Everything You Need To Know About Using An eBay Proxy

Online shopping, although not a new concept, still manages to impress me. Who would have thought, that in less than twenty years, all of the biggest names in retail would be just as successful online as they are selling products out of their brick-and-mortar locations. Online shopping can be done at any time and from anywhere. Now I know what you are thinking, this fact can be a dangerous one. The amount of times I have made a purchase past midnight is too embarrassing to admit. But we all do it, because the hassle of driving to a store, fighting crowds, and unloading everything once back at home, is entirely removed from the shopping equation. None of these peaks, I believe, would be possible without one retailer that helped change the landscape of the internet and how consumers buy and sell. I’m talking about eBay. For twenty-five years, eBay has shown other businesses how to create a successful online shopping experience. If you are anything like me, you love having the opportunity to declutter your life, while still investing in items that will last. But there is even more to eBay than what we see at first glance and with the help of an eBay proxy, you will be able to unlock those benefits with ease.

In this blog, I will take you through what an eBay proxy is, different reasons to use one, and introduce you to eBay scraping. You love eBay, so why not get the most out of the online retailer you love. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

What Is an eBay Proxy?

First things first, we need to define what an eBay proxy is. Whether you are familiar with proxies or are entirely new to the idea, using a proxy with eBay is especially useful. Think of your proxy as a gateway between you and the internet. It has the ability to connect your device with the websites you are visiting. You see, every single device has a unique IP address, a number that allows your computer or smartphone to be easily identified by the places you visit online. Problem is, this number can only get you so far and creates limitations for your device.  An eBay proxy is your solution to this issue. The proxy masks your IP address so eBay and other sites don’t know who you are and where your original IP address originates. Remember what I said about proxies being a gateway? One of their main purposes is to act as a barrier, so now all of the sites you frequent will think the eBay IP address provided by a proxy server reflects your actual location.

What does this mean for the habitual eBay shopper? It means a whole lot. The proxy will eliminate any restrictions placed on your location, unblock eBay if you have been shut out, and help you to use eBay scraper software with ease. Given the number of people browsing eBay each and every day, staying anonymous online sounds impossible. Lucky for you, what was once impossible is now highly probably with the help of a proxy tool.

How to Use a Proxy for eBay

If you have done any preliminary research about proxies, you might have seen how much they can vary and the note the different types that are offered. What you are planning on using your proxy for can directly affect the type that you buy. Given this fact, I want to talk about how to use a proxy for eBay.

Using proxies is a pretty straightforward process. You simply find a proxy from a reliable proxy provider, purchase, and set them up according to the browser that you are using. Once the new IP address is in place, you are ready to start browsing eBay anonymously. However, so make sure that you are in fact buying your proxy, rather than downloading a free one. While free stuff can be enticing, unpaid proxies are often unreliable and leave your device unprotected. When you use a free proxy, you are sharing resources with everyone else using that same proxy. Go with a paid proxy and avoid any sort of trouble that comes with using proxies whose origins are unknown.

Like I mentioned earlier, you will also want to pay attention to the type of proxy you are using with eBay. The best eBay proxy to purchase would be rotating or dedicated. Rotating proxies automatically rotate your IP address for you. You can even set the duration of time between rotations. For example, you can set it up to rotate every 10 minutes, meaning you will get a fresh IP address every interval. Rotating proxies are incredibly hard to track, which makes them ideal for staying anonymous and for scraping data from eBay (which we will talk about a little later). On the other hand, if you go with a dedicated proxy, you’ll get a handful of IP addresses to use, and you can switch them out as you see fit. Dedicated proxies are just that, dedicated to your device and your device only, making them a go-to for remaining safe from hackers and other nefarious activities. Before you choose the type of proxy you would like to buy, think more about how you are going to use that proxy and dig even deeper into the cost and benefits of each. One thing is for certain, knowing how to use your proxy and avoiding free “deals” online will set you up for success.

