Not giving eBay my passport or driving licence
Summary: megacart_uk expressed frustration with a company's requirement to verify identity using a passport, driver's license, or national ID for a small purchase. They encountered issues with logging in and receiving SMS messages, leading to dissatisfaction with the verification process. Another participant commented on the challenges of dealing with international companies that disregard local laws.
Having sold with positive feedback for over a year ebay have now held the £49 in my account until I send them photo I.D which I have refused to do as they already have my National Insurance number and bank details but requesting my passport is I believe a step too far to sell some second hand stuff especially as EBay have had data breaches in the past… After over 90 minutes on chat I have been told my only option is to give eBay my £49 (basically they will clear out my balance and keep it) and then once my balance is zero I can close my account as I have said I will not forward to them photo I.D… I’ve agreed for them to take my £49 as long as it goes to charity which they have said it will do - can anyone confirm my money will go to charity or are eBay likely to keep it? Luckily for me it’s only £49 but giving them my money was my only option to close my account as I had no idea that eBay would suddenly insist on storing my photo I.D (had they asked for this on the day of opening my sellers account I would not have joined here but they clearly wait until you have money in your balance before they ask which then puts you into the impossible position of having to send them more and more details until your funds can be released to you) - I have decided to forfeit my money and not be bullied into giving them more of my details and was told by the chat agent that the money would go to some eBay charity and not into eBay’s bank account - Has anyone else been put into this situation and if so has anyone else been told their money will go to charity if they forfeit it? If it was significantly more money then I’d have to rethink my principals on this but for £49 I’d rather sell the few items I sell on Vinted or Facebook Marketplace than have to deal with a company who demand things like passports so you can sell a few items. It just seems a bit over the top to demand photo I.D for what is basically a internet selling and buying site that has my details already… So getting back to my question, now I have told eBay to take my money and reduce my balance to zero so I can close this account what is the likelihood my £49 will go to charity like I was told?
megacart_uk
·1 month agoYes, I was asked for Passport, Drivers License or national ID in order to buy a second hand DVD for £2.38! This is a step too far. The problem was I wasn't able to log on and the SMS messages weren't arriving, so the only option was to do all this ID crap. I'm NOT happy with eBay going down this road.
insidethe93
·7 months agoMaybe leave the situation as it is? i.e. effectively leave eBay, don't sell any more (or buy) here, eBay has the £49 frozen but it still belongs to the seller. That way in the short term eBay can't take the money - as to why I think it wouldn't go to charity please see below. That way the account remains if seller wishes to return fairly soon and in future access their £49, provided they then comply with eBay requirements.
eBay has policies and legal regulations that it abides by for voluntary donations, e.g. donating at check-out or listings for charity shops. But there's no right to divert non‑charity "forfeited" seller money into charitable donations. Were eBay to consider such a practice, it'd need explicit contractual wording (verbally, as in a phone call, certainly wouldn't do) AND to comply with consumer and charity‑fundraising regulations. So saying "give my forfeited money to charity", I doubt it'd be to "charity" as the OP would view it! - instead I wonder whether after 180 days (as eBay allows for any chargebacks against the seller's money) the seller's money would be treated as unclaimed property and passed to the relevant U.S. state (as eBay is a USA company) under escheatment rules, after which the seller would need to claim it from the state rather than from eBay, but I speculate; there are probably community members who have that knowledge.
sml192
·7 months agoEbay UK is a registered UK company and, therefore, subject to UK legislation not US so that wouldn’t apply.
megacart_uk
·1 month agoThat the problem with foreign companies, they do not care about laws in other countries such as the UK. They make a mockery of other countries laws.
ho_71860
·7 months agoIt gets worse than that Imagine buying as a guest then not being able to contact seller because eBay wants "photographic ID and Biometrics" you do not get asked for photo ID when buying from any organisation online. Your bank verifies your transaction. You bought as a "Guest" because you don't want an Account. Yet eBay thinks it has a Right to ask you for photo Verification. Absolute breach of trading rights! Id never trust this organisation. You have an order number that's your receipt of purchase! Your bank verified the transaction you are under no obligation to give eBay anything especially not Biometrics! That's like a clothes shop asking you for Photo ID. It's not required for buyers.
sml192
·7 months agoEbay does not ask buyers for photo ID.
