 Re: Why was I able to sell for 3 months without changing my IP?
I get so tired of reading posts where people claim the IP address does not matter. It matters - trust me! In this particular case, my guess is that eBay did not immediately check the IP - the account wasn't doing very much and they had bigger fish to fry. Then, you passed the $500 mark and suddenly it popped up on their radar screen. And now, this is the result.
The fact is, IP's DO MATTER! eBay does not ban accounts based on the IP address alone. But that, combined with other things can easily kill an account. Stealth is all about staying under the radar and making your account look as normal as possible. So, your IP was probably flagged and then someone started reviewing the account. They probably found other things. Then it got limited. That is how the system works.
The people who are most successful with stealth are the people who don't cut corners. Corner cutting is ill advised. In the effort to save yourself some time or money, you end up putting your accounts at risk. The IP is just one way of doing this.
Others include using the address of your local Walmart, using Google Voice for the phone number, using a mass-IP service like Hide My Ass, not bothering to add a bank account or at least a VBA to your PayPal, thinking you will just be spending the money or sending it to another PayPal, so why bother? All of these things may not IMMEDIATELY hurt you, but they can come back to haunt you. And cutting SEVERAL corners is even worse. It is a recipe for disaster.
If you want to be successful:
1) Always use an IP that is dedicated, a fresh one if possible.
2) Always put each account on a different Windows User account.
3) Maintain a working phone number.
4) Use a REAL, residential address. Don't just guess at a house number.
5) Add a bank account or a VBA to your PayPal account, it gives them confidence that the account is real.
6) NEVER re-use a credit card or bank account on eBay OR PayPal. They still share information and they have a LONG memory. Just because you delete it from your account does not mean it is really gone - they keep that information on file FOREVER!
7) Forget about the free services and the $5 wonders. They are overused and a disaster waiting to happen. You get what you pay for.
8) Be patient. Calling eBay for a limit increase gives them an open invitation to scrutinize your account. This is EXACTLY what we try to avoid.
9) Always be professional! If you lose it and get rude with a customer - even if the customer deserves it - you could end up with a complaint, which could trigger an investigation into your account.
10) If you are unsure of whether or not something will link your accounts, then DON'T TAKE THE CHANCE!
Stealth is not rocket science, but you DO have to follow the rules.
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