I got the eBay ID I’ve always wanted!
We wrote last week that eBay are deleting dormant accounts, Dan got an email warning him that if he didn’t log in then his account would be deleted.
Today I was the beneficiary of this program and am the proud owner of an eBay ID I’ve been watching for over a year, patiently waiting for the day it could be mine. I have to say I’m really chuffed and of course I’ve not been able to resist bidding on a load of auctions this evening to get some use out of my new name.
I didn’t really need it for any business related reason, I’ve put it on one of my personal accounts. I only set the account up last year just to re-acquaint myself with the eBay sign up process, but now it’ll become my main buying account. I’ve already signed into the eBay Android App with the renamed ID on my smartphone, so any mobile purchases in future will be on this account.
And the User ID I’ve been coveting… well if you hadn’t guessed by now it’s obvious really, eBay now know me as “Chris“!
JD says
2:48 am on 26/02/2013
Well done!
How did you get a 5 character ID? I thought that the minimum that you could now register with was 6?
ebuyerfb says
5:58 am on February 26th, 2013
Seems different sites have different rules. UK and US both have a minimum of 6. But AU has a minimum of 5.
Chris Dawson says
11:15 am on February 26th, 2013
The shortest eBay ID I know of from recent years is Buy. That was a recycled name, although I’m wondering if it might become free if Buy change their eBay name to Rakuten to match their new website branding?
Peter King says
5:24 am on 26/02/2013
Must admit I’m pretty shocked they’ve released a name for reregistration.
Might try to get christ, not been active since 00
Steve F says
7:50 am on 26/02/2013
Would you have one of those car reg numbers that spell a word by any chance?
Chris Dawson says
11:12 am on February 26th, 2013
No cherished car registration for me – not something I could justify splashing out £250 or more on. The eBay ID was free
DGlassman says
8:30 am on 26/02/2013
Hi Chris,
Congrats on your new ID, and could you please explain to the rest of us the process of getting a new-old ID?
Like you, I have my eye on an eBay ID that is currently listed as “Not a registered user”. However when I contacted eBay.com Support last week about picking up this no-longer-registered ID, they responded with “Unfortunately, at this time we are not offering the recycling of user names on eBay. For safety and security reasons we are unable to allow members to reuse user IDs.”
This response of theirs doesn’t fit in with the fact that you did manage to pick up an old ID, so any insights you can give would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
DGlassman
Chris Dawson says
11:13 am on February 26th, 2013
Bookmark it and wait and keep checking is the most likely way you’ll bag the name you want.
DGlassman says
2:56 pm on February 26th, 2013
Thanks, Chris, but what specifically does one wait for? How will I know that the username has been made available?
Cheers.
Chris Dawson says
3:16 pm on February 26th, 2013
Well for instance if you wanted the eBay ID dglassman it’s currently in use, but if you settled for dglassmanisfree that user id is free and available to grab.
DGlassman says
5:52 pm on February 26th, 2013
I think I get it…
So I need to keep on checking the username I’m after until the response shows “The seller UserID you entered was not found” and that’s the sign that it’s been released for re-registration and it’s up for grabs again?
Gary says
8:39 am on 26/02/2013
Nice one Chris! I have also joined the registration new owner club!
After years of waiting.
Chris Dawson says
11:16 am on February 26th, 2013
Come on – tell us what the name is!
Gary says
12:26 pm on February 26th, 2013
Would rather not reveal as it is straight forward and directly linked to my niche sales area but without all the prefix and suffix and hyphenated variations that I have had to endure over the years with similar ids. Been sat there dormant and now I have it!
Just got to work out how best to move forward. ebay will be a big beneficiary from this so well done ebay for freeing up some of the dormant names!
Chris Dawson says
12:49 pm on February 26th, 2013
No worries, glad you managed to bag it though
Andrew Minalto says
9:19 am on 26/02/2013
Congrats, nice one!
Time to do some digging!
John Pemberton says
9:21 am on 26/02/2013
I just got “clothes-shoes” – which is what we sell! Really pleased with this post Chris!
puddleglum says
9:33 am on 26/02/2013
we wonder if Rsole is available
Fozz says
9:40 am on 26/02/2013
Just bagged a 4 character name on .co.uk. Thanks for the tip Chris.
Jimbo says
10:34 am on February 26th, 2013
Now what 4 character name would that be?
elvis says
9:44 am on 27/02/2013
I am just waiting for ebay to suspend all these new accounts, linking them to when the previous account holders of the same ID’s that were originally suspended for dodgy dealings or unpaid fees etc.
In an ideal world this shouldn’t happen but it is ebay.
Chris Dawson says
10:14 am on 27/02/2013
It doesn’t work like that – eBay work on account numbers and the User Id can be changed at will but the account number stays the same forever.
If you grab a pre-used ID it’s associated with your account and disassociated with the old one.
elvis says
8:46 pm on 27/02/2013
That’s good to know Chris. Anyone else got any new Id’s they wanted?
elvis says
9:05 pm on 27/02/2013
If a name comes up that I want, can I change my current ID to the new one or do I need to create a new ebay account to get the new ID when it becomes available?
radroach says
9:38 pm on February 27th, 2013
I would imagine you could change your current one, can’t see any reason why not.
Chris Dawson says
10:04 pm on February 27th, 2013
I had a spare current ID so was happy to have a name change but no reason you couldn’t open a new ID if you spot the name is free – just make sure you’ve got a spare email address ready to go
Mark Norton says
2:41 pm on 04/03/2013
Hi Chris
So does anyone know what the problem with some of these names are? I found a 4 letter NARU user ID (which doesn’t violate policy) yet it won’t let me take it – stating that its not in line with their policy!
Cheers
Mark