Getting tracked via Ebay emails? Entourage? Outlook Express? Webmail?

[dazedandconfused]

Greetings,

I have set my OE to sugested settings and have deleted all email adresses used before along with thier history file. Is this enough to keep the prying eyes out. I sell on several sights and use this program to keep track of all my email. Or, should I go with some other option.

DC

[Modee]

Web beacons:
http://www.modeeworld.com/forums/for...our-ip-address
Recognizing your computer via cookies? IP? Flash Objects (LSOs)? - Free EBAY, PayPal, Business and Law Forums - Ebay Suspension, PayPal Limited
are not an issue with EBAY. EBAY cannot "track you" via email no matter what you do, UNLESS you by mistake navigate the response through EBAY messages. In other words, as long as you do not click the big yellow

button, EBAY cannot track you via email.

This is not to say that EBAY might not, if desperate, try to track the email message via X-Originating IP address, but I have never known them to do this.

[SevnSins]

Modee,

Does your post still apply if I am clearly cookies, flash, and new IP each login? I have occasionally done this with my phone, but it's cleared regularly with 3-5 new IPs a day.

Now that I think about it; there's never an image (yellow button), I just click in the area that it should be in. I understand that a lot of scammers use "clear" images or "ghost" images for web-beacons. So that's probably why it still works.

[Modee]

To clarify (I am sure you got it, but for anyone else):
you can read emails and respond to them, not an issue. EBAY does not track you via emails when sent via the email systems of AOL, yahoo, gmail, your own server, etc.


But, as stated above, you are tracked when you respond to emails via the ebay message system.

I don't like to EVER click the yellow respond button because this takes me through my default browser (Safari), which is NOT the browser I use for EBAY (Firefox). And if you read here:
PayPal and EBAY cookies - crossing from one browser to the other? - Free EBAY, PayPal, Business and Law Forums - Ebay Suspension, PayPal Limited
you'll notice that cookies sometimes cross from one browser to another.

So, even though I keep my Firefox clean of cookies (set to delete on every restart), cookies are constantly being deposited into my Safari, and then if I click to respond and am taken into my EBAY account via the wrong browser - cookies from a different EBAY account might inadvertently get transmitted to EBAY, which could be a big problem.

I doubt you want to make your Firefox your default browser because of the fact it is set to always delete cookies. Cookies are useful for a lot of what we want to do online.


Also to clarify, that yellow respond button is not a web beacon. It is merely a hyperlink that directs you back into your EBAY account and to the EBAY message system.

The web beacon is activated when you open the email, no matter how you open the email. But web beacons do not tell EBAY much other than that you opened the email. They transmit no other information.

[won't submit]

How does it work if you are using a email client for mutiple accounts? you used to be able to email the person directly, however they have now changed that and you get some silly '[email protected]' address.

If you respond to a message via your mail client can they track you through this?

If not it would save a hell of a lot of time switching from accounts?

[SevnSins]

I believe you only get the [email protected] address if they intentionally hide their email when submitting their question to you. Therefore; when you try to use "Reply" from your mail client, your message won't go to the member. If you select the yellow respond button within the email, your IP address can be tracked through the hidden web beacons in the email and the cookies saved to your computer. I do sometimes use the yellow buttons to respond, but I never login to ebay with the same IP address 2 times in a row and always clear ALL personal data and flash objects between each login.

Sevn

[Modee]

If you "Answer the question" via the yellow Respond button the issue is not so much web beacons, but simply that in ORDER TO respond, you must log back into your Ebay account.

This can cause issues especially if your default browser on your computer is not, as we suggest, firefox set to delete cookies on each restart. Plus, you might not realize that responding in this way sends you back through your EBAY account, and might set you up for getting linked with some other EBAY account you are running if you are not careful.

So, in order to avoid issues and confusion, if you must respond to an EBAY member who has not given you a direct email, I recommend logging into your EBAY directly, and responding via My Messages.

There is, however, another issue with responding to emails directly (outside of EBAY): an unscrupulous EBAY member will then have your direct email address as well as an email address with the correct headers on it coming from you. They can use these to get you into trouble with EBAY - using some black hat methods that cannot and will not be discussed in public. On the other hand, if they write back to you with THEIR email, you may use these same techniques against them on down the line if they turn out to be trouble. And, let's face it, if you have done tech support with me, it is much more likely that you know how to do this to them, than they to you. :-)

[won't submit]

well Modee, the tech support that you mention did get me out a small hole by using a buyers personal address details, so yes you are correct.

[banditking]

I notice on my email, every email from ebay there is

Email reference id: [#9105xxxxxxxxxxxxx#]
Please don't remove this number. eBay customer support may ask you for this number, if you need assistance

Also somehow I saw the link on my email, the Respond now icon or any ebay item or user id on ebay potential buyer is really different from previous (months before)...its really strange..

The link now somehow is like this: http//rover.ebay.com/rover/0/.......bla bla blaaaa

Its not usual link..before was like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/......

Is this one way to track ebay user via email now??

[Modee]

No it's not, that hyperlink is not an issue in this context of email tracking.