Changing your IP address

[Modee]

If you mean a new laptop (netbook) this has absolutely nothing to do with the IP address. Using a different computer but same internet connection will not change the IP address.

[kellydch]

Using a netbook

Hi, I'm just curious if getting a new netbook to use just for eBay (for a new eBay account) would bypass the IP address/cookies problem.

Since it has its own internet connection, is there any way they could trace it back? It seems too easy, but since no one else mentioned it, I thought I should ask before I go buy one.

[Modee]

lol I try, I try.

Thank you.

[PayPal]

You would not want all of the details posted publicly, because then "they" could review this information.

+1
FWIW, this forum already has golden info available to anyone for free. I would advise every newbie to just read Modee's posts to start with.
I was at talkgold and though its got good basic info but its nothing compared to this.
Very well maintianed IMO as well.
Modee, do u have 30 hours in a day?

[Modee]

Proxies:
Proxies, TOR, VPN, Hide your IP - All bad for EBAY and PayPal - Free EBAY, PayPal, Business and Law Forums - Ebay Suspension, PayPal Limited


If you enter your IP address into different "whatismyIP" type websites you will often obtain a slightly different location. This doesn't matter for purposes of what you are alluding to. The number of the IP address is what is used to link you between Ebay, PayPal, Google Checkout, Amazon, etc. accounts.

So, if the IP address of the old account is 87.892.89.8 and the new one is 87.892.89.7 that one digit change is all that matters in most cases (unless of course you have stiffed PayPal for money and left the account in the red, in which case a small change in IP address will not be enough and will still get you linked - but that is a highly technical, not so usual scenario which varies from case to case, and person to person depending on the facts and circumstances).

Anyway, to summarize: IP linking is done by the numbers - nothing else matters.

But, I think what you might be getting at is whether the geographic location to which the IP address refers back to matters. Yes, it does matter - but not so much for linking purposes (at least not directly - and again, this is where you would need tech support to understand more about exactly how EBAY and PayPal link accounts). It matters because, to summarize the rule, if your geographic location supplied via your registered account address is too far from the location determined by your IP address, your account will be flagged and possibly suspended.

So, how far, is too far? Well, again, this depends on where you live and whether any state or country boundaries are at issue. For example, in the U.S., Ebay pretty much allows about a 100 to 150 mile leeway, IF this does not involve crossing state lines, AND it involves the larger states. So in the U.S., your account could be registered in one city in Texas or California and you might always log in from some other city a 100 miles away in the same state. Ebay will not care, especially if this is a business account (which is the form of accounts I recommend for everyone in tech support).

But then, if you are in a small state like Rhode Island or even New York, and that 100 miles puts you in another state or even county, that might cause issues. Or if you are in a small European country and those 100 miles put you in another country, that also could be a big problem.

The factors that link accounts and proper account creation are touched upon on this forum. This forum is where you will get all the basics. But the real information you need to create untraceable and unlinkable new EBAY + PayPal accounts is covered in tech support, which included my nearly 100 page long Short List of detailed information on how to properly create accounts so that they will stay up. I also include, for UK clients, information on how to overcome the PayPal telephone confirmation.

You would not want all of the details posted publicly, because then "they" could review this information and figure out how to beat us. I am more than a few steps ahead of Ebay and PayPal, and you will want me to stay that way, which is why the best and most useful information should always be kept private.

[PayPal]

i can easily change my ip (just need to switch my router/modem off for 10 seconds and voila!).

But my question is , when i got to the following sites with my "new" ip, they both show different info.
whatismyipaddress.com
IP Address Geolocation to Country City Region Latitude Longitude ZIP Code ISP Domain Name Timezone NetSpeed IDD Country Code Area Code Weather Station Code Weather Station Name Database for Developers | IP2Locationâ„¢

Location
My WIMI location is Lichfield, UK.
My I2L location is London, UK.

My actual location is Birmingham, UK and Lichfield is in Birmingham.

If I get a new IP, then
WIMI - Walsall, UK (again another place in birmingham)
I2L - Liverpool, UK

And,
both show my ISP correctly, each and everytime.


My Question

If I open a new ebay/paypal account with this "new" IP, new AVS VCC, etc will they be able to link me.
Also the usual stuff like cookies, flash, etc will be taken care of as advised here.
I already have a 6-year old ebay and paypal account, both of which r active.


FWIW - I considered paid support but since i found out your list was long, i figured someone will reply here more quickly. Futhermore, its relevant to this post.

@ Mods - Please dont change my username. I hope to be very active here and I think it will be amusing.



EDIT - Oh, btw, if it does work, i.e. they wont be able to track/link me, will it be good to use another UK proxy on top of the new ip. I know ebay/pp WILL detect proxies but even if they do and find out that the hidden ip is UK based and has not been used to create/linked another account, will they just warn me and ask me to stop it or kill my account. Maybe proxies arent worth it?

[Modee]

I run two EBAY accounts usually. I don't really have a need for more than two. One is PayPal authorized, and that PayPal has bypassed all limitations including the SS request one, so it is solid.

But I also run another, pre 11/2007, account that is authorized for merchant account ONLY status.

