How to Be a Private Bidder on eBay

By default, eBay hides the identity of everyone who bids on items on the eBay website. Each bidder is given an anonymous name that is displayed with his bid. A bidder's actual user ID is only visible to the seller of the item. Once a bidder wins an eBay auction, his user ID is displayed on the eBay website. The only way to keep your bid and user ID completely private is by bidding on a private listing. Private listings are generally intended for high-priced items like motors and real estate and sensitive items like pharmaceutical products.

Instructions

1. Go to eBay.com and log in with your eBay user ID and password.

2. Type "private listing" or "private auction" along with the item you want to buy into the search field at the top of the eBay website and click the "Search" button. For instance, "private listing shoes."

3. Scroll through the search results to find something that you want to bid on. Click specific categories under the "Categories" menu on the left to filter the search results.

4. Click the title of the private listing to view more information about it.

5. Enter your bid in the "Your Max Bid" field and click the "Place Bid" button to bid on the private listing.

6. Wait for eBay to confirm that your bid has been placed. If someone else outbids you, you can bid again until you win the item.

Tips & Warnings

• The seller of the item you bid on privately can only see your name and address for shipping purposes if you win the auction.

References

• eBay Help: Bidding Overview
• eBay Help: Making a Listing Private

Resources

• eBay