Guest account same email as main account, cannot view order details.

[abctablet12345-8]

Today, my mom wanted to try out online shopping so she decided to use ebay. She didn't have an email or account, so she used my email and my PayPal instead. However, she didn't know I had an ebay account ALREADY, so she registered a GUEST account under the email I use for my ebay account. Here comes the problem: she can't login to see her order details because she used my email, and that email already had an account under it. This means she cannot use the access code to login and view details, talk to the seller etc.! What I want to do right now is to cancel that order on that account, and purchase the item again on my main ebay account. However, to do that I will need to login to the guest account, which is impossible as it uses the same email as my main ebay account. I would like to merge the accounts if possible, or move the order to my main account. Thank you.

[abctablet12345-8]

This is my second account. For some odd reason I cannot post here with my main! Sorry for any confusion. The GUEST account has the same email as my main account! Therefore when I try to login to the guest, it shows invalid password because my main account has the same email as the guest!

[momcqueen]

First of all, a 'welcome' goes to your mother to ebay. 

Secondly, I don't have any actual practical advice for how to view this guest account order but I will tell you that trying to cancel that order and reorder it on your account is much more trouble than it's worth since it might already be shipped and there's no guarantee her seller will be amenable to cancelling it even if it isn't shipped.

If you used paypal, however, and you need to speak to that seller, go to your transaction in the account activity and take it from there. I would also assume that if the item fails to materialize, you will use the Paypal Resolution Centre to open a case of Item Not Received. 

Your mother will want to create her own account on ebay. It's completely free to do so. 

[momcqueen]

Also, as an ebay member with ten years of buying and selling experience now, I wrote this Guide to Hassle-Free Purchase Transactions on ebay that your mother may want to read. I believe it contains valuable advice and information. 

http://www.ebay.ca/gds/10-Steps-to-Hassle-Free-Buying-on-eBay-/10000000204740571/g.html

[abctablet12345-8]

Thank you for the great reply! There is no way to contact the seller through PayPal as it says I can only contact him on Ebay, but I can't because of the problem. I am in the process of teaching her online shopping and will do once this is all sorted out. The purchase was around 2 hours ago, and right now it is ~5 am in china (where seller lives and ships from) therefore I highly doubt the seller have shipped it already. In that case, is there a way to cancel the order?

[abctablet12345-8]

Let me try contacting the seller through the store page.

[momcqueen]

Your transaction page should show the seller's email address since it is the email address to which your payment was submit; use that to contact him or her. Don't try to do it through the Resolution Centre, it's too soon for that which may be the reason paypal is telling you to do it via ebay. But even if you make contact with the seller, there is no guarantee he or she will cancel the order for you. Some sellers are reluctant to do so. Middle-of-the-night or not, it may have already shipped. At certain times of the year, for example, I start packing orders at 2 am in order to meet my same-day dispatch commitment. 

[abctablet12345-8]

I checked the seller's email and it starts with a “pp". That is probably the email he uses for paypal, so I doubt he will check it. Is there a way to find normal email?

[kevin08-bj]

I've finally gained access to my main account. What I did was change my email to an unused email. However, even after my main email isn't in use anymore, it still won't let me login using the ACCESS code, because EBAY thinks that email is still associated with my main account, even though it's not. I really think this is an ebay problem, as they should WARN people if they tried to buy with a guest account, that they already have an ebay account. And if they still bought with the guest, it should automatically move that order to the main.

[momcqueen]

Trying clearing your caches and history, restarting.

[momcqueen]

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@kevin08-bj wrote:

I've finally gained access to my main account. What I did was change my email to an unused email. However, even after my main email isn't in use anymore, it still won't let me login using the ACCESS code, because EBAY thinks that email is still associated with my main account, even though it's not. I really think this is an ebay problem, as they should WARN people if they tried to buy with a guest account, that they already have an ebay account. And if they still bought with the guest, it should automatically move that order to the main.

---

That would be difficult to police. You mean issue a warning based on the previous use of an email? I suppose the ebay Guest Checkout system relies on a buyer knowing they should be using their existing account rather than avoiding it. The Guest Checkout is offered as a courtesy to people who are just getting starting on ebay and want to look around a little instead of commit. I assume that ebay assumes if you have an account, you know to use it instead of checking out as a guest since you no longer are a guest, you're a member.

And, for the record, no one is supposed to use someone else's account to place orders. That is a situation which is rife with problems. Like your account is not supposed to have Guests of its own. Everyone is required to have their own account, there is less confusion that way. 

[pjcdn2005]

And, for the record, no one is supposed to use someone else's account to place orders

As long as someone has permission to use someone else's account, I don't see why it would be a problem.  I don't remember there being any such rule...is there one?

[momcqueen]

I'm sure there is but I don't know it offhand. I'll come back to the thread later with what I can find.

[momcqueen]

I'm not finding the policy I want. It is explicitly stated that users may have multiple accounts so long as they are not used to avoid ebay restrictions or perpetrate prohibited ebay activities, but I cannot find anything that explicitly states multiple users cannot share an account. In fact, for large sellers with a fleet of employees, it seems it is a given that multiple people will access a single selling account.

For a buyer, however, I think this would only lead to trouble and I expect ebay would want to circumvent it wherever possible. 

