Since eBay began automatically deleting all ended items after 60 days, last year, it's become increasingly difficult to track, document and conclusively prove sellers' shenanigans. All the links that I've included in my previous posts still work at the time of writing, though no doubt they'll soon start disappearing into the ether.
Although occasionally annoying and frustratingly inconvenient, I can certainly understand it from
their database management standpoint. However, eBay seem to becoming increasingly more complicit in assisting devious sellers.
Seiko7A38 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 7:14 amNote that since then, eBay seller
saf8782 has changed that particular eBay ID to
timeforeverbody24. (Of more anon).
In the past, when an eBay seller changed their User ID, you used to be able to click on a link (in a box on right hand side of their profile feedback page), which displayed their previous user ID history, with dates of changes in tabular format. Sometimes the oldest ID might have been partially encrypted, but it was a useful tool nonetheless. However, trying that recently and again this morning (using a saved text file of the eBay link) and taking
timeforeverbody24 as an example:
https://contact.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI ... everbody24
Now returns the standard eBay error message with the annoying little hooded orange tw@t:
- eBay-WeLookedEverywhere.png (201.44 KiB) Viewed 5873 times
There's not been any official announcement made (that I can find), but eBay have evidently surreptitiously removed the feature, to protect certain individuals. See these archived eBay 'Help' topics, which conveniently haven't been updated:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Archive-B ... p/20182040
https://community.ebay.com/t5/My-Accoun ... p/30628885
The question has also been asked on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ebay/comments/ ... eature_on/
So, in the absence of this tool, how can I be so certain that eBay user ID
timeforeverbody24 was previously
saf8782 ?
Let's just call it due diligence.
Though I may have been acting under the influence of a bottle of vino at the time.
- 7A38-7020-Stainless+Grey-eBay-June2021-(re-listed-omegatime24)-Message.png (115.42 KiB) Viewed 5862 times
Incidentally
timeforeverbody24 (feedback 391) previously user ID
saf8782, currently isn't listing anything.
His alter ego
omegatime24 (feedback 185) is currently listing 98 watches,
24 of which are vintage Omegas.
This other ID
paoloquaranta (feedback 59) has recently (re)listed 50 watches, including the stainless 7A38-7020.
Thankfully it's the only Seiko 7A38 he's currently listing. Perhaps he'd be
safer sticking to what he knows best.