Irish eBay users’ bidding IDs will remain anonymous when bidding in certain auctions from the end of this month, the internet auction site has revealed.
This is part of a wider security update the company is engaging in to deal with increased fraud across the internet and a growing number of unsatisfactory sellers using eBay.
On the UK eBay site bidder IDs were made anonymous in certain circumstances before Christmas to protect buyers from potential fraudsters. The company said early results show this practice is working.
Other measures being deployed include clamping down on the sale of counterfeit goods. EBay will from now on require additional verification of authenticity for certain types of items.
The company has also in recent months removed the ability for sellers to hide their feedback, meaning sellers with a poor track record can no longer disguise their bad reputations from buyers.
New registration requirements for sellers who want their auction items to be listed on an eBay site outside of their registered country have also been implemented. This should reduce the number of suspended sellers and cancelled listings, eBay said.
A more detailed feedback system will be introduced on the Irish and UK sites in February, which will allow buyers to more accurately rate a transaction.
As well as the above measures, eBay said it was committed to introducing more severe consequences for bad sellers.
By Niall Byrne
