eBay seller wanting my email and phone number

[welshweasel]

I bought an item on eBay a week ago. Hadn’t been sent by midweek so I messaged the seller and asked when they would be sending it. Told would definitely be that day (Wednesday). Heard nothing so messaged back yesterday to ask if there was a problem. They have messaged me tonight asking for my phone number and email address as apparently they have had a nightmare trying to send the item and all couriers including Royal Mail need these details - I’ve bought and sold a lot of stuff on eBay and never needed anything other than address.

Am I being ridiculously paranoid or not?

i would keep all coms on Ebay and not take it off

Sounds bollocks to me

No they don't need either. Something weird is going on.

‘All couriers including Royal Mail need these details’ - wut ? What is the nature of their nightmare - size, weight, remote delivery address , restricted contents, customs issues?

Some couriers demand email &/or phone number. I'd give them out easily. They can get around it by putting in their own email & phone #. You won't get updates about the delivery time table & then the courier will ring them to ask questions about delivery that they can't answer. (BTDT).

How did you message them, if they have replied then they must have your contact details.

They can get your email by ferretting thru your paypal payment (I have done this often when sending things via courier).

All the messages are on eBay. I’ve never given out my email before. It just seems weird. We sell a lot of stuff on there and have never been asked for it by couriers.

Myhermes always asks insists on a delivery email, plus they ask for delivery phone no. but this is not compulsory.
MyHermes international demands phone number as well as email.
Collect-Plus? Anyway, another courier I recently used demanded phone as well as email.

I'd be scared you were dodgy buyer b/c you refused, tbh. You can quickly set up a temp hotmail email addy if you want to be paranoid. Phone no: they can input their own but this could mess up delivery if courier wants to ring & ask questions.

I’ve literally just had this!

I had to send an item via courier (Stereo system) and used DHL. When I was filling the paperwork in at the branch of WHSmith where the DHL drop point is located, it asked for the recipients email and phone number and they couldn’t proceed without it.

I had to message my buyer via eBay and ask for these details (which he provided).

So, as far as DHL are concerned, in my experience, your seller isn’t telling porkies!

ragged I send with Myhermes every week and never need an email address?

Must be my special penance, then! Always asked for it.

That's interesting. I wonder what the difference is.