Topic: eBay Workshop: Trusted Selling with Identity Confirmation
Host: eBay Staff Date: Tuesday 05/06 Time: 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Pacific time Location:Workshop Board
Description: eBay recently announced a new safety initiative called Trusted Selling with Identity Confirmation that will help to protect members from unauthorized listings in that seller's name. Find out more about the enhanced safety benefits of Identity Confirmation and how to make it easier to confirm your identity if you are prompted to do so. John Canfield will be available during this workshop to explain the security benefits of the initiative and provide tips and advice for all sellers.
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I travel frequently on business and I use 2 different laptops. I often use wireless internet service at the hotel where I'm staying or a public WiFi hotspot like Starbucks. How am I going to be able to sell on Ebay with this new Identity Confirmation? Does it track my IP address of the computer that I'm using to list items for selling?
One question I have for the presenters is that I have had my selling ID for so long that I'm not sure I'd remember the secret word if I found myself listing from a remote site without phone access. And since I don't have a cell phone, I'd definitely be out of phone contact.
Is there some way to practice before leaving town to get it right?
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This new initiative is a way to increase the security of selling. Starting last month, we began noting which machines our users typically use to buy and sell on eBay. Then, this summer, we will begin asking sellers to go through Identity Confirmation if we do not recognize the machine that they are using to sell on the site. Identity Confirmation can most easily be done by receiving an automated call to your phone number on file.
For sellers that use 3rd parties to list, we will require that you are on a recognized computer the next time you use eBay to authorize your existing 3rd party service or to authorize a new service (aka Auth&Auth)
If you are not on a recognized computer, you will be required to go through Identity Confirmation, where you verify a phone number. If you are unable to do so, our Live Chat representatives can also help you to confirm your Identity.
Hi! Thanks for having this workshop -- I have a concern about the new policy.
The announcement says that eBay will be contacting people by telephone to ensure a new listing is coming from the authorized member.
Because of my disability, I cannot use a telephone. (I have to have a phone line (and therefore a number) for Internet access and updates for my disabilty-related equipment, but I don't actually own a 'telephone' as such.)
Since my condition day-by-day dictates which of three computers I can use (each is set up a little differently), and they all get cleaned of cookies, Internet files, etc. automatically at regular intervals, I don't see how eBay can tell if a new listing is from me.
(Please don't say anything about TTY -- my disability is not hearing-related.)
What will I have to do to still list items on eBay under the new policy?
Regarding your question (#5), this initiative will track the machine, rather than the IP address. Once we have noted your two laptops as "known good" machines for your account, then you will be OK to sell with them no matter where you are.
To make your two laptops known good for your account, the easiest way is to buy or sell on eBay over the next month or so using each machine. Alternately, you can wait until we start asking for Identity Confirmation and then go through Identity confirmation process. It is good to make sure that you have up-to-date phone number on your account to smooth your way through Identity Confirmation. If you travel a lot, we suggest you add your mobile phone number as your secondary phone number so that you can receive the automated call no matter where you are.
Nice to hear from you. I remember chatting together last eBay Live in Boston.
There is a function that allows you to update the answer to your secret question. If you don't think you remember it, I recommend you go in and update your answer in My eBay. It is good to do this as soon as possible, because you won't be able to update right at the point when you are getting challenged (that would defeat the purpose).
Also, for those that aren't reachable at their phone number on file and who don't remember the secret question answer, we will provide a live chat verification as well (although that will be a bit more time consuming).
There is no way to practice yet, since we have not released the code for actual Identity Confirmation yet. We will start releasing it later this summer. Based on the current product schedules, it looks like that will be July. We will start applying it to a small percentage of users, test to make sure everything is working smoothly, and then ramp up to the full user base.
1) list on machines that automatically clear their internet caches and cookies after each session?
Because we use Flash objects, regular Internet cache and cookie deletion will not affect sellers. We ask that sellers do not clear their Flash objects to help us recognize computers.
2) list on machines that do not have Flash installed? We do use other factors to recognize computers without Flash installed but we may ask for confirmation of identity with some behavior.