It is only sellers that they are required by the KYC legislation to ask for photo ID.
jonatjonatjonat
·7 months agoHas this actually happened to you?
because eBay (as far as I know) only need know your customer for the case of where they are transferring funds of sale to sellers.
or is this just an imaginary scenario?
jonatjonatjonat
·7 months agoOh, I see the no reply rule doesn’t apply both ways.
Anonymous User
·7 months agothey should give you your own money and then allow you to close the account , they cant simply keep your own money and then offer it to a charity that you may even disapprove of , i deeply resent the time I am spending arguing with ebay on these basic points , the latest absurdity is they want me to upload the back of my driving licence although its only relevent to the types of vehicle I am legally allowed to drive and the front has the data regarding my address etc that in any event is the same as my home address , the fact that ebay employees are scattered around the world is an additional security risk , i wonder if they expect me to upload the back of my passport as well LOL
theelench
·7 months agoIf you have sold anything recently ebay is entitled to Hold the money until there is virtually no possibility that buyers will demand a refund. Ebay is (IMO) stretching that to the limit when it hangs onto money for anything up to 180 days.
But they will release funds at some point, I have never heard of ebay giving Held funds to charity. I would suggest opening a formal complaint under ebay's Complaints Procedure. This should result in ebay, as part of their reply to the complaint, giving a date when they will release the funds and close the account.
Ebay has, in the past, on at least one occasion related on this board, been ordered by the Financial Ombudsman to pay out the Held balance + interest when they failed to pay the seller on the day they gave in their reply.
IMO, because these sorts of threads and replies to them come along in bunches, followed by a lull, ebay is operating a 'Running Loan' using payment delays under various pretexts to earn interest, pay its running costs or business expenses. Periodically it needs to top-up the balance it holds so another batch of Verification or other Restrictions on Payments emails are sent out.
Anonymous User
·7 months agoi very reluctantley complied with ebay and sent them my driving licence that has my address and name on it , apparently that wasnt good enough and they want the back of my licence too
that makes zero sense as back of licence is about which types of vehicle I can drive and has zero to do with my identity
ebay are really working hard to ensure a miserable experience , extremely customerr unfriendly company and hopefully some start up can come and do what ebay is not doing
and all this data grabbing is allegedly because of some US laws demanding ebay know their customers including people selling low value household items as private sellers
surely if my DL details match my home and bank address that is enough ? what will they demand next a pic of my cat
also these threads are monitored by ebay employees who are paid to censor legitimate criticism
moonlight-rhapsody
·7 months agoalso these threads are monitored by ebay employees who are paid to censor legitimate criticism
The forum is monitored by an outsourced company. If it was true that criticism of ebay - legitimate or otherwise - was censored, most of this forum would disappear 🤣
daro2096
·9 months agoThis is happening every where not just eBay. Think it is some new law.
megacart_uk
·1 month agoKYC extreme version. Started with huge big sales like property etc, then cars, then over £5k and now basically anything that needs validation/verification.
tegeus-cromis
·9 months agoI changed my address due to a house move and immediately got the first of several threatening emails saying that my account is 'restricted' and I must send them an image of my passport to continue, whilst my account is still in 'good standing'.
People think that this is mandated by law or something. It is not. It's strictly a data gathering exercise by ebay. There is no reason whatsoever for it. What Ebay are forced to do by law is to to ensure the identity of the user via the login process. They don't need anything else. I changed the address on my business account at the same time (I'm a sole trader working from home) and no extra ID was demanded. Funny how they know who I am on one login and not the other.
So I think I'll pass on uploading my passport - a definitive ID document - to some miserable shopping site. Comply with this Orwellian nonsense and I guarantee that in ten years time it'll be your DNA.
1956glyn
·9 months agoIF you refuse to provide proper id as requested on your private account then Ebay may well stop you from selling on it.
