No Solution Yet.

[jayla128]

Hello All, Some time ago, I posted about problems with logging in to my account. Each time, I had to receive either a code via email or text before I could log in which was a helluva faff. No one replied so I just perservered .

However for the past few days, the email option has disappeared and I am just left with the call to my landline.

This is infuriating and very inconvenient and I have really just stopped browsing Ebay now but I would be grateful if some Techie could help resolve the problem for me.

I do not have a mobile so cannot enable 2 step verification anyway and additionally cannot receive a text to a landline so I am really hampered.

My details are all up to date and verified, as is my browser and cache cleared, my device is "trusted" multiple times and I am the sole user. 

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

[style_wise · Accepted solution]

There are a lot of us trying to minimize tech and screentime, so you have my complete sympathy. That said, those choices don't automatically work with modern life, and sometimes we have to roll with the changing times.

Case in point, due to the increase of hacking scams my local Council beefed up their website security. I was running a laptop with Windows 7 that was so old it couldn't be upgraded [normal people laugh here]. So I had a choice, quit using my local library's website because I couldn't get past security, or upgrade my laptop. I personally chose the latter.

Ultimately we want eBay security to be 'a faff'. They hold so much of our money and personal data - including NI number and access to banking - that you want account verification to be reliable.

So what are your options going forward: From a fellow Luddite point of view it seems you could consider:

- Contacting actual eBay Techies to report directly that your email sign in has disappeared.

- Buy a mobile for eBay 2-part verification (it can be very basic, it does not have to be 4G).

- Browse eBay without signing in. Potentially buy as a Guest too (returns will be via your email).

Good luck with your Buying!

[jayla128]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.
I am a bit of an old duffer I am afraid and, after having all mine and my husbands accounts hacked 5 years ago, have become very risk averse so no Social media accounts etc and only a Microsoft one with a Firefox browser. I dont really feel I am missing anything at all except hassle.
Could I ask how to contact the Techie people to get my email verification back please?
Your help greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards

[marco@ebay]

Hi jayla128, thanks for your post.

Just wanted to step in here to clarify that at the moment, security codes can only be sent to the phone number you have on file. Some members have reported this, and we've passed on the feedback that members would like the option of having the code sent to the email address on file, but we cannot guarantee that the feedback we pass on will be implemented.

If you want, you can still contact our customer service team from here, but I just wanted to set up the right expectation as they might say the same. If you are prompted to enter the security code to contact our customer service, and you are not receiving this code due to the code being sent to your landline, you can follow the steps below to contact us anyway.

1. Go to our help pages
2. Scroll down and click on "Contact us"
3. Click on Managing your account
4. Click on Get help with a hacked account (while your account might not be hacked, you need to follow this workflow)
5. A new window/tab will pop up and ask you to sign in - As you are unable to log into your account at the moment, please click on the "Continue" button that is located right under the "New to eBay, or need help signing in?" at the bottom of the screen
6. Enter your email address or username, and click submit.
7. You will see an option to chat with our automated assistant, click on it. (You won't see the call us back option as we won't be able to reach you at your new phone number since we don't have it on file)
8 . In the chat window, click on "help with a hacked account"
9. Click on contact an agent
10. Enter your name and email address and reason for contact, and send the request.
11. Complete the captcha (If applicable)
12. Click on "Call us" and you will see a phone number for you to get in touch with us, you can then talk to one of our agents and they will help you get this resolved.

Thank you,

Marco

[jayla128]

Hello Marco, 

Thank you for taking the time to provide such comprehensive and helpful information but.......... 

I have been regularly receiving the code to my email address with no problem but this has  not been happening since last week for some reason.

Also as I don't have a mobile, the verification code now goes only to my landline and I worry  that I will not be able to access my account, ( nor any help) if this disappears too!

I do hope you can further advise and am grateful for it.

Kind Regards

[marco@ebay]

Hi jayla128, thanks for your reply.

As advised above, I'm afraid that having your codes sent to your email address is not an option that is available. If you want, you can try contacting our customer service team to see if there is anything they can do, but like I said above, I just want to set up the right expectation and let you know that they might come back with the same information.

Thank you,

Marco

[jayla128]

Many thanks for your  kind advice.

Best Regards

[jayla128]

Thank you Marco for your advice. Much appreciated

[bilboted]

Marco - you either haven't absorbed what your Ebay customer jayla128 is saying in several messages or you are being deliberately obscure. On more than one occasion jayla128 stated the following "I have been regularly receiving the code to my email address with no problem but this has  not been happening since last week for some reason".

I can confirm that email contact has been offered as an alternative to text when my Ebay account (bilboted)  is put through  verification  procedure but that it now randomly gets removed then put back as an option. 

You might detect some irritation in my message but this is because I have been experiencing exactly the same issue as jayla128 which is not helped by circumspect responses from Ebay.

