I have a selling account, had it for 20 years, ..eBay now want Photo ID?

[j-r-hartley]

Had an selling account for 20 years (this isnt it) I'm a UK seller,  haven't sold a great deal, feedback is still under 1000,  last year after about a year of not using the account I started to sell again, not a lot but eBay first treated me like I hadn't been a member for 20 years and insisted on holding some of the sales (low value s/h items) until I confirmed my bank account (which i'd done a couple of years prior). they wanted to send me a certain amount and I was to confirm etc, they also restricted the value of the items I could sell so I had to ask them via live chat to up the limits or a car I was selling would not list etc, in the end after a few sales things seemed to correct themselves and I was paid straight away for items>

Roll on to may 2024, I've sold a few items over the months, in the last 2 weeks i've sold an item at £225 and one at £125, both collection only, both items have had no problems and i have a couple more items listed. Not electrical goods or high value items etc.  just normal stuff, some new and unused, most second hand and used etc

So today I logged on, I get a pop up stating they wanted me to ID myself, this would be in the form of a driving licence, passport or govt ID...and oh by the way any transactions are held until I comply?   

I don't sell high value / high risk items, I have 100% feedback,  I've had zero returns , my bank account is verified, they have my email address (verified with them some time ago, they send me emails re items listed or sold, email has notnot changed) they send me texts to my phone re delivery notices if i've bought something to collect, my physical address has not changed in all the time i've had the selling account.

and now they want the ID from me, no warning, no time schedule to complete but simply comply and until I do any funds are to be held over.

Furthermore, they want the ID but don't actually tell me where it will be stored, who will have access to it and such like all of which seems very wrong.

Anyone else had this?

[lucy_farmer]

Money-laudering protections etc.   I.D.  Data protection........ it all just makes life difficult for the little people whilst the Big Boys and criminals just carry on.

I've just this minute got back from Lloyds (well maybe 20 mins ago...) and I'm still bloody steaming!!

My husband needs a paper bank statement in order to prove his bank account is his ( a 'sorting out dead relative' stuff..) he's currently on paper-free statements.

I went online in his account and asked the Lloyds bot how to do it. It couldn't give me an answer that fitted the question.

He tried doing it over the phone and the robot wouldn't let him in without a certain 'security no' which we don't know.

So I went to the bank... (luckily we still have one of those in Central Milton Keynes 🙂)

And the bank wouldn't send it because I *wasn't * him. 

OK, fair enough..... BUT I wasn't taking money out. I wasn't moving money around. I wasn't paying bills. I wasn't changing any info *anywhere*.

I just wanted the bank to send a letter to my husband.

About his account.

To his name.

To his address.

ALL of which are details they have in their system and didn't need anything from me.  (and the lady behind the desk knows who I am; me and hubby have been customers there for 30 yrs)

Just what sort of crime do they think they are preventing by stopping that??

(Eventually the rather embarrassed lady-behind-the-desk realised that if I logged into my account on their system using my card, she could show me where to look on *my* account and it would be in exactly the same place on hubby's account when I got home and logged on there.

And it was very easy to do.

If only the Lloyds bot was capable of answering a simple question ,all this *bleep* wouldn't have happened and I wouldn't currently have a blood pressure of about 200 over 180!! )

Yes I know I've gone off thread a little here, sorry.... still cross....

[vintique*violet]

If this is the case eBay need to be checking foreign sellers on the  UK platform and not small sellers or business sellers who have been on eBay for well over 10 years or more and proved their standing.... 

By the way - my "check"  since I have no passport etc ( expired and not renewing) was  a Government tax letter with personal details other than name and address blanked out. It was and is sufficient. 

[txt.ltd]

Things change.

They do tell you where the info is stored. Nobody reads this information. It's called the Privacy Policy

[crg_music]

Wish I could agree but it was far worse bitd and Paypal would want proof of delivery, stock receipts and Ebay would pull your listings also + Paypal would freeze your balance till resolved. Now they can just log in your bank front end + a photo id and its pretty much done in 5 minutes.

