency?

Well, that depends on the type of emergency, now doesn't it? My 5 yo grandson ran out of TP last week, he yelled, I got a new roll. No phone involved. Just having fun here. I'd be lost without my phone. It definitely helps my productivity even if I'm just playing Spotify while gardening.

anasazirose · ‎03-13-2023

@coolections wrote:
@paytonrules2003 wrote:
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!
Welcome to 2022. Almost every site I visit that has passwords requires me to get a text for verification before I can enter.

Most sites require verification. Many accept email verification. I opt into 2 step verification for many sites. I choose to use my phone over my email.

anasazirose · ‎03-13-2023

@varebelrose wrote:
" Those that only have a landline are an incredibly tiny minority that also don't tend to use the internet either."
Wow, stereotype much? You could not be more wrong.

"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. "

Between the fact that I live in a "holler" (as us country folks say), I have a metal roof, and I am way out in the sticks anyways, I have almost no cell signal at all. I think having reliable 911 coverage is a very good reason to continue having a land line.

We looked at buying 300 acres in Gandeeville WV. Awe, it was beautiful! There was no landline service, no electric service, no wired internet, and no wifi. We had to drive 2 miles to get a cell phone signal. A long time ago, that would have appealed to us, not so much anymore. As it is, we are moving to a new home within 2 years, we have sporadic cell service there, and the internet is DSL. We may need to tether to our phones again for better internet.

anasazirose · ‎03-13-2023

@cresco007 wrote:
Are you this unpleasant in real life or only online?

Awe, (s)he's just a young whippersnapper. Hasn't learned yet that there are more than one way to live a life.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎03-13-2023

@harafkac0 wrote:
@paytonrules2003 wrote:
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?
Taking it that way, a cell phone is almost always cheaper than a landline.

@harafkac0

Re: Always cheaper than a landline - Not in Canada!!!

From 2019. Canada. Unfortunately it has gone up...not down since then and that is in Canadian funds.

According to a recent government report analyzing telecommunications pricing in Canada in 2019, the cost for a phone plan with 5GB of data ranges from $57 to $101 per month.

My land line is approx. 20 per month. Can you see my quandary/reason for no cell?

Should a cell phone be the only way to be verified? I'm thinking not!!

-Lotzofuniquegoodies but not enough sales to afford the monthly cell bill

buyselljack2016 · ‎03-13-2023

Our phone did not have a dial on it. You picked it up, and waited for Donna to ask what # you wanted to be connected with.

buyselljack2016 · ‎03-13-2023

Just paid for my next 3 months of "cell" service. $33.83 ($10month + tax)

I'm now in for over $200 for something that I don't need, or want 🙂

yuzuha · ‎03-13-2023

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
According to a recent government report analyzing telecommunications pricing in Canada in 2019, the cost for a phone plan with 5GB of data ranges from $57 to $101 per month.

There's zero reason to pay for a data plan unless you actually plan on using the internet on your phone. If all you want is calls and texts, you can get plans for dirt cheap.

wlee08 · ‎03-13-2023

Ebay would have needed to notify me in advance that if I didn't have a mobile phone, my funds would be frozen, and I wouldn't be able to even close my account. If they had told me this in advance, of their upcoming change in policy, I could have closed my account and withdrew my money. Not informing me in advance, and not letting me close my account now (without first buying a new phone) is probably illegal.

harafkac0 · ‎03-13-2023

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
@harafkac0 wrote:
@paytonrules2003 wrote:
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?
Taking it that way, a cell phone is almost always cheaper than a landline.

@harafkac0

Re: Always cheaper than a landline - Not in Canada!!!

From 2019. Canada. Unfortunately it has gone up...not down since then and that is in Canadian funds.

According to a recent government report analyzing telecommunications pricing in Canada in 2019, the cost for a phone plan with 5GB of data ranges from $57 to $101 per month.

My land line is approx. 20 per month. Can you see my quandary/reason for no cell?

Should a cell phone be the only way to be verified? I'm thinking not!!

Certainly we have those plans, too.

Shopping around my present plan provides 1GB data, 100 minutes calls, unlimited text, $7 a month... Granted, by the time I get what I want / need it would be closer to $25 a month but you certainly don't need 5 GB's if you don't ever use one now.

Of course it only works for the willing, you've clearly stated that you're not so I'm merely pointing out that the reasons are not valid.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎03-13-2023

@harafkac0 wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
@harafkac0 wrote:
@paytonrules2003 wrote:
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?
Taking it that way, a cell phone is almost always cheaper than a landline.

@harafkac0

Re: Always cheaper than a landline - Not in Canada!!!

From 2019. Canada. Unfortunately it has gone up...not down since then and that is in Canadian funds.

According to a recent government report analyzing telecommunications pricing in Canada in 2019, the cost for a phone plan with 5GB of data ranges from $57 to $101 per month.

My land line is approx. 20 per month. Can you see my quandary/reason for no cell?

Should a cell phone be the only way to be verified? I'm thinking not!!
Certainly we have those plans, too.
Shopping around my present plan provides 1GB data, 100 minutes calls, unlimited text, $7 a month... Granted, by the time I get what I want / need it would be closer to $25 a month but you certainly don't need 5 GB's if you don't ever use one now.
Of course it only works for the willing, you've clearly stated that you're not so I'm merely pointing out that the reasons are not valid.

@harafkac0

If you are able to bundle it can come down a bit but it is still much more than anything offered in the USA or Internationally. Mostly due to lack of competition and how spread out we are. For me it's cost, eyes and arthritis. Makes no sense(cents) for the amount I would ever use. With a PC all features still work. From my understanding many are missing with the App.

-Lotz