As for a resolution  to this issue - here's a suggestion to jayla128. I suspect you have your browser set to never remember history. That is why each time you log on you are required to go through the same process. If you change your browser settings to remember history it is my understanding that, if its the same IP address each time, you will then only need to go through verification once which will then be remembered for future log-ins. 

Tell me I'm wrong Ebay!

Cheers,

Bilboted 

Please answer this actual issue. 

[sml192]

You are correct in your comments regarding browser history.  If browser history is retained then account verification should only be required periodically unless you are trying to access a more sensitive area of your account such as editing payment details.

With regards to the option to verify by email being removed at times that is almost certainly due to the fact that verifying by email is far less secure than verifying by text/phone/app (the latter require access to the actual device whereas email only requires access to the account) so periodically eBay requires a more secure form of verification to be used.  

[bilboted]

Thank you so much sml192, firstly for your lightningly swift response and secondly for a succinct reply which directly answers the issues I aired in my message. I had suspicions in the direction  you indicated and now fully realise that with the luxury of maintaining my privacy comes the inconvenience of modern security 😘 Yes, I do have 'Never Remember History' set in my browser. As I suspect this is also the case with jayla128 I wonder if it is possible for that Ebay member to be alerted to the latest addition to this thread 'No Solution Yet'?

Thanks again,

Bilboted

[jayla128]

Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble to help with this frustrating issue.

You have made complete sense with your solution  and I have followed your advice by amending my settings. I hope this resolves the issue, which has been ongoing since October  2025  and only received either no reply or incorrect advice from the Tech Dept. 

I am very grateful to you for taking up the battle for me and I am sending lots of good Karma your way for helping an old lady navigate her way through todays Technology which often leaves me feeling very confused! 

For some unknown reason, I cannot mark your reply as Helpful but I can assure you it was.

Kind Regards from me.

[jayla128]

Thank you for your reply and advice.

I just wish that I had'nt had to suffer this frustrating issue for so long when there was a simple fix as the previous Contributor suggests.

The Tech Dept have not been helpful at all really and I hope that they read this thread so that they can respond correctly in a timely manner to those other poor customers who experience a similar issue.

[bilboted]

You are welcome! Don't forget to let the forum know if it works out (or not 😐 )

Bilboted

[xyz307xyz]

? I thought it was all sorted a week ago ...

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Technical-Issues/problems-logging-in/m-p/7985838/highlight/true#M356...

[bilboted]

This is a good workaround and well done for spotting it but in the case of jayla128 it doesn't address the underlying issue of the limited choice at sign in. It seems that many users are unaware that if their browser is set to 'Never Remember History' aka 'Permanent Private Browsing Mode' this overrides any settings storing cookies etc., and results in the verification challenge at every visit. With this option turned off the user should not be prompted for verification after the first log-in attempt. This also applies globally on other sites that use verification challenges (which most do these days).

At least it no longer plagues me after switching off Private Browsing. Of course this information will not be offered up by the security pages of whichever web site you might be trying to get in to as it reduces the the need for the verification security level, which they may not want. 😐

Bilboted

[xyz307xyz]

The OP issue was "However for the past few days, the email option has disappeared and I am just left with the call to my landline." not "I need to log in again more often"/"more often than I would expect"/"each time I use ebay".

[bilboted]

Excuse me but I was suggesting a solution which would completely eliminate repetitive log-ins so that issue would go away. You seem to have created a false scenario - which you say I offered as a solution - to suit your argument. I don't understand why or why you seem to be taking an adversarial tone when I thought the idea of forums like this was to help each other.

My apologies to Jayla128 if she feels I have been wasting her time but she has thanked me for my suggestions so that doesn't seem to be the case.

That's all from me

[xyz307xyz]

You were first to reply to me -with "but in the case of jayla128 it doesn't address the underlying issue of the limited choice at sign in."

My linked post does address what I thought you meant by "limited choice" i.e. no email option, which was the OP issue. The underlying issue there is that some login scenarios allow email verification and some don't because (it appears) that's how it's coded/configured.

In terms what you (and sml) say about history and cookies - I certainly agree that could well address the underlying issue of repetitive log-ins. (In my experience I still need to log in every now and again around every few weeks - some kind of cookies problem for me I guess, sometimes affecting multiple sites at once.)

In short @jayla128 what bilboted has advised is perfectly reasonable (in my opinion) to hopefully eliminate (or reduce) the repetitive log-ins.

And if you are ever asked, hopefully that link still works or you can find another way of logging in.

The only proviso I would mention, is given you were hacked previously, if someone (i.e. a friend/relative/professional) advised you then on your history/cookies/security settings etc., you may want to get their view - as they will know more about your computer, who else uses it, internet setup, other applications you use etc. (I would say the same thing if I had suggested changing any of these settings - I'm not implying I know more about privacy than any of the other members here.)