[major-d-clutter]

Ebay cannot legally demand photo ID. They already have bank account details, home address, email, telephone number. They do not require photo ID. It is not correct nor proper for them to insist on this. 

I am extremely suspicious of Ebays ability to keep my data secure and shall not be providing them with any more information. What use is photo ID when they cannot actually see you in person. 

Any more of this nonsense then I shall contact the Information Commissioner who kindly clarified this for me earlier.

[4_bathrooms]

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@major-d-clutter wrote:

Ebay cannot legally demand photo ID. They already have bank account details, home address, email, telephone number.

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They can't demand photo ID it but they are obliged to ask for suitable proof of ID under the Anti-Money Laundering Regulations if you do anything that causes eBay's AML checks to kick in. This can be things such as changing your registered address or your linked bank account. There have been threads where posters have reported eBay accepting other documents in lieu of a driving licence or passport. 

Note the example I gave in my earlier post had nothing to do with eBay; my nephew has never had nor does he want an eBay account. the Anti Money Laundering Regulations are just one piece of legislature that requires ID checks to be carried out; the Right to Rent Scheme has similar obligations for private landlords. In my nephew's case the easiest way around all these variations regulations was to get him a provisional driving licence - it simply stopped delays and constant requests for an ever-increasing number of documents and information. In that sense having a provisional driving licence meant he actually had to disclose less personal information that he would have without it.

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@major-d-clutter wrote:

They do not require photo ID. It is not correct nor proper for them to insist on this. 

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As per the AML guidance on the GOV.UK website companies and organisations subject to AML supervision (which eBay is) are told to request a "photograph on an official document which confirms their identity" and that "The best way to do this is to ask for a government issued document like a passport, along with utility bills, bank statements and other official documents." That's the government's guidance; not eBay's.

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@major-d-clutter wrote:

I am extremely suspicious of Ebays ability to keep my data secure and shall not be providing them with any more information.

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If you did anything that caused eBay's AML checks to kick in any funds you had would be placed on hold until eBay were satisfied you had "proven" your identity. eBay would not be able to legally disburse any held funds to you until their AML checks were complete.

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@major-d-clutter wrote:

Any more of this nonsense then I shall contact the Information Commissioner who kindly clarified this for me earlier.

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What, have you got John Edwards on speed dial? Anyway, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) are responsible for enforcing the Data Protection Act, General Data Protection Regulation, Freedom of Information Act etc. The AMLRs have a specific regulation concerning how the data obtained can be used and processed; i.e. it has to be in accordance with the DPA.

When the AMLRs were being drawn up there was concern from banks and other financial institutions about how the AMLRs would interact with the DPA in specific cases. Here's what the (then) Information Commissioner had to say (PDF file):

"This guidance has been prepared by the Government departments that co-ordinate the UK’s anti-money laundering legislation in response to concerns expressed by some banks and other financial institutions about the interaction between anti-money laundering laws and the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). It has been discussed with the Information Commissioner, who supports the approach taken."  

[major-d-clutter]

Correct Ebay cannot demand photo ID even though that is what they have been doing.

I do not have John Edwards on speed dial and neither do you.

I had a friend who was recently locked out of Ebay because her account had been hacked. Nothing that they had done personally but rather her data had been breached. That is the whole problem - Ebay is not Fort Knox and I personally do not trust them with all of my data and they do not need all of my data. Phoning customer services and giving over much personal ID to some stranger in a call centre in (for example) the Phillipines is not the secure haven we should necessarily trust.

[agnevarg9]

So I’m just going to cancel my account. I don’t want to put my ID up so will against it and find other way to sell

[lsld7191]

They have just done this to me. I am clearing out my mother's house and selling a few more items than usual. They already have my address and my partners, my bank details, hold my card details.

I have removed all items from sale and would rather give to a charity shop than sell on this market place that I no longer trust.

I can buy any item, without having to put in the 4 digit security code on the back however. So how on earth does that work?  They claim they are protecting my account. Yet they hold enough info that someone at eBay could take out a loan I my name. They could impersonate me easily or a nasser criminal could create fake ID in my name.

