eBay's latest obstacle: monitoring which computer you use

[democraticinsurgent]

Recently I closed my brick and mortar record store. Meantime, the eBay store is still open and I have been handling most of the business from my home computer.

When trying to revise an item, a new screen popped up saying:

Identity Confirmation!

"eBay doesn't recognize the computer you are using. We understand that you may use different computers to access your accounts. However, since you're signing in from a new computer, in order to protect your account, you are being asked to confirm your identity through this phone verification process."

The first time this happened, it offered me a chance to have the phone call sent elsewhere, i.e. to my phone and not the store's. But the secret question was wrong (something maybe my long-gone employees selected way back) so it wouldn't work. I tried to use the live chat they offered and it didn't work. I emailed them and they didn't respond, it's now been 3 days.

Then I got smarter and revised the secret question so i could do the phone verification, but then the option to use my home phone disappeared. I am now being forced to go to the store and get the verification done. Lucky for me the store is mothballs awaiting a buyer, but what a hassle.

And for what? So that eBay can reassure me that they are "keeping my account secure"? Am I going to have do this every time I use a different computer?

What a load of crap.

[Vinca]

1. I remember getting an email about that at some point.

So far I haven't had to change computers and I guess I'm lucky. ebay is turning into a major pain in the butt. The worst part of all is they're so difficult to get in touch with when there's a problem. If you have auctions ending your situation could really be bad because people will be leaving negative feedback. Let us know what happens.

[democraticinsurgent]

2. It just gets worse

I changed my contact info over to my home address and phone, which I needed to do anyway. I thought that would enable the phone verification to come directly to my cell phone.

Hah.

Now the phone verification screen doesn't come up and the only option they offer is "live help" which never has worked and still doesn't, at least for me. The screen just sits there while there is a message saying "connection to server lost".

Since eBay has never bothered to respond to the message I sent last week about this, I am not hopeful they will respond to a new one.

But that's about my only option.

[Vinca]

3. Maybe, in the meantime, you ought to open a second ebay account

so you don't lose any business. You can always put a blurb in your listing about the problem and to check whatever user name is on your original account for feedback. In any case, check out this site I found about contacting ebay by phone. Maybe one of the numbers will work for you and you can talk to a live human being about the problem.
http://www.ebayphonenumber.net/

[democraticinsurgent]

6. actually I do have two

...one of my own, and one representing the store. Where I got hung up was in trying to revise an overgraded item after a buyer pointed it out. Didn't want to seem unresponsive to their suggestion.

Thanks for the ebay phone info. I think it's unconscionable they would take a week to provide a response to an inquiry.

Rick

[InvisibleTouch]

4. Yes, that's a huge annoyance.

I tried to re-list something from a friend's computer, and got the same "ID verification" crap. I didn't even bother with it, just decided to wait and do it from home. I do recall getting the e-mail months ago that they were going to start doing this, but for what? Makes it difficult to work from a library, for instance. They really are making it more and more cumbersome and unfriendly for sellers.

I must say I do get pretty fast replies from them by e-mail if I have a problem. Are you a PowerSeller? Supposedly PowerSellers have a higher priority in their tech support. I'm only a Bronze, but they still seem to get back to me pretty fast. Of course they're making the requirements so stringent that it'll be harder and harder to maintain PowerSeller status, no matter how much you sell.

I'm seriously annoyed at the way they're making everything more and more convoluted. They think they're creating a buyer-friendly marketplace, but if they keep driving the sellers off, there won't be much left for buyers either. In the end, everyone loses.

[democraticinsurgent]

5. Just got a reply from Customer Service tonight

...took a frickin week! And yes, my store is a powerseller, albeit a Bronze one. Supposed to get better service...and i hate to think what would have happened without that status.

They made it easy, in the end, sent me directly to a link that would do what i kept trying to get done on my own.

But, like you said, for WHAT?

To keep us safe from ourselves?

Jeez.