4 min read
Why eBay asks for a phone number
eBay asks for a phone to confirm new accounts and logins, and often uses it for order and marketing texts.
Can you skip the phone on eBay?
Most stores let you sign up with an email, then ask for a phone before the first order or login from a new device.
Your options without a SIM card
Stores and marketplaces may refuse virtual numbers or numbers already linked to another account.
- Email or Google/Apple sign-in, when the app allows it. Free, and no number at all.
- A second SIM or eSIM. Costs a monthly plan, but the number stays yours.
- A private temporary number from CoveSMS. Only you see the code, and you pay nothing if it doesn’t arrive within 20 minutes.
Step by step: get the eBay code online
- Buy a eBay number in your dashboard.
- Choose the country on the phone screen and paste the number.
- Ask for the code by text.
- Enter the code from your dashboard.
If the code doesn’t arrive
- Use a number from the same country as the eBay store you’re signing up for.
- If the number is already used, cancel for your balance back and buy another.
- No code within 20 minutes means the number closes and the price goes back to your balance.
After you’re in: stop depending on the number
A temporary number is single-use. Set up another way in before it closes:
- Turn on two-step verification with an authenticator app in your eBay security settings, if offered.
- Keep your own email on the account for password resets.