On eBay, you are identified by your User ID, your "nickname" on eBay. You can use your User ID or your email to use eBay services. Below are answers to some of the questions we receive about User IDs.

WHAT...

What is a User ID?
A User ID is a "nickname" you can use to participate on eBay. If you do not want to use a nickname, you can always use your email address as your User ID.

What if I forget my User ID?
Anywhere that eBay asks for your User ID, you may supply either your User ID or your email address. Your User ID will appear in any search results, posts to discussion boards, etc.

WHO AM I...

Can I choose my own User ID?
Yes! Your family may have named you when you were born. Your friends may have called you names when you were in school. But this is your chance to nickname yourself anything you want.

What can my User ID be?
Your User ID may be a number of things. Here are some guidelines.

A User ID may contain letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and/or symbols.

      These symbols, among others, are not permitted:

• You may not use the "@" symbol.
• You may not use the "&" symbol.

A User ID must be at least two (2) characters long.

A User ID is case insensitive.

A User ID may not contain spaces.

A User ID may not be obscene, profane or hateful.

Think about it. Using a User ID doesn’t mean that other eBay users don’t know who you are!

We suggest that you apply the "Parent" Rule of Decency when choosing a User ID.
What would your Parents say if they knew you were using obscenity, profanity or hateful language in a public place? Better yet. What would they do to you?

If you think your Parents wouldn’t approve, you can probably be sure that your fellow eBay users won’t be too impressed either.  Why do you care? If you are a seller and a potential buyer sees your User ID and it doesn’t say, "I’m a trustworthy, honest person," they are less likely to bid on your item. No trust, no bids. If you are a bidder and a seller sees your User ID and it doesn’t say, "I’m a trustworthy, honest person," they are less likely to take your bid seriously. No trust, no sale.

Think about it.

Will anyone else have the same User ID?
No. A User ID must be unique. In the real world, there can be thousands of people named "Robert." At eBay, only one person can have "Robert" as a User ID.

I wanted to use "eBay" in my User ID. Why can’t I?
Only eBay employees may use "eBay" in their User IDs. This is to prevent anyone from appearing as though he/she were an employee of eBay.

What if I am offended by someone else’s User ID?
eBay does not allow obscenities, profanity or hateful language in User IDs. Send your complaint to eBay.

How do I find the email address of someone with a User ID?
You will be able to view other members' email addresses if you are involved with them in a transaction (as a bidder or seller). If you are not involved with the member in a transaction, you can still contact them via eBay's new email service. You will be provided with one of the above options after clicking on a User ID.

Can I change my User ID?
Yes. When you change your User ID, eBay will give you a pair of "shades" to help you tell other eBay users about your new look. The shades icon will appear after your User ID for 30 days. During this time, your old User ID will be "embargoed." No one else will be able to use your old User ID until the 30-day period has expired.

What does the "Shades" icon mean?    
When the shades icon appears next to a User ID, it signifies that the user has been a registered eBay user for 30 days or less, or has changed his/her User ID within the last 30 days. The shades icon will disappear after the user has maintained the same User ID for a 30-day period.

If I change my User ID, how soon can I use the new User ID?
Immediately. Your new User ID will be reflected in any auction in which you are participating. For example, suppose your User ID is "John," and you are the seller of a lamp. When you change your User ID to "Jane," the auction will then show "Jane" as the seller of the lamp even if the auction is currently running. Also, the "shades" icon will appear after "Jane" for 30 days following your successful change in User ID.

How often can I change my User ID?
A User ID may not be changed more than once in a 30-day period. This is to prevent confusion - mostly for the rest of us. There may be a very good reason for you to change your User ID more than once in 30 days.

However we must caution you against frequently changing your User ID. Your User ID is a valuable asset to participating on eBay. You may find that your trading partners will come to recognise you by your User ID and associate certain characteristics with your User ID, much like they might with your Feedback Rating. Given this, you may want to choose a User ID that is suitable for a long, successful life on eBay.

How do I change my User ID?
Simply go to the Change User ID page and follow the instructions.

Can eBay change my User ID?
eBay reserves the right to modify, alter or suspend any User ID at any time, at our sole discretion and without notice, for any reason whatsoever.

Does eBay keep track of all my User ID changes?
Yes. When you change your User ID, you create a User ID history which is accessible by any registered eBay user. You can look up any user's User ID by clicking on their User ID on any eBay page or by going to the Find Members Page.

A User ID history may look something like this:

User ID: Norma Jean Baker
Effective Date: February 1, 1998
End Date: February 7, 1998

User ID: Marilyn Monroe
Effective Date: February 7, 1998
End Date: Present

Does my Feedback Rating follow me when I change my User ID?
Yes. Much like changing your registered email address, changing your User ID will prompt eBay to transfer your Feedback Rating and other important account information to your new User ID.

What if I want to change my registered email address?
If you change your registered email address, you can still keep the same User ID. eBay allows you to use your registered email address and your User ID interchangeably. This means that wherever you are asked for your registered email address, you may provide your User ID – and vice versa.

Won’t this make it easier for shill bidders to hide?
No. If someone changes his/her User ID, it is reflected immediately in a current auction.

For example, "Sylvia" is the seller in an auction and wants to change her User ID to "Cybill" to shill bid. Sylvia successfully changes her User ID to Cybill and goes to bid on her own item. No problem, right? Wrong. Sylvia gets to the Item Page and sees that Cybill is now listed as the seller. So, shill bidding as Cybill isn’t any easier than shill bidding as Sylvia. eBay uses the "shades" icon to let you know that someone has changed his/her User ID. An auction can last three, five, seven, or ten days. But when you change your User ID, the "shades" icon will appear after your name for 30 days to alert other users of your new nickname.
 
Note: The shades icon also appears next to the User IDs of members who been registered on eBay for 30 days or less.

How does this prevent someone from bidding on an item, changing his/her User ID, and bidding again?
Let's go back to Sylvia.

"Sylvia" is the seller in an auction and wants to change her User ID to "Cybill" to shill bid. Sylvia successfully changes her User ID to Cybill and goes to bid on her own item. No problem, right? Wrong. Sylvia gets to the Item Page and sees that Cybill is now listed as the seller. So, shill bidding isn’t any easier for Cybill than shill bidding is for Sylvia.

What will eBay do to help protect me from someone changing his/her User ID to shill bid?
eBay uses the "shades" icon to let you know that someone has changed his/her User ID. An auction can last three, five or seven days. But when you change your User ID, the "shades" icon will appear after your name for 30 days to alert other users of your new look.