There's a reason why people create stealth eBay accounts - to avoid having their personal information linked to their transactions.
This can be because they’re privacy-conscious and would like to stay anonymous, or because they’ve been banned from eBay.
In the case of a ban, it isn’t enough to make a new account, because eBay will just ban that one too. eBay is very good at tracking the digital fingerprints of its users and linking accounts together.
Remember you can have two eBay accounts anyway, even if you don’t link them. eBay is built to do it automatically.
To beat this you’ll need a stealth account.
In this article, we'll discuss what a stealth account is, why it's important, and how to go about setting one up yourself.
We'll also provide tips for hiding your identity with a new email address and PayPal account, as well as using VPNs and proxies to hide your IP address.
Let's get started on our eBay stealth guide!
What Is A Stealth Account
A stealth eBay account is an account that is set up specifically to avoid detection by eBay. As said, this can be helpful if you are concerned about anonymity, or if eBay has banned you.
Essentially the account is anonymous and can’t be immediately traced back to your offline, or public online, identity.
All the same, if it were to be thoroughly investigated by a legal authority, they could still link it to you.
At this point, though, it’d be because you’re under serious investigation, and then you’d certainly have bigger problems than an eBay ban.
Why Are Stealth Accounts Necessary
Most people create stealth eBay accounts for one primary reason: to evade a ban. By using a different account, you can start fresh and avoid any repercussions from your previous account.
Now we don’t condone ban evasion, and so this article is being created for the education of people invested in maintaining strong online privacy.
It's also important to note that creating a stealth eBay account is not an entirely anonymous act. While you can take precautions to hide your identity, you’ll need a bank account.
So when creating it for an eBay stealth account, you’ll need to provide real information to the bank, it’s just that eBay won’t be privy to it.
How Does eBay Detect People?
In short, through an online fingerprint, also known as a digital fingerprint. This is a unique set of identifying characteristics that are associated with an individual's online presence.
Every time an individual uses the internet, their devices leave behind a trail of data that can be used to track their activities. This data includes things like IP addresses, cookies, and browser history.
The service uses this data to link multiple eBay accounts back to individual users. Even if you don't realize it, eBay is tracking your activities on the site and linking them back to all your accounts.
How To Create Your eBay Stealth Account
So now you know how eBay keeps tabs on you digitally, but it also looks at the information you’ve supplied, such as your address, name, and email address.
In this section, you will learn how to avoid this detection by getting “new” personal information, scrubbing trackers, and changing your IP address.
Personal Information
To start an eBay stealth account in 2022, you'll need to create a new name. This name should not be linked to your personal information in any way. You can do this by registering with a DBA (doing business as) name.
You'll also need a new postal address—either that of a friend or family member or another residence that you have. It must be a real address you have access to, in order to process any returns or receive things you’ve ordered.
You'll need a new email address and bank account for your eBay stealth account as well. Provide real information when creating your bank account, it’d be dangerous to do otherwise. eBay and PayPal won’t be able to access this information.
Finally, you'll need to create a new PayPal address that is not linked to your old one. Here too you must be careful to avoid providing information that can be linked back to your original account.
Scrub Cookies
You will also need to clear your cookies, which are trackers eBay puts in your browser.
It uses these to keep track of any restricted eBay account. This means that you will have to delete any cookies that eBay has used to track you so far. They can do this by going to your browser's settings and deleting all of the cookies.
For complete assurance, you could make a new user account on your computer. This has the added benefit of helping you maintain digital hygiene to insure your old fingerprint doesn’t show up and expose you.
Hide or Change Your IP Address
Finally, in order to create stealth eBay accounts, you'll need to change your IP address. This can be done in two ways:
Change your IP address by changing your internet service provider: This is the more cumbersome option, and potentially more expensive. While it’s a reliable method, if you end up getting another account banned, you’ll have to change your ISP again too.
The second cheaper and more convenient way is to use a VPN or proxy. This allows you to change your IP with the click of a button and dodge tracking. Take care to choose a good one though, if you want to sell anonymously on eBay.
A less reputable service may let something slip through.
Create The New Account
Now that you have everything you need to create a stealth account, you can get to it! If you don’t know how to make an eBay account, it’s simple. Just head to the site and click on sign up in the top right.
Create it like you would any other account. Of course, take care to insert and link all of your newly acquired credentials and accounts.
It’s important to remember that any evidence of the old account could lead to the discovery of the new one. For this reason, it is important to take all the necessary precautions to ensure that the new account is completely untraceable.
If your new account is exposed you’ll have to restart the whole process over again.
Wrap Up
Now you know how to start a stealth eBay account! It can be a great way to buy and sell items without worrying about being traced.
By following the steps in this guide, users can create an untraceable account that is safe from discovery.
Just pay close attention to each step, and remember all the possible pitfalls. Good luck, and let us know how it went in the comments.
It is possible, but it isn’t recommended. People normally buy eBay accounts because they want an account with instant credibility. The problem is you can’t be sure where these accounts come from. They could be stolen. They can also be quite expensive and if you lose the account, you’re not getting a refund.
It depends on what you’ve done. A suspension can range from a few days to an indefinite period. eBay will usually give you an indication of how long, but unfortunately there’s no set eBay suspension guide.
If you want to know how to start a stealth eBay account, check out the article above. It’s easy but requires quite a bit of legwork.
Garan is a writer interested in how tech reshapes the environment, and how the environment reshapes tech. You'll usually find him inoculating against future shock and arguing with bots.
