RE - Disputes and the release of the sellers (& buyers) personal contact details.....

[qualitycoinsofaustralia]

Hi,

What is the best way to minimise disclosure of my personal details in the case where a dispute occurs and the buyer is granted access to my personal details ?

Is it correct that the details that are discplosed consist of my main ebay registration details ? I understand they are given my name,city and phone number - correct ?

Once you have name and city it is often quite possible to track down someone's precise location.

I trust ebay but I don't want my details handed out to just anyone on ebay.

So whats the best solution ?

Is using a registered business name an effective way to address this name disclosure ?   However I really don't want to have the hassle and cost of getting a registered business name.

The next best approach I can see would be to use my real name but get a PO Box in a different suburb and use that as my main registration address, and then list my mobile phone number as the primary phone conact number. That way my location is far more difficult to determine.

Any feedback on this approach ?   

How do other sellers deal with  this ?


Thanks ,
Jimbo

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@jimbos_emporium wrote:

The next best approach I can see would be to use my real name but get a PO Box in a different suburb and use that as my main registration address, and then list my mobile phone number as the primary phone conact number. That way my location is far more difficult to determine.

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When I joined eBay I had no idea about the ability of either party to a transaction to ask for contact details of the other.  At least if someone asks for your details you get an email letting you know (as well as you getting their details).

I used my name on registration and have had a PO Box for the last 23 years so it was natural to use my PO Box.  When we moved to an outer suburb of the city we live in we kept the old PO Box as we go past the Post Office every day anyway and it avoided the hassle of changing postal address.

The advent of the internet and social media has made it a lot easier to search for people without their knowledge. 

However, there is another way that a person can get some of your details through non-eBay and non-internet means, but I am not about to disclose that method here.  I'm not talking about phone books as some people have unlisted numbers, this is another electronic non-internet method.

[thecatspjs]

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@jimbos_emporium wrote:

Hi,

What is the best way to minimise disclosure of my personal details in the case where a dispute occurs and the buyer is granted access to my personal details ?

Is it correct that the details that are discplosed consist of my main ebay registration details ? I understand they are given my name,city and phone number - correct ?

Once you have name and city it is often quite possible to track down someone's precise location.

I trust ebay but I don't want my details handed out to just anyone on ebay.

So whats the best solution ?

Is using a registered business name an effective way to address this name disclosure ?   However I really don't want to have the hassle and cost of getting a registered business name.

The next best approach I can see would be to use my real name but get a PO Box in a different suburb and use that as my main registration address, and then list my mobile phone number as the primary phone conact number. That way my location is far more difficult to determine.

Any feedback on this approach ?   

How do other sellers deal with  this ?


Thanks ,
Jimbo

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To register a business name you must have an ABN and provide an address for that business, for service of docments so a PO Box is not an option -  though the ASIC website indicates an SMS address is an option.  

I understand that you have concerns regarding privacy, but if you sell something a buyer is entitled to have a sellers address for return of goods or for what I imagine is the very rare occassion when they may wish to pursue legal proceedings.

The details that are disclosed in a dispute is the nominated eBay return address, not your registered address.  In your eBay account set up you can nominate different addresses for different purposes, several in fact. Check out the options under your seller account tab - addresses.

If a buyer requests your contact details through eBay (when they have bid or purchased one of your items only) they are provided with your phone number and suburb only (not full address). 

[qualitycoinsofaustralia]

Hi,

thanks very much for both responses..... appreciate your time discussing this.

OK so just to confirm  -  in the case of a dispute the buyer gets access to my ebay return address. From what I understand, this does not necessarily have to include my real name but some kind of name - ie. it does not seem to have to match the registered name as the form seems to accept this. EG: You could have "The Resident" or  "ebay returns". I'm not giving a false real name so I don't see that this is an obvious breach of ebay policy. My real name is still the registered name surely that is the main point. Anyway, they may still see it as a technical breach....   (???). 

Any ideas on this ?

Secondly, if after making a purchase the buyer requests my contact details they get my phone number and suburb.  They don't actually get my registered name at this point do they ?  I think I saw something earlier somewhere that suggested that this was the case.

I raised this as a long time ago a buyer bought something thinking it performed a different function which my ad clearly spelt out that it did not do and he immediately accessed my contact details and left very negative feedback when it was all his own fault. I was pleased he lived interstate rather than crosstown. Slo I'm trying to ensure Im not exposed like that.

OK so if whats outlined above is correct and acceptable then it looks like a simple PO box and careful use of the different seller address options will solve my problem, that is assuming my real name does not have to feature in my returns address for returned goods.

Once again, appreciate your time.

Cheers,

Jimbo