eBay is going to begin "masking" all bidder IDs on auction-style listings beginning this week. It's hoped the move will increase security for bidders by lowering the chances they'll be contacted by criminals. ID masking was implemented last year for items over $200, and according to Matt Halprin, Vice President of eBay's Global Trust and Safety, it has served to reduce the number of fraudulent Second Chance Offers.
What does this mean for you? If you're a seller, you can still see the entire high bidder's ID on your own items.
If you're a buyer, you will not be able to track your competition as easily, or really at all. When clicking on the Bid History of an auction, you can see the masked ID, and you can see other bids that bidder has placed in the past 30 days, and the category for each. The Bidding Details page also shows the bidder's feedback percentage, and a 30-day summary including:
- # Total bids
- # Items bid on
- Bid activity (%) with this seller
- # Bid retractions
- # Bid retractions (6 months)
When the over-$200 masking was instituted, people worried about shill bidding, and eBay does rely on reports from members to catch some shill bidders. But eBay has some very sophisticated tools to catch shill bidders on their own, and although it may seem easier to shill with a masked ID - the scoundrels will get caught if they try it, and likely suspended.
Trading the ability to look over another member's shoulder and see what they're buying for a more secure experience is fair. In the end it should make more people feel comfortable about buying on eBay and put more money in the seller's pockets. At least it's not costing more.
The official announcement also gave some very good advice about the email address used on eBay accounts. eBay members can help themselves by having an email address that is somewhat hard to guess. The scammers often use an eBay ID, along with a common email extension such as @gmail.com or @yahoo.com to guess the email addresses of eBay members and send a phishing email. If you have such a combination, it's suggested that you change it for your own safety.
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2 comments ↓
Personally I have no problem with this, but I do think it will bother some buyers (to what extent I’m not sure).
I’ve heard more than once in the past from customers who are aware of their rivals when bidding on collectibles. They generally can tell how high a familiar opposing bidder will go and I’ve even heard detailed bidding patterns of rivals explained.
Now as a seller, my first thought is great, this restores some competition on the bidder’s end, but my next thought is to wonder if this might bother some bidders enough to abandon ship. I hope not.
Thanks for the post,
Cliff
Thanks Cliff. I can see why it might bother sellers who watched their competitors, but I don’t think bidders will mind, in fact I think it will increase their feelings of safety and may result in a willingness to bid higher. Lets hope!
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