| Feature Type: |
| |
| Feature Enhancement |
| |
| Anticipated Launch Date: |
| |
| 2007 |
| |
| Developer Impact: |
| |
| Developers can take advantage by allowing sellers to respond to all emails where buyers hide their email addresses through their own client. Important to note that these messages will not appear in My Messages or require a log-in to respond . |
| |
| Feature Description: |
| |
| How it will work? |
| |
| - Sellers will be able to respond to ALL emails through their own email client; they will not have to
sign into eBay/My Messages to respond |
| |
| 1. When a non-buyer (or a seller) selects to hide their email address from the other party, all subsequent email
communication will utilize temporary anonymous email addresses for both parties for a set time period |
| |
| 2. Please note that the recipient of the first anonymously generated email will receive the email in their my messages inbox and also in their email account. Any subsequent responses and/or dialogue related to this message will only be sent to their email account (and not in the My Messages inbox) |
| |
| 3. To reply directly to the sender from email, the recipient will use their email client "reply" feature |
|
|
| 4. Once the recipient sends a response, it will go through eBay's systems and subsequently forwarded to the original sender |
| |
| 5. The process will repeat as the two parties communicate (with eBay facilitating the anonymous exchange) |
| |
| 6. Upon a successfully completed transaction, both parties will receive their actual email addresses. |
| |
| 7. If the non-buyer becomes a buyer, eBay will provide a way for sellers to map their pre-sale communication to that buyer (e.g. anonymousnonbuyer123@ebay.com = buyer123@yahoo.com) via eBay SOAP/XML API. Developers will be able to map email addresses up to 7 days after a successful transaction closes. |
| |
| 8. Once an email becomes invalid, eBay will send a bounced email to the sender if they try to send an email to the obsolete address |
| |
| 9. Duration of Anonymous Email Addresses: |
| |
| For Auctions, Fixed Price and Store Inventory format (SIF): |
| |
| - 14 days after the first email is sent |
| |
| - This means for all formats except SIF members can continue to use the anonymous email addresses even after an item ends. |
| |
| For Ad Format/Real Estate: |
| |
| - 30 days after the first email is sent |
| |
| Contact eBay Member Messages: (Post Transactions emails where there is no transactional relationship between buyer & seller) |
| |
| - 7 days after the first email is sent |
| |
| |
| Feature Benefits: |
| |
| - Important to keep the non-buyer's email address anonymous throughout subsequent communication if they choose this option and the communication is facilitated through eBay |
| |
| - Increase Time period set for how long the anonymous email addresses is valid to prevent grey market and spam |
| |
