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«We’ve been selling for over 20 years on eBay and have multiple eBay accounts. We tried to do everything by the book. One of our smaller accounts recently received a restriction notice, so we provided the necessary documents.
However, we were shocked to find out that our account was permanently suspended. Two of our other accounts were restricted from selling. eBay’s trust and safety department did not provide any information on why we were suspended.
They only assured us it was not due to performance issues». ー one of the E-commerce bytes users shared.
Searching for info on how to open multiple eBay accounts, you probably already checked their official guidelines. Yes, they allow you to sell from several accounts. However, there are hidden risks to know and avoid with special tools.
Despite the fact that bans related to multiple accounts aren’t so common, we don’t think you should always be nervous about being suspended at some point.
We are here to share safe ways to create and run multiple eBay seller accounts.
Benefits of managing multiple eBay accounts
- Start selling faster. The first-time sellers are limited to how many listings they can post and of what value. During your first month, you are limited to 10 listings and $500 worth of products. However, you can create additional non linked accounts. Read on to learn how.
- Scale your business. At some point, you will face limitations in managing your online sales within one account. For example, you want to add unrelated product lines under other brands. It’s not easier to track sales compared to running just one account, but scaling is faster that way.
- Backup accounts. You need them to keep your business running in case your main account is down or suspended. We will discuss safe ways to create them.
- Safely managing your business on multiple devices. There might be problems if you frequently log into your account from different locations and devices.
- A/B test different multi channel marketing tactics.
eBay rules for having multiple accounts
Disclaimer: eBay’s selling policies and security features aren’t related to the law and sometimes their algorithms make mistakes.
Here’s the answer to the question – how many eBay accounts can I have? eBay help center directly allows to open multiple eBay accounts.
Restrictions and suspensions because of multiple account usage are rare, but there are significant limitations to consider:
1. You aren’t allowed to create multiple eBay accounts to extend your selling limits. Your limits expand with your successful performance on the platform.
To have additional eBay accounts, you need a positive reputation (seller rating) on your first account. It means if you are new to eBay you cannot create more accounts until you warm up your initial account. It takes around 3 months.
2. Linked (or connected/associated) accounts are multiple eBay store accounts that have connections between each other. These connections involve matching names, addresses, bank cards or PayPal accounts, IPs, device models, and digital identifiers like cookies. eBay links such accounts – you need to keep your accounts separate from each other.
Once Ebay restricts or suspends one of your accounts, other accounts are at risk of closure too. We recommend getting rid of ties between accounts as much as possible because:
- It is really challenging to manage multiple accounts. You might miss something.
- The system can make mistakes when it comes to restrictions.
- The health of one of your accounts influences others’ health. If eBay suspends your main account, you cannot create another one until you unban the initial one.
If any of your accounts has a low Seller rating, eBay will restrict your other accounts as well. So you have to keep track of rating and policy compliance on all your accounts. Having accounts not linked to each other can considerably mitigate the headache.
How to use multiple eBay accounts safely
As we already mentioned, to keep your accounts safe you need as few associations between accounts as possible.
Using new digital fingerprints
Digital fingerprints are IP, device model, operating system, and other data your browser communicates to the websites you visit.
We start with the step because it is safer to create and log in to your additional accounts with a new digital identity. Especially if you were previously suspended or you are new to eBay.
Proxy and VPN
A proxy server acts as a middleman between your device and the web. A proxy server acts as a middleman between your device and the web. When you use a proxy server or VPN, all your device’s internet requests are routed through the private server – a proxy.
VPN service also encrypts your traffic, which is rarely met around proxies. Another difference is that a proxy protects your traffic for only 1 application, while VPN covers your whole device.
It also means proxies are generally faster than VPNs: you can read a more in-depth comparison here.
For each of your eBay seller accounts, you need 1 proxy or separate IP in a VPN. To avoid confusion, you can set up separate user profiles in the browser. Make sure you clear your browser’s cookies and cache regularly.
Important: We don’t recommend a free proxy or VPN. They aren’t likely to make your multi-accounting safer but, on the contrary, they can increase the risk of restrictions. Free VPNs could compromise your data security more than no protection at all.
Using a high-quality proxy or VPN protects your IP and location. However, such a method only makes it more difficult to detect you and doesn’t fully protect you. Platforms such as eBay have more advanced tracking systems. They employ comprehensive browser identification techniques to determine identity.
To ensure the highest level of security, it’s best to utilize a multi-accounting browser.
Multi-accounting browser
A multi-accounting browser enables users to have secure multiple digital identities that aren’t linked to each other. For each eBay account you can have different IP addresses, device models, operating systems and other browser fingerprint parameters.
Secure web browsers function similarly to common browsers like Chrome or Firefox. The thing about the former is that they offer browser profiles for all multiple eBay stores. Thanks to advanced browser fingerprint technology, each profile is unique and has no connections to the others.
