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Why was I able to sell for 3 months without changing my IP?
 

Then all of a sudden I sell more than $500 and they say I've gone over my limit and need to call in. I call in and while I'm on hold my account essentially becomes locked! Does eBay really track IPs? How closely? Of buyers AND sellers?

Re: Why was I able to sell for 3 months without changing my IP?
 

IP one of the most fundamental elements tracked by Ebay and paypal.
If the IP address you used was linked to a previously used and banned account then this account stood no chance whatsoever.
Any new account you attempt to open now MUST have a new IP address and follow all other stealth principles if you hope to have any sort of success using it.

Re: Why was I able to sell for 3 months without changing my IP?
 

Huh?
This does not make much sense. You had a $500.00 limit and they made you call in because you gone over it? If so, how did you go over it?
Ebay/paypal etc.. captures your IP on every click, refresh and page change.

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.

Re: Why was I able to sell for 3 months without changing my IP?
 

Jeff is right, IPs do matter.

That said, I've run accounts for several years using the same IP after one was banned (this was before finding this forum). eBay doesn't always ban you right away, even after you've been linked. Don't ask me why. But you should NEVER depend on them to "look the other way". That's like having the police demand you to drop your weapon and hoping they DON'T shoot you after you ignore the command. Very stupid.

The most important thing about IP's is TIME and ISOLATION.

What I mean by TIME is that after an IP has been associated with a banned eBay account, the LESS time between that account logging in and a new account being assocaiated with it, the MORE LIKELY you are to be banned.

However, as IPs are CONSTANTLY recycled by ISP's, eBay does NOT ban you on IP address alone. But if you get banned today, then start a new stealth account next week with everything new but IP, there's a good chance eBay will look into your account more closely. Add in ONE more similarity, and they are 99% sure it's you.

Now, use that same IP a year from now, they aren't even going to look twice.

Secondly, ISOLATION. What I mean by this is make sure there is no one else using this IP for their own eBay accounts. This includes friends and family using your internet, using coffeshop or Library internet, or even using SHARED VPN's. You always need a DEDICATED IP from any VPN provider. "Fresh" is just a marketing term to get you to pay more $$$. I've used DEDICATED VPN's from MANY different providers and never been linked using them.

Re: Why was I able to sell for 3 months without changing my IP?
 

I have seen more and more posts about IP Linking is not important... YES IT IS!

I have been keeping track of IP's for 5 years. I still have the same list, for Sprint, ATT, Verizon, etc.... Everyone will repeat... More often then you would think unless you have the data in front of you.

Re: Why was I able to sell for 3 months without changing my IP?
 

Propensity exists for many to assume because they are using old banned info without issues they can do so forever.

Sadly it is known that ebay/paypal can discover the linking and kill an account.

Moral is do not use old banned info.
D

:rip:

Re: Why was I able to sell for 3 months without changing my IP?
 

Are you suggesting that an IP used once is dead forever?

Because that's definitely false.....