Originally Posted by ebay

May 2007


***Updates on the Safeguarding Member ID Initiative***

15 May, 2007 | 03:33PM BST

We wanted let you know about changes we’re making to our Safeguarding Member IDs (SMI) initiative.
We introduced SMI to eBay.co.uk in November 2006. This initiative is designed to protect eBay's bidders from unwanted commercial and malicious spam, such as phishing, spoof, and fake Second Chance Offers. We've had a few months now to watch SMI in action, and we have seen a significant reduction in fake Second Chance Offers and other types of solicitations sent to bidders on higher-priced auction-style listings.

We've also received a lot of feedback from the Community about how we can improve the user interface, and we've been working hard to do so. Specifically, we want to replace some of the transparency that was removed when SMI was first introduced, without affecting the protection we're providing for bidders.

This week, we'll be making the following adjustments to SMI:

Enhancements to Search by Bidder
When members use the Search by Bidder feature (found under Advanced Search), they’ll now be able to see all the details of that bidder’s bidding activity on items below the £100 threshold.
Sellers can use Advanced Search to research potential buyers
Sellers will be able to use Advanced Search to conduct full research on their current bidders for a 48 hour period after the bid is placed. In addition, they will also be able to research the activity of any member who sends them an Ask Seller a Question email or uses Best Offer within a 48 hour period of the email/offer being sent.
Safeguarding Member IDs on listings with a Reserve or Buy It Now over £100
If a bidder bids on a listing where the Reserve price or Buy It Now is above £100, their ID will be anonymised just as if they had placed a bid over £100.

Note: where auction-style listings have a Buy It Now option, and this option disappears, the listing will continue to be anonymised to protect bidders in the early stages of the listing.