For each profile, users can configure a personalized set of Google Chrome extensions, bookmarks, and other features. All of these will be saved for future use.
Websites such as eBay will see each of these profiles as different users, each from a distinct location and device.
Disclaimer: Multi-account browsing tools are legal for ethical purposes, according to US/EU laws. Instead, they protect business data, and save resources and money.
You can check the list of the most popular multi-accounting browsers and their use cases here and here.
Note: To use a multi-accounting browser, you need a proxy. GoLogin offers reliable proxies for free inside the app (they can be used everywhere), but you can connect your own too.
How multi-accounting browser works in practice
1. Sign in to GoLogin and download the app.
2. Create a distinct browser profile for each eBay seller account. GoLogin has a free forever plan with 3 profiles and a 7-day free trial for any paid plan.
3. Each eBay browser profile has its own unique fingerprints. You can customize a profile’s settings, such as location and device parameters, in the Details section.
Important: If you don’t have a technical background, avoid altering browser profile identifiers manually. Establishing a normal online presence is not easy ― one incorrect identifier could draw suspicion from website algorithms. If you do make changes, make sure all profile information is unique and related.
4. Click «Run» to open a browser profile.
5. Sign in to one of your existing eBay seller accounts or create a new one.
Run multiple GoLogin browser profiles to log into multiple eBay accounts. Each profile opens in a new browser window, but eBay will treat these as separate normal users. That’s it!
Download the GoLogin browser now and scale your dropshipping or e-com business on eBay!
Creating multiple eBay accounts
First option: Purchase or rent already existing eBay accounts.
Important: at GoLogin, we do not encourage using, as well as buying and selling stolen accounts in any way. Always review the stores you’re buying from on how ethical the listings look (accounts, emails, numbers, etc). You might notice there are many suspicious offers. Also, keep away from buying the cheapest alternative.
Second option: Register new accounts by yourself.
- Use another name and physical address. You can use your friends’ and relatives’ data. You can also pay someone to open an eBay account with their identity. It is legal until the provider sells stolen accounts. So use only trusted sellers.
- Have different emails and phone numbers for each account.
We don’t recommend using fresh or disposable email addresses. Each platform verifies the email address you register with. Checking if it is a one-off address is one of the verification steps. You need to either warm up new accounts yourself or buy them from trustworthy providers.
Avoid using virtual phone numbers that can be obtained online for free. They are no longer secure due to their frequent usage for verifications. Better again ー purchase them from trusted suppliers or use multiple SIM cards. - Use another payment option. Create a new card or PayPal account.
- Post duplicate listings. For scaling your business you might want to repost successful listings across multiple eBay accounts. And it is OK to do this but remember to change pictures, description, title, category, etc.
- For extra safety you can also have different account settings. For instance, in one account you use paid shipping and charge buyers, and in the other ー free shipping.
Summary
- eBay allows to open multiple accounts. Yet, it is better to create accounts that aren’t linked to each other and employ accounts management tools to maintain good performance across all accounts.
- Create distinct personal and digital identities for each new account to eliminate risks of suspensions and business downtime.
- Multi-accounting browser is the safest way to create new digital identities and run multiple accounts.
Frequently asked questions
Can you have multiple eBay accounts?
Yes, you can have multiple eBay accounts. You won’t have problems with the platform until one of your accounts gets restricted. That’s why we recommend using distinct data to register these accounts as well as using safe multi-accounting browsers.
How many eBay seller accounts can I have?
You can have any number of eBay seller accounts that aren’t linked to each other. It means you need to register each account with a different name, email address, phone number, physical address, and digital identity (e.g. IP, device model).
Is running multiple eBay accounts legal?
Running multiple eBay accounts is legal. First, eBay explicitly states that they understand the potential need for multiple seller accounts. Second, if you get around eBay rules for ethical reasons, it is also legal. eBay rules don’t equal the law.
Download GoLogin to diversify your accounts and avoid business downtime at Amazon!
Source references:
- Ayres I., Banaji M., Jolls C. Race effects on eBay //The RAND Journal of Economics. – 2015. – Т. 46. – №. 4. – С. 891-917.
- Greenstein-Messica A., Rokach L. Personal price aware multi-seller recommender system: Evidence from eBay //Knowledge-Based Systems. – 2018. – Т. 150. – С. 14-26.
- Minkus T., Ross K. W. I know what you’re buying: Privacy breaches on ebay //Privacy Enhancing Technologies: 14th International Symposium, PETS 2014, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, July 16-18, 2014. Proceedings 14. – Springer International Publishing, 2014. – С. 164-183.
- Karp D. A. eBay hacks. – ” O’Reilly Media, Inc.”, 2003.
- Haque S. M. T., Wright M., Scielzo S. A study of user password strategy for multiple accounts //Proceedings of the third ACM conference on Data and application security and privacy. – 2013. – С. 173-176.
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