Not long ago we received a raft of emails from readers expressing concerns that eBay was requiring them to upload images of their driver’s license.
“eBay is now requiring a photo id along with all of the information I have supplied in the past,” one seller wrote. “I see sellers are leaving in droves. I personally have until January 23 to comply. This was fun until eBay decided they wanted everything but my first born child.” The seller said eBay required them to supply either their passport or their driver’s license.
“We have been selling on eBay for 26 years and today just got notice from them that we need to upload a copy of our passport or driver license to keep selling on eBay,” wrote another reader.
Another example of a seller concerned about the requirement: “eBay is now making me provide them with a picturing Info, credit card, name address phone number. I am being singled out as 20 people I know, none have had this asked of them…they call it the “Federal crimes act” which there is no such thing. I would like to know why and if you have any inside into this.”
Sellers have also expressed their concerns about the photo-ID requirements on industry discussion boards, where they are at times met with little sympathy from colleagues.
“Online activity of any kind is not possible without risk,” one person replied to a seller who expressed their objections in an eBay seller discussion board thread. “Might as well cancel your ISP, cell phone, credit cards etc if risk is a concern.”
Another seller replied that eBay’s 2014 breach “did not seem to be so bad – it was 8 years ago and you still want to mention it,” they said.
While there may not be much sellers – or consumers – can do when companies require them to provide personally identifiable information (PII), people are not wrong to be concerned about the risks of doing so.
The ID Theft Center wrote in 2019 about Facebook’s real-name policy and stated, “When you share your PII with companies or individuals, you increase your risk of identity fraud and theft.”
Last year in a post, “Can Someone Steal Your Identity From Your Driver’s License?” the ID Theft Center wrote, “The best action is to safeguard your driver’s license information. Don’t allow anyone to scan or swipe your license unless they are required to do so by law (buying medicine, airport security check, etc.) or a transaction that requires your age or identity to be verified, such as at a bar or when applying for a job or bank account.”
It’s frustrating that experts advise of the dangers of sharing personally identifiable information, yet many companies say they are required to collect the information from their users.
According to a video eBay published via YouTube, “Verifying your information allows us to comply with know-your-customer obligations, which keeps eBay a trusted marketplace.” It points to a page on the eBay website, eBay.com/verification-help with details.
The recent INFORM Consumers Act puts additional requirements on marketplaces like eBay to verify sellers’ identities.
In my experience the eBay identify verification process is full of catch-22 pitfalls. The process of changing one field at a time could take weeks because eBay requires a couple of days to process each change before rejecting the change. Ebay error messages are vague, like satire published in Datamation magazine in the late 1950s.”An impossible error has occurred in an unknown location in an unidentifiable unit”. Has eBay reinvented the square yo-yo?
I saw the upload picture ID section of the eBay verification form for the first time today. I hope this does not extend the validation process into more extra innings.
Exactly what Amazon has been doing for the past few years (odd how nobody is complaining about that). I object to any company having so much information on me.
Exactly what Amazon do and have been doing for years. I object to any company having so much information on me.
If this comment appears twice it is because the first one didn’t appear.
I was a small seller who sold antique jewelry & unique little items for some extra income.
I left eBay when they tried to force managed payments on me.
Continuing on, eBay is now demanding sellers to supply a passport or driver’s license.
When, the IRS, under the Biden administration, required any sales over a measly $600 to be reported, I’m afraid that put an end to my online selling.
We have illegal flooding of immigrants pouring through our U.S. southern borders, with drug cartels spreading Fentanyl and killing our children. Drive by shooters and NY subway killers are released back out into society the next day. There’s been a halt to us refining our own natural resources so we are forced to rely on China and other countries that hate the U.S.
If people would just stand back and look at the whole picture, free enterprise and the idea of a “free” America is quickly ebbing away.
I wonder whose ID is uploaded for big box stores on eBay like Best Buy?
“Exactly what Amazon do and have been doing for years”
Sir, excuse me – are you aware that you were doing 85 in a 50 zone? Yes sir – but THOSE OTHER GUYS – they were speeding ALSO – so its ok!
Son, why did you hit your sister? Well ….. SHE hit me FIRST !
Miss, you were caught shoplifting for the 3rd time, you do realize we cant just let you go …. yes but THEY (people in another state at another time), THEY did it too so its OK!
Theres always the cabal of people here, who are MORE then willing to use the trope “but but AMAZON does it!” as some excuse for EBAY doing the wrong thing.
Im guessing they either never grew up or are just eBay toadies, lackeys.
Lets bring this into focus.
Amazon wants to/needs to know who is sending/shipping/selling goods to ITS customers. Its logical, its understandable, and if you have common sense – then you understand that “Selling on eBay” and FULLFILLING on Amazon a 2 TOTALLY different things
On eBay – all they do is provide a website. They dont OWN your goods, they dont OWN any stock in your company, they dont PAY for your home/place of business – and their “wanting to do X” for what ever reason they want – ISNT/DOESNT make it legal or right.
To sell on Amazon I sent them a copy of my passport. I WANT them to know me. I WANT them to be comfortable with me and my company, I want them to be responsive to me.
On eBay, I dont even want a free voucher for their crummy Walkers West (that I as an eBay seller am probably paying for).
As sellers on eBay – you want LESS interference by people who 1) dont know anything about selling 2) are only trying to con you into handing over MORE of your meager profits to them 3) lie cheat and steal when ever possible – so WHY ON GODS GREEN EARTH would ANYONE think that surrendering PRIVATE info thats NONE of their business – be a GOOD idea?
Sic semper tyrannis – we can hope
Ya, so now FaceBook has a copy my driver’s license.
And they never let me back in to my account.
BOTTOM LINE : Any platform asking for your photo ID is not uncommon.
It just feels like such a breach.
I want the ID’s of the people asking for mine.
Even exchange of information.
I also don’t let anyone in the house unless I get a copy of their ID.
I’d like to see a legal expert weigh in.
Eh heh heh heh heh. Looks like it’s back to the flea market for some Alex Jones fans.
Well…..bye!
Worse is Facebook. You cannot sell anything without providing your SSN to Zuckerberg and this is very, very dangerous. With your SSN, Zuckerberg has your while life in his hands.