Running your business

Improve your business efficiency with a new Time Away tool for scheduling time off, new Multi-User Account Access and email communications protections.

What you need to know

  • Use our new Time Away tool when you’re away
  • New Multi-User Account Access requirement
  • Updates to how we display email addresses

Time Away overview

Hide or keep your listings visible to buyers when you’re away with new Time Away

The Time Away functionality replaces our vacation settings and is available to all eBay sellers. When you need to take time away from running your eBay business, you can schedule a break using these settings.

For fixed price listings you currently have two options. You can:

  • Hide listings from search, so that buyers can no longer find and purchase them
  • Keep listings visible, so that buyers can continue to purchase them but will be notified that you are temporarily away

Benefits of Time Away settings

The new Time Away settings give you new options when planning ahead to take a break from your eBay business or if you have to take an unexpected pause.

  • Unlike its predecessor, vacation settings, the Time Away settings are now available to all sellers.
  • With Time Away, you can hide and resurface your listings in almost real-time and reduce any time delay to a minimum which could negatively impact your business.
  • A new scheduling functionality will enable you to plan ahead and prepare well in advance.
  • Estimated delivery dates and dispatch due times will be adjusted when Time Away is scheduled for active listings. This means your buyers will receive realistic estimated delivery dates automatically without you having to manually change the time yourself.
  • Negative feedback related to shipments will automatically be removed when Time Away is turned on, provided you post any items by the updated estimated delivery date. If you need to take time off unexpectedly, you can set your Time Away to start immediately and within a few hours your estimated delivery date will be extended and your listings will be hidden, if you choose that option. It is important to remember to fulfil any prior selling obligations.

Next steps

There are no immediate actions for you to take. From the end of September you will be able to access the new Time Away functionality by going to: ​Account Settings > Selling > Time Away

Time Away tool FAQs

No. This is done automatically when Time Away is enabled.

Listings will take a maximum of 1-2 hours to be hidden and made visible when using the Time Away tool.

Yes. Buyers can still send messages to you while you are away, but you can set an out-of-office automatic response.

With Time Away you have two settings: you can hide fixed price listings from search for 1 to 30 days or keep listings visible, but with a notice that you’re away for 1 to 15 days.

No. You do not need to update your handling time.

While you’re on Time Away, you still need to uphold commitments to your buyers, such as fulfilling orders sold before your Time Away started and responding to any open buyer requests related to items sold before your Time Away started.


New Multi-User Account Access two-factor authentication requirement

Multi-User Account Access can help you improve your business efficiency by allowing you to delegate specific work flows to other user accounts. Current permissions include create and edit drafts; publish and revise listings; view-only access to orders; access Terapeak; and download order report. Authorized users are now required to use two-step authentication to protect your account and your authorized users’ accounts. Later this fall, all authorized users will be required to use two-factor authentication. Note: Please only create authorized user accounts for individuals. This will give you full security benefits and enable you to track actions performed by individuals on your account.

Learn more

We’re updating how we display email addresses

As part of our ongoing effort to combat spam and phishing attacks and protect the privacy of eBay buyers and sellers, we’re no longer showing buyer email addresses in your orders. Instead, you’ll see an alias email address. Now you can contact buyers using their alias email addresses and your “from” email address will also be hidden by an alias email address.

We’ll continue to provide you with all the information you need to fulfill your orders. The change will not affect your business or eBay experience in any other way, and you don’t have to take any action. Unique alias email addresses will be used for each buyer transaction. The same alias email address will be used for all transactions with the same buyer. Your seller ID will not be impacted.

We recommend that buyers and sellers always communicate with each other using eBay Messages so that we’ll have a record if any issues occur.

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