They MAY/probably will also put the same restriction on your business account because the two accounts can be linked. My advice is be careful 😞
tegeus-cromis
·9 months agoI've no doubt they will put stops on both accounts. I'll close them both at the same time.
theelench
·9 months agoTry to get any money from sales out first as ebay will undoubtably put a Hold on any money they can get their sticky fingers on until you comply with their demands, or at least make you wait for as long as they can get away with before you're finally paid.
tegeus-cromis
·9 months agoYep, I made sure I had a zero balance before updating my address. I pretty much knew such an action would put me under suspicion of being a criminal and have my account frozen.
gbro1069
·9 months agoThe gestapo (ebay) told me yesterday they need more info, that's why my money is on hold.
They tried to bully me into me giving them photo I.D and my N.I number Lol well i told them what they can do.
I have sold on here for the past 15yrs with 100% positive feedback, no thanks to ebay.
Today i have started the process to close my account, then they tell me they need to give me my money back before i can close the account.
Here's the real crazy part !! They will only pay my money back when i have given them the so called required info N.I I.D info.
You know I'm so glad I'm finally closing this b.s down, I've had it with these idiots.
jonatjonatjonat
·9 months agoCorrect - the NI bit is ebay having to comply with HMRC requirements once a seller has made over £1,750 in sales or 30 sales in 1 year.
Another poster has said they refused to provide the NI number and did eventually get their money - took about 4 months I think.
theelench
·9 months agoFrom what I remember, that is correct.
The seller was told, in writing by ebay, that the account would be closed after 120 days to give ebay a safe margin in case of any refund claims or charge-backs.
Unfortunately ebay 'forgot' and didn't pay out on the due date.
The seller went to the Ombudsman. Ebay was told to pay up and pay interest for the period after 120 days and the payment being made.
neytiriocuma
·11 months agoI just come off the line to ebay. Im 74 i dont drive any more and have no other means to prove who i am. Gutted really. I can still buy which is fine because as a disabled person i buy a lot online and hardly ever sell anything. But there not thiking of my age groups 70+ who dont now have access to a lincence or a passport. There going to lose hundreds of sellers by trying act this way. I said you have my bank account and 4 credit cards on file you can check, they refused so end of selling for me and of an era since been on ebay 20 years
judred_97
·1 year agoYes I hv and it’s only for postcard £3. No way am I Willy Billy giving out my passport details.
moonlight-rhapsody
·1 year agoI saw a Youtube clip that said watching Youtube clips can addle your brain and make you spout nonsense 🤣
1956glyn
·11 months agoDoes claiming to be a Sovereign Citizen work in the UK? I guess not lol
dancing.petal
·1 year agohello well in my opinion you would be quite within your rights to take eBay to small claims court because those requirements were not in place prior to selling those goods. This unfortunately you can't do if you have given them your consent to give your money to charity however you can put in a Freedom of Information request and ask for that information as it involved your money and there should be a thread within their organization.
Most people have seen the show Judge Judy and understand in contract law if a change is Made in a contract it has to have the agreement of both parties involved in the contract or all parties involved in the contract. You can't have one member of the contract changing the terms without the consent of the other and that's very easy to prove in court. Even if I change was made an agreed it could not apply to this sales and contracts that you made with your customers prior to the request for your information and could only apply from that day forwards and that again would be very easy to prove in court was a breach of contract by eBay. If you had wanted to you could have got your money back and got court case claims against eBay because what they've done is a breach of contract, you cannot hold someone's property i.e your money run some and demand private sensitive information which is also enshrined and protected in the UK under data protection laws and really agree with you is not acceptable that our passports and driver's licenses are held on any database of any company without our consent and we shouldn't accept being blackmailed in order to do this.
I'm in a similar situation myself having sold a number of items i.e contracted with members of the public selling my personal property which belongs to me legally eBay has no lawful standing to hold the money as it does not belong to them and is my property according to the terms of contract that when place prior to selling those items on their platform the demand for my photo ID was not in place so legally this is very easy to prove in court. what eBay has done is unlawful, it is a breach of contract and also considered dishonor in commerce. Suggest you watch the nature of the cage documentary on YouTube two hours well worth of your time and share with your family and friends and spread awareness of the corrupt system that has been built around us. It is about time we started pushing back against corrupt official bodies and corporate bullies in my opinion.
