posted on March 21, 2004 08:25:30 PM new
Hey guys,
I am having an awful time staying logged in to Ebay. Every time I want to save a search, it asks me to log in. When I try to log in, I get an error message that my browser (IE) is rejecting cookies. So I set my browser for low security, accept all cookies, apply now, even closed my browser and reopened. I even deleted all cookies, and no joy.
I repeatedly log in and it either says my browser is rejecting cookies or it gives me the log in screen again with no error message. This has been going on for week. Ebay had already set many options to demand password at each turn, but now I cannot even save favorite searches.
Does anyone have a fix? I don't have a virus and check for spyware an adware regularly. I think is is on Ebay's end. Is anyone else having a probelm, getting or staying logged in over 5 minutes? Kinda hard to shop this way!
Thanks,
Patty
[ edited by meadowlark on Mar 21, 2004 08:26 PM ]
posted on March 21, 2004 08:38:29 PM new
Patty...The cookie error message you were getting is because of an incompatability problem between Internet Explorer and the Ebay site, most likely caused by some tweeking or "enhancement" project on the Ebay end. I had the same problem about a month ago. I just switched to the Opera browser for about a week. They finally finished whatever they were doing and it got back to normal. Now is a good time to log onto Microsoft's site and make sure you have all the latest updates installed for your browser and O/S.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
Thanks! I did just that and it worked. Problem was, I automatically do all the Windows updates as they are issued, but they don't include the IE update with the others. You have to go specifically search it out.
So the problem is back today. No spy ware, no virus, no adware. Every time I try to save a search, Ebay wants me to log in yet again. It does not let me log in and says my browser is rejecting cookies.
I am going to look in my Spybot program and see if I can find where I rejected EBAY'S adware. I decided that may be the problem. Ebay may have their site set so you must accept their *@#$%&%$#!!!! adware or you can't log in succesfully each time. I have no rejection of cookies set right now, so that's not it.
Anyone else?
Patty
[ edited by meadowlark on Mar 22, 2004 04:24 PM ]
Yes, Ebay does have doubleclick.net cookies everytime I do a search I see the red restricted or blocked in the lower right hand corner that Spybot or Spyware blaster doesnt allow.
I "THINK" this is the same reason that no matter how many times I've clicked in the past that I don't want to see my last 3 saved searches it will still come back up at the bottom of the page whenever I completely clean my computer of all cookies etc. Eventually it remembers that I clicked I don't want to see it.
I don't have the saved log in feature as I wouldn't want that in their website just in case. I don't mind logging in or at least putting in my password everytime.
Don't have a clue...sorry. I just wondered about the spyBIT.
posted on March 22, 2004 01:11:14 PM new
Well, trying to undo any permanently immunized spy or adware with Spybot's recovery can't be done.
I did figure out, though, that while I am crafting my searches to add to my favorites, my logon to Ebay is timing out within minutes. If I try to log back on while creating a search then, it says I'm rejecting cookies. Ebay is definitely set somehow to log me off after a few minutes unless I'm actually on an auction page.
I suspect that it is either some new development on their part to cut down on site traffic that is inactive, or their system is set to reject users that have immunized against their adware? I'm grasping at straws here.
Patty
[ edited by meadowlark on Mar 22, 2004 04:26 PM ]
posted on March 22, 2004 01:15:29 PM new
tools/internet options/privacy/edit button?
somewhere way back when....there was a time that I couldn't log into PayPal until I edited either that button or the "trusted sites" button that would always allow PP.
Maybe that might work for you since you like staying logged in? However you do know that Ebay is constantly tweaking and {cough cough} improving their features......
posted on March 22, 2004 01:32:50 PM new
glassgrl,
Thanks. That was the first place I looked. I set Security for the lowest setting, and Privacy on "Accept all Cklkies" which I don't really want to do, but did to see if that helped.
I do especially have a problem trying to log in if I check the "keep me logged in unless I log out" box on the Ebay sign-in screen. Could be that since I don't want their adware, they are keeping me from staying logged in and their system bumps me off? Underhanded if that's the case, and I can't change the adware removel back if I want to. Unless, as I suspect, I remove Spybot and all it's components. Geez!
The only way sometimes I've been able to get back into Ebay is to close my browser, then re-open it and click on a link I have on my toolbar for "My Ebay" page. It loads and I'm usually "logged in"! Too weird.
I just hope the next time I place a bid, it doesn't reject my login at that time. Hmmm...
posted on March 22, 2004 02:00:44 PM new
no don't accept all cookies but physically enter the www.ebay.com page in there. or maybe the page after you've signed in and you're on the search page, try entering that address in there.
posted on March 22, 2004 04:41:31 PM new
glassgrl,
I really appreciate all the help.
