eBay to hide buyer email addresses again!

[*wheels*]

http://announcements.ebay.com/2009/11/anonymous-email-addresses-on-hold-until-2010/

Anonymous Email Addresses On Hold Until 2010

In late September, as part of the Fall Seller Update, we launched a number of changes to email communications between buyers and sellers on eBay.

First, in My Messages, you’re now able to see the whole “thread” of an email conversation — an improvement requested by many members, now live and working well. Also, other improvements to eBay’s post-transaction emails that we announced are now live.

We made another change to keep buyer email addresses anonymous in member-to-member emails, an industry standard practice on most ecommerce sites.

This change created some issues with the internal email management systems for some of our sellers, so in September we reverted back to the way emails were handled previously. This means buyer email addresses are not being made anonymous, and the way members can reply to messages are not being enhanced at this time.

We’re working now on a new system to beta test in early 2010. If all goes well, we’ll launch it shortly thereafter.

We appreciate your prompt feedback and suggestions and apologize for any inconvenience.

We look forward to launching a better, more effective email system early in the new year.  We’ll keep you posted.

[*wheels*]

  an industry standard practice on most ecommerce sites.

??? I buy off a lot of online sites and can't think of one that keeps my email address anonymous.

I understand that eBay is trying to stop email address harvesting to redirect buyers to off-ebay sites but having visible addresses would have to make communications between seller and buyer easier and more reliable if they can email each other directly. The eBay mail system is very restrictive and unreliable.

[*CountessA*]

If eBay is just a venue, what right does it have to say "You can communicate ONLY via our internal mail system"?

If it's not just a venue, then why does it expect the sellers to bear the risks, and wronged buyers to seek redress from the sellers and not eBay itself?

I thought this whole anonymous email thing was detrimental to buyers and sellers at the time it was first announced. I still think so.

[tellomon]

Typical eBay! Always shrouding the Truth to serve their greed.

Here's a horror story: About 3 years ago, I signed up to several eBay Groups, all regarding the issue of Fraud.

I used the onsite messaging system to contact the Groups' Leaders about a burning issue I had at the time with a seller who had ripped me off, and he had over 60 Neg FB! And counting!

The text box had a character counter. I was way under the max limit.
Click 'send'.

In red text, I get an error message: "You have exceeded your character limit".

BULLCRAP!

I could not get my messages thru.

I complained to eBay and they ignored me.

Soon after, I was sanctioned from the Forums for pressing THIS issue.

Nice goin', eButtheads!!!!

(The offending seller was allowed to continue his criminal ways for nearly another 6 weeks before he got NARU'd.)

[misha]

In red text, I get an error message: "You have exceeded your character limit".

Hmmmm .. they were trying to limit your character tello.

Can't understand why they did so by applying sanctions though.
Heavy handed all round. Fascists.

Ways around the no display email addies between trading partner.
Send addie in bits to by-pass the filters.  [at] where the mail is hot . CON

[tellomon]

No need to mess there anymore.

A) The "Fraud" Groups have all been shut down (eBay cited "Lack of Activity". Me arse!!!)

B) I'm Banned for Life from ALL eBay Boards.

[misha]

If eBay is just a venue, what right does it have to say "You can communicate ONLY via our internal mail system"?

If it's not just a venue, then why does it expect the sellers to bear the risks, and wronged buyers to seek redress from the sellers and not eBay itself?

I thought this whole anonymous email thing was detrimental to buyers and sellers at the time it was first announced. I still think so.

...add to that;

If eBay is NOT just a venue, what right does it have to say they have no complicity in a fraud when it occurs and that they had been told when a listing was dubious prior to an auction ending?

They still assert that all this hidden stuff is an 'enhancement'.  Unreal.

No need to mess there anymore.

A) The "Fraud" Groups have all been shut down (eBay cited "Lack of Activity". Me arse!!!)

B) I'm Banned for Life from ALL eBay Boards.

I don't get that tello. 
I can enter the Group format boards and post and there is a significant Fraud focused Group there based on the US site.  No 'group' format on the au. site though.  It was explained to me that the forum is of 'private members' nature and group boards were different somehow from the general forums.

Have you tried lately or are they seriously on your case there?

[tellomon]

I don't care anymore!

[*Yibida*]

I don't care anymore!