Another way users can confirm their identity to us is through the PayPal Security Key. If you have the PayPal Security Key enabled on your account, you will not be required to go through Identity Confirmation with regular activity.
3) have their primary listing machine(s) connected behind a router or hardware firewall that uses NAT? We recognize the computer through Flash objects and not solely through network information. Therefore, you can bring your laptop to a different router and be able to continue selling.
4) connect by ISPs that dynamically assign IP addresses and/or use third party annonymizer services?
see above.
5) list on Macintosh or Linux machines? You will be fine on any platform with browsers that support Flash
We physically operate from one state, but our daughter does our daily listings from another. 1. Can I list her number as a secondary contact person? 2. What would happen if she was contacted since she is not listed as the registered owner of the account?
all*about*horses: (#14) We encourage users to put their mobile phone number as a secondary phone number in the registration details. This way you can receive a call on your mobile anywhere you are to confirm your identity.
If you cannot get through the phone verification process or go through Live Chat. Alternatively, you will not be asked to confirm your identity if you have a PayPal Security activated on your account.
We provide alternative options other than receiving a phone call. If you activate the Paypal security key on your eBay account, you will not need to go through Identity Confirmation (because Paypal security key provides a comparable level of security).
Also, as Mo indicated, we track machine using regular cookies as well as Flash objects, so as long as your program does not clear both daily, you should be OK.
Finally, we do provide Live Chat as an alternate way to go through Identity Confirmation.
There is a function that allows you to update the answer to your secret question. If you don't think you remember it, I recommend you go in and update your answer in My eBay. It is good to do this as soon as possible, because you won't be able to update right at the point when you are getting challenged (that would defeat the purpose).
Might be a good idea to let everyone know about this. I've been on Ebay so long that I never even had a secret question. My "secret question" line was totally blank because I didn't have to set one up when I registered in 1998.
Remember, this only applies to selling. You will continue to be able to check and manage your sales through My eBay or other tools. It is just the listing process(es) that require Identity Confirmation since we want to make sure it is really you that is listing items with your account.
If you are going out of town, you can ensure you are able to sell through a few options: 1. Put your mobile phone # on file to be able to confirm you identity on whatever computer you are using by receiving a code on your mobile phone. 2. Activate the PayPal Security Key on your account prior to your trip. 3. Go through Live Chat on whatever computer you are on.
Mo, your answer is confusing. You're saying that Identity Confirmation will use Flash, but that it will still work if Flash is not installed?
As a security feature, more and more system administrators are setting all cookies and flash objects to clear when the browser is closed or the system is restarted.
How would the PayPal Security Key work for someone who has their listings scheduled through a third party? When my listings are going up in the evening I'm not even at my computer.
My mobile phone has absolutely no bars where I live so I would hesitate to list it as a second number as it wouldn't work.
Yes, you can list your daughter's number as a secondary phone number, and I think that would be a good idea. If she is asked to go through Identity Confirmation while she is listing, she will be shown a page giving her the choice of which phone number to receive a call. When she chooses the secondary number, she will be told an access code over the phone. She then will enter that access code into the next web page.
Basically the process insures that the person who is trying to list the item is reachable at one of the phone numbers on file.
That's great that you ordered a security key. I would think that you should be receiving it soon. If you don't receive it 10-12 business days, you may want to contact Paypal to check.
brooklynbooks(#22): If we sense an account having recently changed its contact details, we will require the secret answer to be able to verify the current phone number on file. If the secret question&answer was also changed, we will ask the seller to go through Live Chat, where one of our Customer Support reps can confirm the seller's identity.
We plan to send out a My Messages alert later this month explaining the program and encouraging people to update their contact information. That's a good idea about reminding people about secret question. Thanks for the suggestion.
If you are using the Sell-Your-Item web flow, we will put up the Identity Confirmation page right at the beginning of the process (first page). Also, we will put the Identity Confirmation page up if you try to revise your item from a machine we do not recognize.
John, yes I do remember our chat a Live last summer
One more question. My IP is static, but I have to clear cookies several times a day and don't have flash installed. Will that mean I'll likely be challenged every time I list?
As with brooklynbooks, I'm also interested in knowing at what point in the listing process the challenge will appear.
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