Not everybody has a driver's license I'm not everybody has a passport either, I lost mine in a fire.
Please do take the time to watch the nature of the cage documentary on YouTube and share with your network as well as the justinian deception YouTube channel. Well worth your time and real eye opening information!
Know your rights ( be a litigant in person and don't rely on any lawyer and member of the Bar Association or Citizens Advice but educate yourself there's lots of good channels like peacekeepers on YouTube, professor dolaris Cahill who is teaching auditors to perform common law courts held by the public for the public to hold any public official accountable in their private capacity for any breach of the law. Also allegedly Dave who has a really good YouTube channel there's lots going on. Get involved.
1956glyn
·1 year agoThere is so much wrong with your post.........i do not have the time nor inclination to correct it all
By the way Citizens advice do NOT give any specific legal advice
I am also sure that Ebays lawyers would have covered all bases
It may help if you spelt Dolores Cahill names correctly 😞
Personally i am not a conspiracy theorist
ett1954
·1 year agoHave you ever attended a court? I very much doubt it. I have in the capacity of a defendant, in both magistrates and Crown courts in my previous employment.
As has previously been mentioned; there is so much wrong with your contribution to this post it is difficult to know where to begin. However I would advise anyone reading it to ignore it completely.
As for your last post; when you accepted eBay’s conditions to use the site you entered into a contract with eBay.
hahamm-32
·1 year agoHow long after eBay ask for National insurance number eBay account became restricted?
megacart_uk
·1 month agoThere is a box for that by the way.
kiic_47
OP1 year agoThank you very much for that but as a private seller who sold about 20 things last year I’m not going to be cornered into sending photo I.D but can totally understand why someone like yourself with so many sales has done so as if I had a business on here then I can understand you sending photo I.D… The page you sent me links to the usual chat room people but also has a address that I can write to if they don’t close my account so that is very helpful as people do acknowledge letters more than emails so thank you for that… That could prove helpful in the closing of my account as there is zero chance I will be doing the verification with photo I.D
kiic_47
OP1 year agoSame here, I sell very little and sold a random football card then got photo ID message and eBay balance frozen - person on chat today said I can make request to have balance reduced to zero then once that’s done I can close account… I will never ever give them photo I.D so just want to leave and hopefully they can just take my money and close my account as person on chat said they could do that if I requested it which I did…
sounds_r_us_too
·1 year agoLet us know how you get on because im having no luck closing mine
bzmotman
·1 year agoMarco is quite right about it being a legal requirement - money laundering regulations. However can I suggest that all who are having a problem visit this link & follow the link about complaining. Ebay are regulated in this area & if you make a formal complaint it goes to a unit completely separate to CS.
When Managed Payments came in Business Sellers were required to provide photo ID. I had no problem with that but the procedure turned into a nightmare. I lodged a complaint & within 48 hours it was sorted.
Ebay have a timeframe to respond in & if you are not happy with the outcome you have the right to go to the Financial Ombudsman.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/payment-policies/file-complaint-ebay-payments-brokering-financial-services?id=5313
sounds_r_us_too
·1 year agoThanks but when i click the contact button it takes me to chat
dancing.petal
·1 year agoTaking eBay to court over this would be better because you can make a legal precedent and this is a very black and white case easy to establish in court and once it's established in court ebay will not be able to do this again.
This is my previous reply to the original post question:
*vyolla*
·1 year agoPop back and let us know how you get on.
It's not compulsory to sell on eBay, they have a User Agreement which eBay account holders sign to confirm that are happy with the terms and conditions it contains. There's nothing illegal in it, no matter what some YouTubers may think.
dancing.petal
·1 year agoYou made a claim that people selling on eBay sign a contract. This is not true I've sold on eBay and never signed any contract.
*vyolla*
·1 year agoI said that they sign a User Agreement. Same as with all online sites, it's not possible to use the platform without first ticking the box to say that you've read the UA and agree to the terms and conditions in it. You wouldn't be posting here or buying/selling on eBay without doing that.
dancing.petal
·1 year ago😄 🤣 😂 hahaha really you don't understand anything about the legal fiction. Highly suggest people understand that taking a box is not a blue wet ink signature and is not a contract. However continuing to sell on the eBay platform is a tacit agreement. Highly recommend everybody ignores the comments from you and what is the nature of the cage and becomes an informed member of the public about contract law and legal fiction especially.
