Online marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, and Etsy will be required to verify "high-volume" third-party sellers and must ensure those sellers disclose their identity and contact information to buyers.

Congress passed the INFORM Consumers Act as part of the year-end omnibus spending bill on Friday. Senator Durbin hailed the legislation days before its passage - the following excerpt of his press release offers a general explanation:

"The INFORM Consumers Act directs online marketplaces to verify high-volume third-party sellers by authenticating the seller's government ID, tax ID, bank account information, and contact information. High-volume third-party sellers are defined as vendors who have ... Read More

People are reporting problems with eBay's "combined shipping" feature, and we're curious about how widespread the issue may be, although we're not sure if sellers are always aware when buyers encounter the problem.

The latest report came from a reader this week who said:

"For many years on eBay, I would look over a seller's site to see if there were other items that I wanted from them after winning an auction. Then, I would place the things in my Cart. The same goes for "By It Now" items. Once I have seen everything the seller has, I request a total. 

"In the past, there ... Read More

eBay released a new TV commercial today that plays on shoppers' fears of getting fake goods - or as eBay puts it, "getting f*ked over" - by promoting its Authenticity Guarantee. The commercial is part of the marketplace's ongoing "Everyone deserves real" campaign that it's been running with help from "influencers" on sites like TikTok.

eBay posted the ad in a video on YouTube on Tuesday evening - in one frame, the words "Never get f*ked over again" appear next to young person lying on a couch holding a mobile device that shows an ad for a "100% real ... Read More

eBay sent a thank you card to some sellers along with a surprise gift. Recipients were buzzing about it on the eBay seller discussion boards after receiving it on Sunday afternoon.

Inside the package was a seed starter kit for growing plants - some sellers received tomato seeds, others, herbs. 

The outside of the card featured the message, "Look at you grow!" and inside, it contained the following message:

eBay sellers are trying to determine if they need to provide eBay with their cell phone numbers after the marketplace began issuing warnings to sellers this fall to update their contact information and verify their accounts.

Some sellers are at their wits' end after updating their account information numerous times only to keep getting the warnings, such as an EcommerceBytes reader who detailed her conundrum in this Letter to the Editor. 

Others are perplexed after eBay customer service reps told them they must enter a cell phone number in order to get the warnings to stop displaying. Read More