Muitiple Addresses - Experts Needed

[Chrisjsp2013]

I think i got the "stealth thing" down after reading the forums and listening to the advice of the pro's. I only have one thing concerning me, using muiltple addresses....

My plan is to set up between 10 - 20 eBay/PayPal acounts over the next 6 months. However, getting addresses for eBay returns is the part im stuck at.

How do you pro's do it with all the accounts you have? I am under the impression that mail forwarding services and PO boxes would not work because in order to accept mail under someone elses name they would have to go in and show idenification and sign up. Do you guys make all your stealth accounts under your own name?

I have tried to ulter my address but it got banned and linked to my old account so that is not a option for me. All my friends and family have eBay accounts so i would not to risk using there addresses and getting them banned somehow.

Is my only option using random addresses and if a customer needs to return a item hope and pray that they will comply with my request to send it to my home address?

Thanks in advance

[rsot]

Po boxes do work nicely for receiving mail in mismatched names...small mom and pop stores cater well to stealth

You can also do some address variation.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by Chrisjsp2013

Is my only option using random addresses and if a customer needs to return a item hope and pray that they will comply with my request to send it to my home address?

Thanks in advance

for the future try to avoid operating in a way where you are at the mercy of a buyer carrying out your requests. Control your own business.

Serious business sellers would find a way to have access to an address.

I appreciate you are at the planing stage so your question is timely.

You could create your stealth ebay accounts in such a way that the name could be used with a Post Box. Mom & Pop shops are great for stealth purposes.

Amending used addresses is a risk as you have found out. Do the ground work now.
Lay the foundation for a stealth selling future.

[infinitelyannoyed]

What are mom & pop stores??

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by infinitelyannoyed

What are mom & pop stores??

USA based places that have postal rental boxes in a neighbourhood.

In a way some convenience stores in the UK can be a little bit like them.

[vogeltron]

For US accounts the MC999 request has changed it the most. When you register stealth I prefer to take address at apartment complex or something now with a unit number that don't exist. In the past you use to be able to do it with any street address then just pick the one addy past what don't exist, etc. With stealth today and the MC999 request and having to call in and having google earth etc. Kinda has me sketched on those.

But return address is simple. Black out the stealth address when you print out labels and tape over a P.O. Box, UPS Store, Mail Box place whatever with a Biz Name. If anyone ever gives you grief about it. If the account is new say I am in the middle of a move my cousin had to ship for me. I ran out and had to have a friend drop ship. Just make something up. Really isn't that hard. I will say the more accounts you have going the more likely you are going to want to have more than 1 PO Box or Mail Box addy.

For me the biggest concern now is getting past the MC999 phase on new stealth accounts.

[rsot]

vogeltron likes his Supreme Flounder from Giant Panda in apartment 1-Q (stealth)

Seinfeld reference: The Pothole - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - loved that series.

[vogeltron]

Come on now as much as I like Seinfeld it is still the best show on TV even as reruns. You can't make a Stealth Account in the using 700 IDIOT STREET. You actually have to do some research etc. I use to completely ⊗⊗⊗⊗ addys all the time for stealth. But like I said Google earth etc. Has a tendency to narrow things down. Having an apartment number that doesn't match up in my opinion is much better than having a street number that don't match. On top of Google maps you have Zilliow etc. I think it is now a losing proposition.

I will admit if you can avoid MC999 in the US then who cares. But it you have to deal with it, then it becomes a problem. I am a Objectivist. Everything is relative to the situation.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by vogeltron

You actually have to do some research etc. I use to completely ⊗⊗⊗⊗ addys all the time for stealth. But like I said Google earth etc. Has a tendency to narrow things down. Having an apartment number that doesn't match up in my opinion is much better than having a street number that don't match..

I will admit if you can avoid MC999 in the US then who cares. But it you have to deal with it, then it becomes a problem. I am a Objectivist. Everything is relative to the situation.

Putting a phake apartment is risky.

Users are having their new accounts killed off after trying that.

[john456]

Originally Posted by GreenBean™

Putting a phake apartment is risky.

Users are having their new accounts killed off after trying that.

Agree 100% with gb.

I recently created an account with bogus appt number, it got banned as soon as i had to call for a mc999.

Can't ⊗⊗⊗⊗ appt number.

J.

[rsot]

Straight up - I like postal boxes for use and alteration.

