Getting spam from eBay sellers asking for positive feedback...

[Andromeda Stardust]

I ordered some bulk crimp connectors on eBay recently (I needed them to build custom joysticks) and today I recieved a message in my spam folder from the following address:

[email protected]er.appspotmail.com

Three long numeric strings within the address have been replaced by all 9s to remove any identifiable tracers to myself or the seller. After leaving feedback, I got a second email from the same address thanking me for the feedback.

 

I was going to leave feedback anyway and did leave positive feedback, but I am pissed that the seller gave my paypal email address to a third party to send me unsolicited spam.

 

Is this a violation of eBay rules? eBay normally sends a reminder after a period of time but the seller shouldn't be using a third party service to do this.

 

Email text:

 

Hello,

Thank you so much for your recent purchase! We appreciate your business and hope that you are completely satisfied with your order. We have already left positive feedback for you as a valued eBay buyer and would like to respectfully request that you take a moment to leave feedback for us as well.

We anticipate buyer feedback so that we can improve your next eBay shopping experience. If you are not completely satisfied with your order, please message us through eBay or call our warehouse directly at 999-999-9999 (M-F 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM P/T). Customer service is our top priority and we try our best to ensure that each of our buyers have a positive and enjoyable shopping experience with us!

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?LeaveFeedback2

We are offering a new and exciting promotion until December 31st, 2017! We are offering 10% OFF on orders of $75.00 or more on our best selling eBay items.

Thank you for taking the time to shop with us, and we hope to help you again soon!

XXXX Customer Service Team

XXXX INTERNATIONAL, INC.

Premium Imports for LESS!

Direct Warehouse Number: 999-999-9999 (M-F 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM P/T)

Remind buyers to leave you feedback on eBay!
--
Click here to stop receiving these emails.

 

Hello,

Thank you so much for your positive feedback! Your feedback helps our business stay competitive on eBay. You can find us easier next time by adding us to your list of favorite sellers.

Please click on the link below to visit our XXXX XXXX Store! You can view new and hot selling items, sales, and promotional discounts that we are offering:

http://stores.ebay.com/XXXX?_trksid=p9999999.l9999

Thank you, we hope to help you again soon!

Remind buyers to leave you feedback on eBay!
--
Click here to stop receiving these emails.

 

All personally Identifiable information or hyperlinks removed from email and replaced with Xs or 9s.

 

Anyway not happy. Probably will not buy from this asshat again.

[nanochess]

The messages are incredibly long for only asking positive feedback, and the main culprits are the Chinese vendors.

 

Anyway as I don't buy often, it doesn't bother me to receive these messages from time on time.

[Andromeda Stardust]

This was a US seller. My package had a US return address so I know he's based in the US.

 

I have also received Chinese e-packets from "US" sellers in the past, pisses me off when this happens, especially if I needed it like now and it takes two weeks.

[spacecadet]

I have also received Chinese e-packets from "US" sellers in the past, pisses me off when this happens, especially if I needed it like now and it takes two weeks.

 

Ebay always provides an estimated delivery window, which is based on the handling time the seller specifies plus the method of shipment offered. If something doesn't arrive within that window, you can at least include that in the feedback and I'm pretty sure you can even report it to Ebay. With trackable packages, Ebay will even actively email you if something's not marked as delivered within the delivery window, asking you if it didn't arrive. So you should have some recourse there.

 

As for the emails about feedback, I've gotten similar ones and they don't bother me, though I never really thought to check where they actually come from. You can always complain to [email protected]

[icemanxp300]

These sellers do not get your personal email from eBay, they get it from PayPal. It pisses me off that PayPal doesn't have that information private. I as a seller do not need my buyers personal email address. That means NO seller needs their buyers personal email address. I get spam email all the time now from these people I buy 1 damn $5 item from.

 

I have called eBay and complained and I have realized these people are not getting our emails from eBay. I have called PayPal as well w/zero success. I have mentioned to my wife recently how I should open a lawsuit against PayPal for not protecting my personal information.

 

Not only do I get spam email but I get spam mail to my house! I can not believe these people have the nerve to do as they wish w/my personal information. If I wanted to be subscribed to your newsletter I would. If I wanted your catalogs or flyers sent to my house I would request it. Using PayPal these days basically guarantees spam and junk mail.

[CPUWIZ]

I get these all the time, not only from ebay, but also from Amazon sellers, I just ignore them. I give feedback, when I give feedback. I don't even have PayPal.

[Flojomojo]

Same here -- I get them from amazon sellers, and I don't feel particularly strongly either way about leaving feedback. It's cheap to send email but it's even easier to ignore them.

 

I get so many emails I can't bother to get overly bent out of shape about them. I'd block em if they're annoying, ignore them if it seems like a one time thing.

[icemanxp300]

I get these all the time, not only from ebay, but also from Amazon sellers, I just ignore them. I give feedback, when I give feedback. I don't even have PayPal.

 

I don't use amazon myself but it would appear amazon provides your email to sellers in the transaction details just as PayPal does. EBay is hell bent on stopping outside sales so your email is kept hidden and they use an in-house email. I think PayPal and such should use a set-up like craigslist where you get a craigslist email forwarded to you and your real email is kept hidden if you choose.