Two problems that I can see arising from multiple buyers on a single account is that one places an order without telling the other and then it is either later cancelled or disputed by the other, and then another being that a buyer orders something but it's sent to the address associated with the other buyer leading to false Items Not Received claims. 

In short, common sense to me would say this is a bad idea and one which is rife with potential problems. Unless the 'multiple buyers' were, in fact, all members of the same household. Then I could see the rules being relaxed. But, for example, if my sister (who lives across town) and I were to share an account for purchasing with my mother (who lives out-of-town) I can see this would lead only to confusion and difficulties no matter that we are in constant communication with one another. 

I will clarify this policy with Raphael at ebay Canada Weekly Board Hour on Wednesday. Maybe there is no official policy for this and ebay does, in fact, welcome joint users across one buyer's account. 

[thestuffofchris]

I shared an account with my dad for many years, both of us using it for purchasing and the occasional sale, before branching off and making my own. We never ran into any issues, I think because of us living in the same household making communication easier (as you mentioned).

I understand there could be issues with such a set-up, but I'm sure many families, companies, or other groups have one eBay account that multiple people use with no problems. As long as eBay gets their fees and the account isn't causing problems, I'll bet they don't care.

[momcqueen]

It's very possible that they don't. I'll clarify with Raphael to be certain since I made a bold statement earlier in the thread and now I must cite an actual source or concede I was incorrect, which is fine, is that's the case.

[momcqueen]

I said I would take the question to ebay Canada staff and I did so here it is http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Weekly-Chat-Session/November-23rd-2016-Weekly-Session/td-p/357771/page/2

If the image is hard to read for some people, here is the text: 

Re: November 23rd 2016 Weekly Session

Options

in reply to mjwl2006

‎11-23-2016 02:23 PM

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@mjwl2006 wrote:

Two more things and then I am done for the day, I promise.

This is a question that arose from trying to help another member with an Answer Centre problem and I could not find a policy to say one way or another what to tell them. Can multiple buyers share a single account? If they are in the same household? Different households? Or are all buyers supposed to have their own account? Is there a policy? If so, what is it?

---

In theory, every buyer (or seller) should have their own account. In practice and unless we detect a third party accessing an account without the legitimate owner's permission or knowledge, we consider that any activity conducted from an eBay account is the responsibility of the owner on record. What this means is, for example, if many buyers are using the same account and that one of them fails to pay for items they commit to buy too many times, we will restrict or suspend the account even if the non-paying buyer wasn't the owner registered on the account. Another example, if a buyer leaves their account unattended and their underage child commits to buy an expensive item resulting in an unpaid item, eBay will not remove the unpaid item. The same goes for more egregious offences like buyer abuse, where an account can indefinitely be suspended. Most times there is more to lose than to gain in doing this.

The rule of thumb is similar for sellers by the way. It happens that larger seller accounts allow multiple employees to access the account, but the account and all the activity on it is always treated as it if was the actual seller using it.

[momcqueen]

---

@mjwl2006 wrote:

Two more things and then I am done for the day, I promise.

This is a question that arose from trying to help another member with an Answer Centre problem and I could not find a policy to say one way or another what to tell them. Can multiple buyers share a single account? If they are in the same household? Different households? Or are all buyers supposed to have their own account? Is there a policy? If so, what is it?

---

In theory, every buyer (or seller) should have their own account. In practice and unless we detect a third party accessing an account without the legitimate owner's permission or knowledge, we consider that any activity conducted from an eBay account is the responsibility of the owner on record. What this means is, for example, if many buyers are using the same account and that one of them fails to pay for items they commit to buy too many times, we will restrict or suspend the account even if the non-paying buyer wasn't the owner registered on the account. Another example, if a buyer leaves their account unattended and their underage child commits to buy an expensive item resulting in an unpaid item, eBay will not remove the unpaid item. The same goes for more egregious offences like buyer abuse, where an account can indefinitely be suspended. Most times there is more to lose than to gain in doing this.

The rule of thumb is similar for sellers by the way. It happens that larger seller accounts allow multiple employees to access the account, but the account and all the activity on it is always treated as it if was the actual seller using it.

[margareharri_65]

I have the same issue. Will they respond. I ant find a phone # toall

[momcqueen]

Help & Contact at the top and bottom of the page when viewed on a desktop will get you started. Wade through the Buyer Problem choices until you get one that's close to yours and then click the Contact Us button a the bottom of the page. You might have to scroll down to see it. Be prepared to be patient and polite but firm with the Customer Service Rep. Some are multi-lingual but English might not be their first language. 

[femmefan1946]

I think eBay should just drop the whole 'guest account' concept entirely.

It is confusing if there is a problem, and if there is one group that is likely to run into a problem, it is new users.

And there does not appear to be any clear instruction given to 'guests' about how to use the site.

Maybe it would make more sense to keep the name 'guest account' but open a normal account, with normal ways of using the Resolution Centre.

Then when the 'guest' decides to become a 'member' (which she already is) she could be told to choose her own special eBay ID and to sign up for a Paypal account using the same credit card she already used.

The guest purchases would remain attached to the new ID.

There's a certain amount of obfuscation and outright lying in there, but hey this is the company that brought you the Global Shipping Program and Free Shipping.