How to Sell Anonymously on eBay

Now that we have established the what and the how I want to jump into a few different reasons to use an eBay proxy. The first benefit is your ability to sell anonymously on eBay. My grandmother is an expert when it comes to selling antiques on eBay. Nobody knows how to track prices and potential buyers like she can. But her one hesitation with continuing to sell on eBay is the lack of anonymity. I have heard her complain about being recognized and listened to her fears about her personal information being stolen. With eBay proxies, those concerns are shattered. Since an eBay proxy hides your original IP address, it also hides who you are from outside viewers. This fact is a great relief to those looking to fly under the radar and keep a low profile when imputing personal information into a website used by millions. The less attention being drawn to your account, the easier it is to go about your business online with minimal trouble. Learning how to sell anonymously on eBay comes in the form of a reliable proxy.

Benefits of Using eBay Scraper Software

Another major benefit of an eBay proxy comes with the added ability to scrape large quantities of data in one go. Web scraping is the automated process of information collection. Scraping tools are told what to look on a particular website. They then find that data and compile it into one neat document. Many people use scraping software to gather eBay prices, customer reviews, and product information. Scraping is fantastic for developing background information for your own business or for marketing purposes at larger companies. Before you jump right in, there are a few things to keep in mind while scraping. These tips will help keep your account protected while using a proxy and scraping tool.

 First, I would encourage you to act like a human. While I am sure you have the concept of being human mastered in real life, online affairs are a bit different.  You see, most sites don’t like scrapers, and eBay is no exception. In fact, eBay will block scrapers when given the chance, so you will want to do everything in your power to avoid detection. Thankfully, it is easier than it sounds. The key is to make sure that your software acts like a human. Most eBay scrapers have settings that you can configure. Configure the settings so your scrapers act like humans rather than the automated bots they are.

For example, would a human make 1,000 requests per second? Not likely. A human wouldn’t be capable of that, so make sure your software doesn’t make an outrageous request. In addition, humans vary their behavior. They don’t do the same thing over and over again for 24 hours in a row. Neither should your software. It needs to mix things up to remain undetected. As long as your software doesn’t do anything too crazy, it should cruise along undetected. That is very important if you’re going to get the most out of your scraper.

Second, as a rule of thumb, it’s always a good idea to log out of your account when scraping a site for data. Remember, you want to do this anonymously, and there is nothing anonymous about using your account. If you use your account, it will be very easy for eBay to track you down. Once you are logged out, your proxy can go to work for you.

What scraping tool should I use?

Finally, I do want to mention a popular tool that is used for scraping. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a scraping activity that ScrapeBox can’t do. This SEO scraper is a powerhouse. When it comes to harvesting keywords from eBay, it exceeds expectations. The harvester comes with a lot of great tools, including multithreaded connections and multilevel scraping. Use the scraper to obtain valuable information about various products and take that information to optimize your website. Get the most out of this tool by customizes your searches. If you want to learn everything there is to know about eBay products, ScrapeBox is a great place to start.

Use eBay Proxies to Unlock eBay

One last benefit I want to address is unblocking eBay after being locked out. If you are attempting to use eBay in a country that has geographical restrictions or unblock an account that was banned because of you were scraping high volumes of data, then using proxies for eBay is just the ticket you need. Because proxies have the ability to hide your true IP address, they are fantastic tools for figuring out how to get back on eBay after being banned. When eBay sees a lot of activity on one account, it might start to think your account is being accessed by a bot or that you have been hacked, which could lead to a ban. While being banned is never fun, it does not mean you are locked out of eBay forever. Once you start using your proxy, eBay will register your device as a new one and not give it a second thought when you make a new account. Websites track IP addresses coming and going from the site, so if it sees a new one, the website will think you are a different person, accessing eBay from wherever that proxy server is located.

Final Thoughts on Proxies for eBay

eBay is a force to be reckoned with. A massive online retailer that forever shaped the way we do business online. Between personal and business accounts, the possibilities for buying and selling on eBay are vast. However, when accessing eBay with your device’s original IP address, you are limited to where that address is from. Start using an eBay proxy today and see all the good that comes along with selling anonymously, unblocking accounts, and eBay scraper software.

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