Spybit? My stupid typos. Was very tired and have had a long nap now. I just went back and corrected the glaring ones I saw. Yawn!
I didn't quite get your last posting, but I think you are saying to try opening the browser and type in Ebay's address manually to see if that changes anything?
I just tried that, and Ebay thinks I am already logged in, and the options at the top of the page include "log out", not "log in". But if I click on the "My Ebay" link on their page or the link in my links bar, Im asked to sign in as if I'm not signed in.
I tried going and making a quick change to a saved search, and resave it. I can do that apparently. I think I'm just being "timed out" by the site if I linger anywhere without actually having an auction page open.
Doesn't the "Keep me logged in unless I log out" just allows a cookie to be placed on my computer, not in their system? I may be wrong.
Anyway, I'm off to experiment a bit more, and raise the level of cookie acceptance a notch and see if I can still get in.
Double click was one of the few adware items (only five show available out of over 20 removed) that I could allow Spybot to reinstate if that's the problem. I really don't want to though.
Patty
[ edited by meadowlark on Mar 22, 2004 04:45 PM ]
posted on March 22, 2004 05:26:53 PM new
tools/internet options/security/trusted sites
try putting the www.ebay pages you want ok'd in there.
then go on over to the edit cookies and always allow the ebay cookies.
I'm thinking you might want to put in the "just" www.ebay.com (I think though it makes you use http://www for some reason) and the www.ebay.com page address after you've signed it. That may work although I'm not sure. Like I said..I don't have my Ebay preferences set to "always keep me logged in until I sign out". That seems kind of envasive to me.
posted on March 23, 2004 05:00:51 AM new
I had the same problem, and Powerseller Support at eBay gave me a pretty good answer. Use the FIND command on the START menu to find all folders named COOKIES. Go into the Cookies folders and delete every cookie with "ebay" in its name, and then reboot your computer. (You'll be surprised at how many hundreds of cookies you have, overall.) You have many obsolete eBay cookies, and this is the cause of the problems. Also, don't set your home page to any page in My eBay. You can set it to www.ebay.com, but no other page in eBay. I have done all these things, and I'm almost OK again. If you still sometimes get asked to log in unnecessarily, close that browser and open another one. Drives you crazy, doesn't it? I hope this helps.
posted on March 23, 2004 08:44:01 AM new
PYOURDON,
I found oodles of ancient Ebay cookies and temporary internet files and deleted them all. I probably have 6 or more cookie files, leftovers from various crashes and recoveries. Of course, i can't tell which is the current one, so I purged anything I didn't recognize in each file, plus all the Ebay ones.
I will report back what the results are when I go Ebaying next.
I got it now that I should not set my homepage for any Ebay page except possibly their main page. Are you saying it is also a problem over time to access the "My Ebay" page by having it in my "links" bar? Should I be logging onto Ebay's main page instead and go to "My Ebay" from there? If that is the case, that would explain the weird problem I've been having for an extended period that every time I try to delete an item I was watching or had not won on the Bidding/watching page, it would not always record the changes, or it would ask me to sign in again, or would be balky overall.
posted on March 23, 2004 10:40:48 AM new
One of the biggest foibles in modern society is not paying attention to pre-set warnings, the art of listening to our fears. Many people have smoke detectors forced on them by law, then have absolutely no plan or idea what to do when they go off.
The alarms are going off in your system and you are trying to solve the problem by turning the alarms off. Quit trying to take the battery out of the smoke detector and try to figure out where the smoke is coming from. BTW, where there is smoke there is fire.
I encourage the genius' at eBay to continue down the spyware/popups path. It will certainly encourage new users and enthrall the current ones. I don't know why they haven't utilized the brilliant strategy of quietly re-setting your home page to eBay.
As an aside; watch for Paypal in the news, a number of its financial shenanigans routinely employed violate the law in numerous jurisdictions. A note to anyone associated with a States A.G. office: easy revenue enhancement.
posted on March 25, 2004 11:39:29 AM new
Hi Patty, and sorry I didn't post before, but I'm away from home. Any bookmark you have for an eBay item can cause these same problems of repeated requests to sign in, as you were probably signed in (with now-obsolete cookies) when you created the bookmark in the first place. As soon as I get my courage up, I'm going to delete ALL the cookies on my hard drive and start over again. Hope your eBay life is easier than before!
posted on March 25, 2004 02:16:10 PM new
Pyourdon,
Thanks for the advice. Your fix appears to have worked. I rarely get any error messages or excess request to log in now. But I was still using the "My Ebay" link in my Favorite Links bar. I just went and deleted it, and substituted Ebay's main page. That will likely handle the last few errors I was getting.
Most everyone here was very helpful, and my thanks to the rest of you as well.
