Forum

Ebay Stealth Accounts using HTML
 

I am wondering if I use my own custom HTML with images linked to my site for hosting the images can I be linked from this. I have used the same site to host my images for many many years using a few different ebay accts with no issue. I have had an acct or 2 go down over the years (not for this), and my others are fine. I am just wondering if I have just been lucky? Just checking if anybody else knows anything about this. My experience says Im safe but the more experience the better.
Example: I create a template that has images redirected to mydotcom I use this template for stealth acct #1.
Then on stealth acct #2, I have a new template but the images still redirect to mydotcom
Thanks for any input on this.
HBZ

So you are using your own website to host images, I would recommend using Photobucket, Tinypic but I don't know if ebay would link your accounts unless your using the exact same image, and location for all your stealth accounts.

I use HTML code but the majority of my images are on Tinypic, and Photobucket....this includes all the images on the html code.

Yes, I use my own to host still. I know its against ebay policy now but it is very convenient and they dont seem to have an issue with it. I like to be able to change my header pics or footers for the seasons, and whatever else I need to on the fly. It makes it easy to change several hundred auctions with having to do anything more then change the uploaded image.

I would think your safest bet would be to create a separate and unique Photobucket account for each eBay account that you have. As an added layer of protection use one of the many free URL redirect services out there on the web so that the URLs that you put in your eBay HTML are different from the actual image URL's in Photobucket, but still point to the correct images. This is what I do for any image that will be used in more than one listing.

Note that URL redirects are against eBay policy and the eBay site can and will detect and block SOME (but not all) URL redirects (most notably URL shorteners with a 2 character suffix like goo.gl or bit.ly). Redirects that end in .com/newURL for example work fine.

Here is my question (I am not sure about this):
Does the eBay system 'spider' or crawl listing content looking at URL links that are included in listings? If so does if follow URL redirects to the destination that the redirect points to?

Too easy to link I would not do that no way

stealthguest is 100% on spot. You want a separate account on photobucket or whatever the hosting sites you prefer to use for each ebay/paypal account you have. I also suggest using different backgrounds for pictures and different descriptions on each eBay/PayPal so nothing seems like the same person'(s) are running the accounts.