I have used aptmt suites sparsely with a letter B or C e.g. 11B and did not have problems...but I can see the issue with Google and public databases

[amysol]

Show iD? No, I have a po box with my name, and I listed the other names of "people in my family" who may get mail there. THen, when it arrives, the names match and it goes right in my box.

For printed postage labels, if the account isn't a real address I place a label over the return address with a correct address that can be used for returns or lost mail.

[amysol]

vogeltron, why is getting past mc999 a concern for you? Have you had some issues with this? As I post often, and it gets promptly removed, MC999 doesn't seem to be that hard to over come and it's easy to get reinstated. I actually get a little worried if I DON'T get MC999 within the first week of selling. I'd like them to ask me some questions while I am still a NEWBIE on ebay and my sales show that I am just a low key under the radar newbie selling from my garage. What have been YOUR experiences?

[jeffweico]

This is why I don't like to use eBay to print labels. If you use something like Endicia, you can use any return address you like. When a customer contacts me asking to return an item, I just reply to send it to the return address on the shipping label. If they reply that they threw it out, I go into customer service mode and tell them I will send a prepaid label with a box for the return. This usually makes them happy since they don't have to pay to return the item.

This may not work, however, if you have a lot of returns. Luckily, I have very few. And I even try to avoid those. If a buyer says a book I sold them in "like new" condition is really only in "very good" condition, I usually ask them if they want to keep the item and receive a PARTIAL refund. This eliminates the return shipping expense and I almost always still make a nice profit on the item. Many buyers will go for this.

[joesshooze]

What I have done is inform the buyer that I moved and then given them my address with the name misspelled. Another thing I did was use a PO box and use the name on the EB account C/O your name and again I might make a typo on the name. Both worked without regret. I don't want to jinx myself but I think I got the stealth thing and pray I don't loose an account because of my error.

[Sandy D]

Originally Posted by amysol

Show iD? No, I have a po box with my name, and I listed the other names of "people in my family" who may get mail there. THen, when it arrives, the names match and it goes right in my box.

For printed postage labels, if the account isn't a real address I place a label over the return address with a correct address that can be used for returns or lost mail.

In the USA you must show ID to get a PO Box and anyone who received mail there must have a photo ID on the records or the mail is not suppose to be delivered to that box at all.

This was put in place since the Patriot Act. If your post master is not doing this they are allowing illegal mail to hit your box.

[john456]

Originally Posted by infinitelyannoyed

What are mom & pop stores??

Typically means small time local store owned by someone who lives local in that area.

Ex: UK convenience store on a street corner owned by the local Pakistani family (mom & pop) vs large chain (ex: tesco)

[rsot]

Originally Posted by Sandy D

In the USA you must show ID to get a PO Box and anyone who received mail there must have a photo ID on the records or the mail is not suppose to be delivered to that box at all.

This was put in place since the Patriot Act. If your post master is not doing this they are allowing illegal mail to hit your box.

Canada can be more forgiving on this aspect with the po boxes in effect...just as a comparison

[joesshooze]

I don't know what the law requires. I went to the post master told him my issue and that is what he advised me to do. Also I live in between two USPS offices and was told the same by both post masters. One of them fully understood as he had previously had a mail order business until the patriot act. because of another issue and wished me lots luck. Good enough for me.

[dmarko60]

Originally Posted by jeffweico

This is why I don't like to use eBay to print labels. If you use something like Endicia, you can use any return address you like. When a customer contacts me asking to return an item, I just reply to send it to the return address on the shipping label. If they reply that they threw it out, I go into customer service mode and tell them I will send a prepaid label with a box for the return. This usually makes them happy since they don't have to pay to return the item.

Well said. I use stamps an you can create multiple shipping labels from the same return address. Also customers LOVE when you send them pre-paid return labels with a box. Its worth a few bucks an most of the time the customer remains happy. Depending on the item cost, low cost items you can usually work with a buyer an offer partial refunds.

[An0nym0u$]

I also use Stamps.com because I found it VERY convenient to operate multiple stealth accounts with a single stamps account. There are many posts on that topic alone.

All of my stealth account's return address is adjusted to be my PO Box that I have access to.

And to further expand on jeffweico and dmarko60's prepaid label option...I go a similar route and offer to pay the costs of return shipping out of pocket (up to a reasonable amount).

I find that covering shipping costs for a disgruntled buyer will often solve the situation in an amicable way for both parties.

[captainbarkey]

Endicia is good. You can also try Shipworks