Advanced Search for Buyer Contact Information

[2budds]

A buyer's phone number is required for the paypal shipping label.

Some buyers do not show phone number at bottom of their address.

It was easy to obtain that phone number by using the Advanced Search link.  On the left side there was a link call "CONTACT INFORMATION".  You were required to fill in the buyer's ID and item number of the purchase they made.  eBay then very quickly sent an email with the buyer's phone number.

That function no longer shows up on Advanced Search.  What happened to it?

[pjcdn2005 · Accepted solution]

Some people fill the phone number field with zeros or put in their own number.

You can also require that buyers enter their number in order to purchase from you.  You can turn on that setting in site preferences - shipping preferences.

I don’t know why ebay took that function off...privacy issues perhaps.

[ricarmic]

The "official" CP rules are to put in your own phone number but they'll let anything be put in there....

[femmefan1946]

Basically the carrier wants to be able to phone 'someone' if there is a problem with delivery.

Yours. The customer's. Whatever.

No number, then the problem stagnates.

[hlmacdon]

For whatever it's worth, every single non-deliverable international package I've ever sent and saw returned (only a handful mind you) had a phone number that was never used to contact a buyer. It is really about customs as they like you to have one on there but it isn't a necessity. If there is an issue with an importation they'll send official correspondence through the mail.

There is a require phone number option under your selling preferences that you can activate, but I'm not sure how that works so it might be a case of more harm than good there.

[ypdc_dennis]

Alternative search:

Select Order details from the More actions menu list next to the sale on eBay.

Phone number, if available, is the line under the address.

...

Not everybody has a phone number they are willing to share.  Use your own or a bunch of zeros as a substitute.

-..-

[ypdc_dennis]

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@hlmacdon wrote:

For whatever it's worth, every single non-deliverable international package I've ever sent and saw returned (only a handful mind you) had a phone number that was never used to contact a buyer. It is really about customs as they like you to have one on there but it isn't a necessity. ...

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Does not mean the phone number on your returns was never used -- could just mean the phone call was never answered.