Anybody that attempts to discredit another person without giving step-by-step break down of why they believe that is just making a sweeping statement that has no validity. And yes I have been to court and one every time!
lucy_farmer
·1 year ago'I said that they sign a User Agreement. Same as with all online sites, it's not possible to use the platform without first ticking the box to say that you've read the UA and agree to the terms and conditions in it. You wouldn't be posting here or buying/selling on eBay without doing that.'
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I believe, on ebay, you don't even have to 'tick a box' to say you agree....... the fact you are using the site is taken as an assumption that you 'have read and agree with all the Terms and Conditions'.
(and we go back to the 'sacrifice of your first-born' and the 'brown M+Ms' T's and C's! ..... nobody -except papso- reads and understands every word of every site they use ..)
ho_71860
·7 months agoNot if your a Buyer and a Guest. Your bank has verified your transaction and you have a Receipt order number. Your under no legal obligation to provide ID for purchases to any organisation.
Shows how corrupt eBay is. Data thiefs for USA
wintersdawn1
·1 year agoSomeone else who had the same request:
https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-Central/I-have-a-selling-account-had-it-for-20-years-eBay-now-want-Photo/td-p/7618631#:~:text=eBay%20will%20ask%20for%20information,t%20be%20able%20to%20sell.
@kiic_47
@sounds_r_us_too
kiic_47
OP1 year agoBut I’m 100% not going to give eBay the I.D so close my account - 100% I am not going to do the verification process - I was not asked on day one of selling to upload photo I.D and will never give photo I.D to some internet company - I was told on chat by eBay chat agents I can request my balance be set to zero (so eBay takes my money) then I can leave so I have made that request… never will I send photo I.D to eBay
wintersdawn1
·1 year agoI'm wondering what triggered ebay to ask for a sellers photo i.d.?
sounds_r_us_too
·1 year agoBet reporting to HMRC has something to do with it
wintersdawn1
·1 year agoThey have already given ebay their national insurance number and I do not believe a photo i.d. is a requirement for ebay to send a sellers selling activity to hmrc.
I have been asked and provided my national insurance number to ebay but no request for a photo i.d.
papso22
·1 year agoThere are different reasons for the requests, both are due to regulatory requirements.
One is the online sales reporting, the other is part of the 'know your customer' or KYC checks, as part of the anti money laundering regulations.
ho_71860
·7 months agoAn organisation selling products does not have to know their customer. A shoe shop doesn't ask you for ID. Neither does a high street Jeweller.
I can go to the supermarket and spend a £1000 and they won't require Photographic Biometrics it's a scam! Absolute breach of Rights!
Id never trust eBay.
ho_71860
·7 months agoBuyers are under no legal obligation to provide ID for Items bought as a Guest!
Your bank has 2 step verification meaning your bank verified your transaction. Do not give eBay anything. I'm simply going to boycott them.
Absolutely no way id give An American organisation my biometrics just to "Buy" not a chance!
1956glyn
·1 year agoWe are the other way round. Hubby gave photo id 12 months ago but no request for NI number
papso22
·1 year agoThe assumption being that he has been actively selling since before 2024, hence not requiring his NINO until sometime this year, but exceeded the KYC anti money laundering threshold (sales value) last year.
1956glyn
·1 year agoIt was prob close to that .....maybe under 2k
edwardian-dreams
·1 year agoVinted used to ask for these kinds of id s well before the new eu laws on digital sales reporting happened so I don’t think it’s connected
but what do I know
sounds_r_us_too
·1 year agoChat
I have reviewed the details and as I can see that the verification is triggered on your account and in order to close the account you need to complete the verification.
