Can we reply to Ebay message in email?

[fairgo]

Hi All!

I know that if we use gmail the web beacons are OFF so ebay cant track us...but sometimes it allows me to simply "hit" the reply button in my email and the "reply to" automatically becomes the email address of the initial sender (sender = potential ebay customer with question).

in this case...is it safe to reply this way? or do i need to copy the email address and send a new email message separately.

the point of this question is just to save time replying to emails from potential customers directly from email....rather then "switching user account....changing ip...recording changed ip...logging in ebay....replying to message"...sounds bit lazy in my part but if u have 30 accounts plus it starts to get very time consuming and u are more prone for mistakes leading to linking.

Also, does it matter if we use gmail website (web based version) or Thunderbird? (i use thunderbird which makes it really easy to have all my gmails accessible from one place)...i mean does thunderbird also block web beacon? or i must use web based version only?

pls advice...

and thanks in advance!!

Fairgo...

[lakeman]

Yes you can use the reply button to send to the customers email address.

Thunderbird should be safe, as long as images are blocked and not loading.

Ok for general purposes. But if you ever get fingered for review of potential account linking (you wouldn't even know), they can still use clear.gif and other web bugs in email.

Say I'm ebay trying to link you. I send an email to you with a specific bug in it. Even if you don't open the mail but send it on... The minute it pops up on my radar, I know who got it.

So, JoeUser@ebay sends you a question - ebay inject clear.getbilluser.gif - you read it in gmail without setting off the image and send the reply back to JoeUser. JoeUser opens it and triggers the bug. Ebay put the bug in AFTER it left Joe the first time. So if he gets it back, they know you opened it somewhere and then passed it forward.

That is a very crude example just to illustrate the principle. It's actually much more insidious.

[fairgo]

Thanks Lakeman.


And Vicvelcro what is the best way around this?/solution?.....what if i just hit reply and then it shows me the "joe@some-non ebay . com" i can copy this...and send a mail separately rather then replying...yes?


or pls tell me what do u normally do?


Thanks!

I do exactly what you just said - most of the time. Except I don't hit reply. I hit the option to Show Details right up there at the top of the email. I copy the address to Notepad, just because I'm paranoid. Then I select it in notepad and copy to clipboard (again - which insures there's nothing in there that I can't see) then I compose a brand new message and paste the address I stole from Notepad.

Then I do whatever would be appropriate for that communication.

Sometimes - if I'm real suspicious of certain questions - I fire up the linux box and then log into ebay and answer direct from within their messaging system.

[GreenBean]

Here are THREE threads that will help you to understand these delicate matters.
Try to use the 'SEARCH' facility better next time.

http://www.aspkin.com/forums/ebay-di...-messages.html
http://www.aspkin.com/forums/ebay-di...-possible.html
http://www.aspkin.com/forums/ebay-di...-messages.html

[oompaloompa]

ok, Ive read those threads - they are what we mainly discussed about ip linking - and thru gmail you are supposed to be ok with that, even if it does get intercepted in the clouds by ebay.

This other issue Mr Mature (Victor) mentions is bit different not heard of that, you saying its just ebay spy object, on mail sent actually by ebay to test you - can they see IP on gmail? surely not..or is it a cookie, so do you need to clear cookies after each gmail account login (must saym havent been doing that).

I actually dont asnwer questions unless they are really bland ones, but I hadnt figured on ebay emailing,,any evidence of this or is it a theory.

Do you remember a couple months ago when gmail was erroneously displaying images? That is one unforeseeable circumstance that can arise. If you get careless, you can get popped. If you are always paranoid and never trusting the applications to be bug free, accidents are harmless.

Right about the time the images were displaying, IP was clearly visible too. If you send replies using a mail client (POP), the IP is in the mail header. Reading is safe IF you config the client to NOT display images. But, then there's flash in email.

I use separate user accounts. I don't delete cookies every time. Just once every 2 weeks. FLASH is disabled for this browser. I don't use a client. And when I answer an ebay question, I DO NOT HIT REPLY. I copy their address to clipboard, paste to notepad. Then reselect in notepad and paste to a NEW MESSAGE. I do not quote from the original message.

I don't have to worry about embedded codes hidden in the email link because it would show in notepad. You ever click a link that said one thing on your screen but took you someplace else or had extra info like http://www.site.com/JuilIHFAS&%20=&?uid847? That's what I avoid.

I've tried to decipher the raw codes in the mail routed from ebay messaging. Sometimes it's more difficult than other times. That tells me that not every message is structured the same way. Makes me wonder why. Since you can't really tell which bits and pieces would or would not be a web-bug, all you can do is be careful. Assume they are using every technical method available to them.

[oompaloompa]

thanks

what I was trying to say was do you think these are hidden in all ebay questions or just ones planted by ebay when sending their own sneaky questions?

Is it not simplier to just copy/paste to new message, or does that not break the link

I don't think it is in every question. I think it does happen though. Only when they are on safari.

Copy Paste to a new message directly isn't entirely revealing to YOU if there is a funky code. Thus, it wouldn't break a sneaky link. Since you might be pasting hidden HTML into a location that will still keep it hidden, you get the best clarity by pasting to notepad first. That way you SEE if it is clean or filthy.

Compare these two links and see what I mean: (don't click them - just look at your status bar as you mouse-over or right-click copy paste link to notepad)
vic@nowhere.com
vic@nowhere.com

See what they say up here, and see the difference of what they WOULD do?

[aking]

Ok just usually when I reply to messages from my phone. I hit reply and is displays the persons email address so its safe to reply. Now, Ive noticed its been saying blahblahblah@members.ebay.com.

Is it safe to respond to these? I have not b/c I was unsure, but I no longer get personal email addresses through my phone.

[rsot]

You should log into eBay to respond to emails if you don't have the person's e-mail. They will have your IP and some machine info doing the standard reply.

[ukflashman]

how to clean web beacon??
I accidentally opened emails from suspended account on new computer....