eBay

of.that.ilk · ‎27-08-2025

I am a private seller and afaik buyers don't get to know my address until they have actually bought the item?

I was recently contacted by a prospective buyer via the eBay messaging facility, asking to purchase an item and pay on collection. In the very same message they asked me to confirm the house number of a specific road, where they thought I was living. This road happens to be one that runs parallel to my road, but that's already fairly accurate and I am baffled as to how they could have come to know this information.

The parallel road has a different postcode than mine, so it cannot be this.

When I log out of eBay and look at my item, it only shows the town of my address. My seller profile does not have any address information either.

To clarify, in case this is relevant, under My eBay > Account, my address is saved as "registration address", "delivery address" and "dispatch address", but not as "return address" nor "payment and collection address".

tressygirl · ‎27-08-2025

I've just had a very helpful PM from a member informing me that you offer collection on items! Click on 'contact seller ' and that is where they have your postcode.

However, as they are asking for an address beforehand, and asking to pay cash on collection, as said, this is not allowed now, I wouldn't answer any more of their messages, and block them from buying from you.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/BuyerBlock?

On that page, after adding their ID scroll down a bit, and tick the little box to stop any messages from them, too.

@of.that.ilk

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**peaseblossom** · ‎27-08-2025

The map for your location is pointing to Hadham Road. Is that anywhere near? Could just be the centre of Bishops Stortford.

tressygirl · ‎27-08-2025

Not sure how they guessed a parallel road, is it perhaps one of the major roads in your town / village so a lucky guess? As you say it wasn't actually your correct road.

No address details are allowed to be exchanged before purchase and payment, and payment now for a collection item, is only made through eBay checkout, via card payments, Google / Apple Pay, PayPal. There is No cash on collection option.

@of.that.ilk

of.that.ilk · ‎27-08-2025

No, Hadham Road was not the road that this buyer was mentioning. I live in Bishops Stortford but not in the "geographical centre" nor in Hadham Road.

of.that.ilk · ‎27-08-2025

No, my road is a relatively small road away from the centre of town, and so is that parallel road. Neither roads are major through roads.

tressygirl · ‎27-08-2025

I've just had a very helpful PM from a member informing me that you offer collection on items! Click on 'contact seller ' and that is where they have your postcode.

However, as they are asking for an address beforehand, and asking to pay cash on collection, as said, this is not allowed now, I wouldn't answer any more of their messages, and block them from buying from you.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/BuyerBlock?

On that page, after adding their ID scroll down a bit, and tick the little box to stop any messages from them, too.

@of.that.ilk

of.that.ilk · ‎27-08-2025

@tressygirl wrote:
payment now for a collection item, is only made through eBay checkout, via card payments, Google / Apple Pay, PayPal. There is No cash on collection option.

... which is why I declined to accept their offer to pay cash on collection! They subsequently withdrew their interest. But I had security concerns as to how they could have known my (approximate) address even though no sale was made.

However, before they offered to pay and collect at my "presumed" address, their first message was to ask if I would accept a certain price that they were prepared to pay. I answered in the affirmative and sent them an offer. They didn't accept the offer but replied in the messaging facility, asking to pay "cash on collection" as mentioned above.

Might it be possible that an appoximate seller location (more precise than the town, less precise than the actual address) is revealed to a prospective buyer, as a consequence of sending an offer to them?

I forgot to add that this item is being sold as "collection only".

of.that.ilk · ‎27-08-2025

@tressygirl wrote:
I've just had a very helpful PM from a member informing me that you offer collection on items! Click on 'contact seller ' and that is where they have your postcode.

However, as they are asking for an address beforehand, and asking to pay cash on collection, as said, this is not allowed now, I wouldn't answer any more of their messages, and block them from buying from you.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/BuyerBlock?

On that page, after adding their ID scroll down a bit, and tick the little box to stop any messages from them, too.

@of.that.ilk

Ah, that answers it, then. Many thanks for informing me. I will block also this buyer as you suggested.

of.that.ilk · ‎27-08-2025

@tressygirl wrote:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/BuyerBlock?

On that page, after adding their ID scroll down a bit, and tick the little box to stop any messages from them, too.

There was no tickbox. It seems that they might have removed this and now include stopping messages as standard when you block a buyer.

Thanks again for your help!