I am boycotting ebay!

[signs_and_vintage]

But I always thought that this regulation was for those receiving cash payments in one go from one person over a certain amount. For example car dealerships (decent ones!) won't accept cash over a certain amount without ID as above. Have seen similar on signs at auction houses.

i.e. as far as I'm aware aimed at single large transactions and not a series of small ones. But 3Bay quoting it at sellers who have yet to conduct any such transaction and/or are unlikely to sell anything worth thousands, once if ever, always seemed very much like a stretch and the usual 'lets make something up that sounds like it could be right' typical of this lot.

[squify]

I’ve always been a good ebayer (100% positive feedback). I’ve been on there for over 20 years and sold some high value items. Never had any issues. I moved address - they now want photo ID so sent them jpg of my passport. I was told to resend it because they couldn’t read it (it came out perfectly on my computer screen). Customer services told me it was because it was verified by automated service that it was ok and they would do it manually but would take five days. I was still getting emails after 2 weeks telling me to send in proof and my selling account was blocked. Phoned them again and customer service said I needed to send in another copy of photo ID (same as before). Basically one person told me one thing and another something else! I’m wondering if anyone else is totally frustrated with this situation. I believe eBay is now not making commission on non business sellers so basically they can’t be bothered anymore.

[lucy_farmer]

'.....Basically one person told me one thing and another something else!.....'

That's perfectly normal at ebay CS. A lot of the time they'll tell you what you want to hear to get you off the phone as fast as possible (helps the CS operators hit their 'how many calls answered in a hour' targets)

'I believe eBay is now not making commission on non business sellers so basically they can’t be bothered anymore.'

Well, a lot of us (genuine) private sellers are beginning to suspect something like that! I don't suppose CS have been told to ignore us, but I'd imagine we go to the back of the queue when they are busy.....

(the 'photo ID' thing on the internet has always made me smile a bit..... how the hell do they know what we look like!?😆)

[daro2096]

Strange. I been buying and selling on eBay for 20 years now and I have never been asked to provide any photo ID. Not yet anyway.

[insidethe93]

Unfortunately "I've been a customer here for [however long]" just doesn't cut it any more, anywhere, especially online.

Look at how banks, email providers and mere shop platforms demand more and more personal info, and more and more _detailed_ personal info. If you need or want their service you're over a barrel, as their competitors do the same. With bricks & mortar places where long-term staff know you, the firms concerned are busy withdrawing physical presence, cutting staff numbers, and forcing people online for an often miserable experience. It feels oppressive and unstoppable.

Best not to take it personally.

[lsld7191]

They won't hold anyone over a barrel if we rise up against it, rather than cave in and  treat it as thr notm.. The west is supposed to be a free democracy not a totalitarian state. Its funny how its mainly American companies doing this. I haven't brought anything since or tried to sell on ebay and won't cave in. I really don't need anything that badly and more than happy to either Carboot, charity shop use schpock, depop, onbuy and vinted, there are so many other platforms that don't treat their customers like this.

[theelench]

You could add ebid to your list.  None of ebay's nonsense over there.

[lsld7191]

Thanks for the tip!  I forgot that one.

[stumor_98]

Ebay want photo ID from me, I refuse to give ebay photo ID, i signed up for ebay before they asked for this years and years ago, now they have purposely signed me out, and are know asking for me to sign in using their new photo ID, not going to happen, ebay you have lost yourself another ebay customer and seller.

[myriad*seller]

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@theelench wrote:

You could add ebid to your list.  None of ebay's nonsense over there.

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eBid are bound by exactly the same legislation and will also require exactly the same in the way of ID documents

The same applies to ALL online sales websites 

[myriad*seller]

It's nothing to do with ebay 

This is international legislation - it is costing eBay a lot of money to collect all this information

They do it becuase they are legally required to do it, as are all other selling websites

eBay do not have a choice

So you are cutting off your nose to spite your face as the same laws apply wherever  you sell, you will be required to prove your ID where ever you sell