Sellers Required to Upload Government-issued Photo ID??

[avidhiker-33]

Apologies if there's already a thread for this -- first did a quick search and didn't get a hit with any of the search terms tried.

Have other Canadian sellers uploaded government-issued photo ID to ebay's site?

I've only been listing on ebay since March and have been on Managed Payments since April.  Yesterday (Aug 17) the payment for last week's sales was deposited in my bank account as usual.

Today (Aug 18) my Selling Overview page has this message: 

"Your payouts are on hold until you update your account details. Please update by Sep 15, 2021 to avoid further restrictions."

My name, address, DOB are all correctly shown in the account detals.  The SIN field is blank since I did not provide it to ebay.  At the bottom of the account details screen is this:  "If you can’t find any errors, you need to upload a photo ID"

The ebay Payments individual I chatted with online indicated this requirement is part of ebay's global response to anti-money laundering legislation, which strikes me as overkill.  Perhaps other Canadian sellers have 10s or 100s of thousands of dollars in weekly ebay sales but I and I suspect a few others do not.

Personally I don't want to provide my SIN or government-issued photo id to any commercial website regardless of assurances that the data is "safe".  Am I wrong?

[mr.special-editions]

I was forced into MP September 2020, the message was clear from eBay provide the required information or do not sell.  I chose to sell.

You do not have provide your SIN nor can eBay tell you that they require it, if an eBay rep tells you otherwise don't waste your time, ask to speak to another.

From what I remember all I had to provide was a screenshot of my bank account, banking transit # and one other thing banking related (similar to how I set up PayPal many years ago)  Along with government issued photo ID.  I believe eBay said I could blank out certain information on my bank account screenshot and ID and I recall doing so.

Banking information and photo ID is by no means over reaching.  SIN # is eBay has no need for it and absolutely no right to ask for it.

It's your choice to comply, sell and get paid or not comply thus not get paid.

[recped]

Yes, during the registration process I was asked to provide a SIN (totally optional) or Government id (drivers license or passport and maybe a third option?), I used a DL, signup went smoothly and quickly with not a single issue with payouts.

The first account I signed up for MP I used the SIN option and after it was verified I removed the SIN from my profile. That account has been in MP for 12 months now, not a single hiccup other than during the initial sign up I entered my birthdate in the wrong format and had to correct it before the account could be verified.

On all accounts every payment has been sent on schedule, not a single glitch.

If you don't provide some valid form of id your account will fail and  money for anything you sell will go into limbo.

[femmefan1946]

I've had problems with two of my selling accounts.

I used passports for both and also, on the one that is still a mess, a bank statement.

This is why I am more than willing to pay my banks for on-paper statements.  I would have difficulty (as a technodolt) sending a copy and(as a technophobe) more anxiety about sending a link to my bank statements.

And I trust both eBay/Ayden and my banks to keep my information secure.

I can only imagine what it would be like for someone who has not worked for banks or large bureaucracies and is suspicious* of them.

My one hope is that all this repetitive demand for more confirmation of identity makes it harder for scammers to hijack abandoned accounts or open multiple new accounts.

With PP all a seller needed really was a credit card number.

And we've all seen complaints about that.

*ProTip-  They don't care about you. The clerk just wants to make it to coffee break without any undue fussing.

[mrdutch1001]

Watching & learning as hubby gets moving forward with the MP process which has its pitfalls for persons not having sold on eBay for nearly a year and I would expect a whack of pitfalls if I were to engage in the procees as I have not sold on eBay since spring and have not had a bank account in my name for 30+ years...

It's doubtful I would even consider entering this mess until the glitches have been worked out...I still refuse to be one of eBay's guinea pigs and/or part of this pitiful experimentation process of Mis-Managed Payment system...

[pinkfloyd*]

Providing a "SIN" is optional.

[reelmagick]

No you are not wrong. You are quite right. There is nothing a government ID card verifying identity can do to stop international money laundering or aid investigative measures to track, trace and recoup monies. Your data will be shared/sold unscrupulously with no benefit to you at all. There is also absolutely no data protection guarantee outside of flimsy verbal promises.

[mrdutch1001]

ZOMBIE THREAD FROM 2021

 "Most" of us figured out how to get it done and have MP work just fine for us.

...and the only way to not have your data "mined" and/or to lessen risks to your privacy/identity is to NOT use the Internet. Anyone who uses the internet in any way, for any reason, already has given up their data.

[kh-phdan]

Hello Everyone,

Due to the age of the thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue discussing this topic.

Thanks for your understanding!