I just went through this a few nights ago with eBay. I have a 36 day old stealth and I'm just listing household items after buying a half dozen small buy's over the first month to get some positive feedback listed.
I listed a new bed related item (stealth just in case ebay reads these posts) and made the mistake of checking the box while listing that allowed me to ship the item from another location.
I did this because I figured I needed my shipping cost to be accurate once the item sold and I print out the USPS shipping based on distance from buyer as well as weight and package size. My stealth account exists 2 states away from my real address.
As soon as I clicked on "list it now" BOOM.....MC999 your listed items have been removed and you need to contact us within 48 hours to verify your identity. If you do not contact us your account may me suspended.
So here was my experience with ebay:
They only offered 2 ways to contact them, I call them or they call me so it was best for me to have them call me.
They called almost instantly after I picked option 2. They asked what they could help me with so I had to initiate the problem. I kept it simple and played dumb.
"I'm new to eBay and I must have made some kind of mistake when I tried to list several things to auction. I got a message saying to call customer service right away to verify my identity." Can you help me with this because the last thing I want is to start off on the wrong foot?"
Nice lady on the eBay end asks who she is speaking with and then asks for my user id and after a pause asks what was the last item I listed. I tell her about the bed accessory and she asked how I got this item.
I told her it was a duplicate gift, is new and has never been removed from the manufactures package. I added that because it was a gift I did not get a receipt so I had no store to return it to for a refund.
She asked if she could place me on hold, I said sure no problem. At this point in time with my new account at risk I want to be sure I am coming off as the nicest eBay member she ever worked with !!
After minutes on hold she comes on and asks "where are you calling from?"
I told her my home address in Texas (stealth info). "So what phone number is this you are calling from?". I told her it is my home phone (stealth number).
She asks if she can place me on hold again. I held for a few more minutes and she comes on and says "I am going to transfer you to our Trust & Safety Dept. so don't hang up".
Trust and Safety comes on the line and this lady sounded like she was not a happy camper and she had a bit of a Indian accent but was easy to understand.
This lady says "your user id please." Answered. "Where are you calling from?" Answered. "I need your complete home address". Answered (all this is stealth info and even the address does not exist). " What is your PayPal email address?" Answered (again, stealth PayPal info).
"What did you list that caused the message you received?" I answered.
"What kind of items are you going to sell on this account?" I said household, antique collectables and garage sale type stuff that I have accumulated over the years.
She placed me on hold for over 7 minutes. I'm looking at my cell phone screen showing this call was at almost 30 minutes duration !!!
At this point I figured this account is dead. They're going to want a fax of my Drivers License and my most recent Utility Bill, neither of which exist.
She came back on and said "OK I have been allowed to reactivate your account so you have full access again. The first 2 items you listed will be showing in your unsold tab and you can relist those items. Since the last item you listed brought a hold on your account before it went live, you may be able to find it as a saved draft. If it's not there then you will have to recreate that auction. Please give us up to 1 hour for all this to take effect."
Then came the typical "is there anything else I can help you with this evening?"
There was but I didn't mention it. I need my pants changed.
At no time did eBay bring up the "shipping from another location" thing.
I had a story to cover that if asked: "I'm out of state for the next few weeks helping my dad recover from surgery and I brought along some items to list and sell on eBay to keep me occupied during my stay. I thought it best to change my ship-from location to be from where I am temporarily."
Many important facts (for me anyway) were learned from this.
Non-existing address was not a problem.
Forwarding a Google Voice number to a non-contract cell phone was not a problem.
Keeping ALL your stealth information in print in front of you while on the phone is essential so you don't hesitate or have a dumb moment while answering all their questions. This means Email account, PayPal account and eBay account stealth info.
DO NOT post an alternate ship-from location on your listings. It attracts attention to a new member apparently. ( We are stealth anyway so why bother telling the truth about where we ship from?)
ALWAYS maintain a stealth cell phone with at least an hours use time available so your phone does not expire while in the middle of talking to Trust and Safety. Remove as much risk as possible of having a dropped call.