[Andromeda Stardust]

These sellers do not get your personal email from eBay, they get it from PayPal. It pisses me off that PayPal doesn't have that information private. I as a seller do not need my buyers personal email address. That means NO seller needs their buyers personal email address. I get spam email all the time now from these people I buy 1 damn $5 item from.

 

I have called eBay and complained and I have realized these people are not getting our emails from eBay. I have called PayPal as well w/zero success. I have mentioned to my wife recently how I should open a lawsuit against PayPal for not protecting my personal information.

 

Not only do I get spam email but I get spam mail to my house! I can not believe these people have the nerve to do as they wish w/my personal information. If I wanted to be subscribed to your newsletter I would. If I wanted your catalogs or flyers sent to my house I would request it. Using PayPal these days basically guarantees spam and junk mail.

You know, it's kind of hard to ship a package without knowing the recipient's mailing address.

 

That said, it is the seller's responsibility to keep the info private. And Paypal ties account to your email and/or cellphone. When you send money, it is always to a cell phone or email address. In order to blot out your email address on a paypal transaction, they would have to revamp the entire system. I've never sent or received money from a phone number before but it is possible to use that instead of your email address. But quite frankly I'd rather have junk in my spam folder in email format than on my cellphone as annoying texts and rings so choose wisely.

 

Some but not all CC vendors ask for your phone info for security purposes before they will finalize the order. I give it out if needed but most commercial vendors have a publicly listed privacy policy. If some asshat selling on eBay or Amazon or Craig's doesn't have their own policy or does not honor the parent company's policy, what am I to do?

 

And the physical junk mail is no big deal really. So I order a 50 cent part from Mouser or Jameco, they send me a ginormous quarterly phone book sized catalog for the next year or so. That costs them money, not me. Sometimes I leaf through it but mostly it goes in the recycle bin. You get complementary catalogs from companies you've done business with in the past in hopes you'll do repeat business in the future. Those are targeted advertisements for repeat business which typically stop after a year or two. That does not offend me.

 

What offends me is shady companies or individual sellers get my first and last name, phone number, email, and physical address to ship me a product, then they sell the information to third party marketers without my consent. That @#$% pisses me off.

 

Also unrelated but some spam is being sent as voice calls to my phone from local numbers with the same area code and exchange (first three digits) as my own number. Every time it's a different number so blocking is futile. Once I got a computer recorded telemarketer spam from a six digit number on my caller ID, not seven, not ten. Not the short codes like text services use, but an actual voice call. How the hell is that even possible? Used to I would just not answer if it wasn't an area code I recognized, but now they are spoofing the caller ID system. Do Not Call is a joke and a half. We started getting three times as many calls back in 2007 after I added my cell and my mom's landline and cell to the registry. The fact there is a DO NOT CALL list defeats the purpose of being excluded from such lists. The really bad guys steal or leak the list and mass add everyone who requested to be removed... :facepalm:

[icemanxp300]

You know, it's kind of hard to ship a package without knowing the recipient's mailing address. :

 

I understand that I was just adding it in. Obviously they need your address to ship you stuff but I think they should at least get permission first. In either way they purposely go out of their way to upload your information to receive offers w/out even asking. I actually started calling these people up and I complained to a few eBay sellers.

 

This one seller told me I agree to eBay's terms and conditions when I make a purchase and that means I agree to receive emails from them. I replied NO, that is NOT what that means. If I agree to eBay's terms and conditions I agree to get email within my eBay messages. I do not agree that you take my personal email and shove it on any mailing list YOU choose.

 

One person told me my information is taken and uploaded into their system automatically as that is how they do check-out and complete my order. This is such BS because they do NOT "need" to shove my email into their mailing list in order to send me an item.

[Tanooki]

This was a US seller. My package had a US return address so I know he's based in the US.

 

I have also received Chinese e-packets from "US" sellers in the past, pisses me off when this happens, especially if I needed it like now and it takes two weeks.

Now that crap I've had happen more recently like a couple times in the last year and I was furious. Don't you dare damn well lie to me and say it's in the US and then have it come on the slow boat from China in 2 damn weeks. I busted both of them.

[CPUWIZ]

I just got cool spam from ebay, they told me that my package is in the mailbox (I ordered some sockets for POKEY's and forgot about it, so I wasn't looking for anything). Sure enough, there they were.

 

 

[Tanooki]

I had that too, got a loose disc of Diablo (PS1) and it said it was in my mail box. Amusing how ebay has their system tied back to the USPS now, though they still won't be accountable for late delivery and nail the seller still. Shame the disc was jacked up yet listed as good which was a but I buffed the hell out of it with a Novus1-2-3 kit and got it I hope stable -- complained, got 50% refund. Hopefully it keeps working.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I just got cool spam from ebay, they told me that my package is in the mailbox (I ordered some sockets for POKEY's and forgot about it, so I wasn't looking for anything). Sure enough, there they were.

 

 

Those are fine. If you count forum post notifications from AtariAge as spam, my inbox is full of it, but it isn't spam because I asked for those specifically and want to be notified!

 

I am specifically referring to eBay sellers sharing my info with third parties. The domain that sent the feedback request is neither eBay nor the third party seller, meaning the dealer I bought the sackpiles of crimp connectors from shared my info with a third party, which AFAIK is against eBay ToS. What is this third party's privacy policy, and will they share my info with fourth and fifth parties?