And that is
Verify your account details
To verify your identity, please follow these steps.
wintersdawn1
·1 year agoSo some kind of random 'verification', guess any of us could receive the same.
sounds_r_us_too
·1 year agoYes and all i want to do is close my account but i cant because i have funds in there
wintersdawn1
·1 year agoSo you were carrying on normal selling activities, then something triggered a 'verification' and because you couldn't provide one of the photo i.d.'s you couldn't carry on so wanted to close your account but ebay won't let you have your closing balance?
neytiriocuma
·11 months agoCant do any of that disabled mostly housebound i gave up my 55 year driving licence because DVLA changed the rules, at 74 i dont need or want a passport because i cant trvel like i could 30 odd years ago. As some may know 70 licence only is for 3 years, but main problem is insurance is loaded again after you reach 70 for my jaguar xf it went up £200 per annum. To over a thousand pounds i cant afford that on state pension, so i am now carless.
Anonymous User
·7 months agowhy must small personal accounts get reported , makes no sense , you can sell on gumtree free , yes if people have an online business fair enough but in my case i have sold maybe £300 worth of stuff in 5 years
these policies are extreme over reach and surely part of a hidden agenda involving the World Economic Forum and their plans for a compulsory digital global identity
jonatjonatjonat
·7 months agoPrivate sellers get reported, because, as can be seen in droves on this forum, there are in fact, many, many businesses selling on private accounts. Unbelievable as it may seem - people lie and HMRC are having to cater for that.
Historically, gumtree hasn't processed payments and as such doesn't need to comply with KYC requriements (which is what the request for a driving licence or passport is part of). I believe gumtree are now introducing a payment processing facility of some kind - so they may likely have to do this in the future as well.
Anonymous User
·7 months agoyou dont have to punish everybody for a minority issue
its an extreme over reaction to a minor problem
they use the pretext to gather all identities and its an extreme over reach that decent people must oppose
jonatjonatjonat
·7 months agoIrregardless, Anti Money Laundering checks have to take place by law. Know Your Customer has to take place where money is being transferred. Banks have to do it, PayPal has to do it, so do ebay.
It doesn't matter if you are a business or a private individual selling off some stuff from the house - ebay are transferring money to you - they have to do due diligence.
I'm sure there's nefarious means of course.
Anonymous User
·7 months agosounds_r_us_too
·1 year agoHi did u manage to close your account as there refusing to close mine until i provide ID which im not willing to do and my balance is only £7.49
If i had known this sooner i would have cancelled the sales or just gave a refund but i cant do that now because of the time frame
kiic_47
OP1 year agoI was told by chat agent I can request they reduce my balance to zero (basically steal my money with my permission lol) and then once balance is zero I can close the account… It’s pending but I suspect there’ll be a problem no doubt and they’ll keep my account open and not let me leave even though I was told requesting my account be reduced to zero was my only option for escape lol… I think prison escapes are easier than this lol
wintersdawn1
·1 year agoThis sounds awful, if a seller can't provide a photo i.d. ebay should still allow the seller to transfer their closing balance.
sounds_r_us_too
·1 year agoIts a nightmare
I dont want the money give it to Charity or ebay keep it but they wont close my account
Anonymous User
·7 months agoyou can imagine the type of charity ebay would give your money to , frightening to think that ebay can actually give your money to a charity instead of you
department28
·1 year agoIt's mad that eBay can hang on to the money you have earned on eBay, unless you provide photo id. If they've recently let you pay for an eBay purchase from your bank account, surely they should be able to pay your closing balance earnings into that account?
kiic_47
OP1 year agoToday I was told I can request they reduce my balance to zero (basically I tell them to keep my money) and that money would go to a eBay charity which I find doubtful but as it was the only possible option to get off here and close my account without handing someone very sensitive documents I took the option it and said ‘keep the money’ … I really no longer care I just want my account closed and to be off here - I could leave the account open and the money would be there frozen forever but I just want to end this saga and if the money goes to charity (big if) then great and if eBay pockets it then I guess I’ll never know… For the £49 they are getting off me they will lose much more in interest when everyone realise to take money out immediately after every sale they do… I think everyone needs to know to take money out immediately once any money arrives in eBay balance.
nigel_paul_wright7557
·7 months agoIf you wont play by ebays rules then they wont let you sell/buy.