For the PayPal one, which is the one I use the most lately actually (getting lazy, and Ebay buyers do feel most comfortable paying with stupid PayPal), I run it off cable modem + wireless router (in this case, an Airport time capsule). When you run your computer via most routers (and especially Airport), it tends to get stuck on the same IP address. For my purposes, this is good.

So, unless I leave that router unplugged and disconnected for nearly a week, as long as that router is in the mix, I always get the same IP address.

Then for the other account, I manually disconnect the ethernet cable between the modem and router, and connect the computer directly to the modem. In all cases I will get a different IP address from the one the router has latched on to all these months, and in most cases I get a different IP address I have never seen before.

Of course, for safety, I maintain a log of every log in IP address.

This morning I got a scare as I noticed that one of my Airport routers in a far end of the house was flashing amber - which means no connection. I started to think - wow did I forget to go back to the modem + router configuration before I logged back into my PayPal based Ebay?

Of course it turned out that all was well - Modee is a creature of habit and did not make that mistake. I'll just have to restart the different Airports I have around the house and get them to relatch onto the network.

BUT IT JUST GOES TO SHOW - you must be careful if you wish to run multiple Ebay accounts. And just VERY CAREFUL PERIOD about IP address. One slip up - you're linked for life.

[Modee]

I recommend these two:
What Is My IP Address? - Lookup IP, Hide IP, Change IP, Trace IP and more...
and
IP Address Geolocation to Country City Region Latitude Longitude ZIP Code ISP Domain Name Timezone NetSpeed IDD Country Code Area Code Weather Station Code Weather Station Name Database for Developers | IP2Locationâ„¢

because they include the crucial information you need to determine not only your IP address, but also
1) whether proxy is detected
2) whether conflicting locations are coming up for you

Try them out. With many ISPs these will return two different locations for you.

[Modee]

Although there may be no system to automatically detect whether an IP is in mass use, I am sure EBAY's algorithm has implemented a check to soften the alert when, say, hundreds of accounts are created on the same IP. In other words, one way or another, EBAY does figure out that a given IP is at a library, school, etc.

Whether that alert is softened automatically, or by some T&S employee entering some code to indicate "Warning! this is a public IP, do not delete matching accounts without further checking," I am sure that they eventually get wise to all that.

Plus we had an actual EBAY employee on another forum for a while (we gave him the boot when he stopped posting and reverted to simply snooping), and he went over with us the entire checklist EBAY follows before pulling the trigger. The match from a previously suspended account and a newer one must be more than just IP.

[Modee]

People get suspended from EBAY for being linked via IP address every day. IP address is a very real way that EBAY links suspended accounts with new ones. Cookies are another way too, correct there.

As far as the library thing - here's the deal: the matching IP address does set off an initial alarm bell. Now, is that ringing softened when EBAY realizes that the IP address in question is a public one? Maybe.

But anyway, once that initial match is made, EBAY then investigates further. If the accounts that logged in on that same IP address share some further qualities, then EBAY will take action and suspend.

But OBVIOUSLY EBAY is not going to suspend every person who logs in at, say, a library because one account that was on that IP was once suspended. But if further details make the match - then the shoe is going to drop.

[Modee]

As far as cable, all of them are dynamic as far as I know.

[Modee]

1 - I am not the expert on AOL or dial up, but from what I understand dial up gives you a different IP address every time you connect, automatically. Some people advise writing down every IP address on each log in, because you might rotate back to one associated with a past suspended account.

So, the first thing you might want to do is figure out what IP address is associated with your suspended account.

As far as that idea of "AOL giving EBAY your IP address," I am not sure if that was ever established or just a hypothesis as to why people using AOL were going down so fast on EBAY.

Could someone with expertise on AOL address AOL questions please.

2 - Wireless USB adapter. Do you have access to wireless internet? If so, what ISP? BUT if this is someone else's ISP you are sharing, then you will not be able to change the IP address, and may harm him if you get suspended on his IP address.

[Modee]

MAC Spoofing

Yes, as I wrote above I understood that you were referring to the Media Access Control address. If you go to something like
Changing Your MAC Address In Window XP/Vista, Linux And Mac OS X (Sometimes known as MAC spoofing)
you may find the solution.

[Modee]

My experience is with cable. Believe me, it took quite some time for me to figure out how to change my IP address, because I am Macintosh and especially because I use a wireless Apple router. For whatever reason Airport does NOT like to let go of its old IP address.

So if I could overcome the issues of a router that will NOT allow the MAC address to be changed, anyone could change his IP address.

Now, how easy is it to change IP address with DSL? Can it be done? If so, then I would MAYBE advise having BOTH cable and DSL but only if:

1) You are selling so much that being down even one day (down as in suspended off EBAY), while waiting for a new IP on your cable or DSL (so you can start up with a new or backup EBAY account), will cost you some serious coin.

2) If whatever method you have now (cable or DSL) takes quite some effort and time to change IP address, as in, even more than 24 hours.

With both I suppose you could switch between one or the other in a flash, and have backup EBAY accounts ready to go created on both ISPs.

[Modee]

That is one way to change your ISP address - switch between DSL and cable modem at the same address - but very extreme, and costly. However, should you get suspended again, then what are you going to do?