On 04/22/2020 04:51 AM, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
> [WARNING: Rant Ahead]
> 
> Last year Ebay started forcing me through a Google capcha every time
> I log in (actually at first it was _twice_, before and after the
> password entry form - as well as when trying to log out sometimes!?),
> as well as every time before payment with PayPal.
> 
> Those Google capchas drive me nuts and waste some significant time
> when they want to send me in circles clicking on endless cars, bikes,
> busses, trees, stairs, traffic lights, crossings, fire hydrants*...
> 
> I emailed a complaint to Ebay about them, but just got a reply to say
> that my email had been detected as spam by some M$ spam filter and
> refused. Even though it's the same email address that my Ebay address
> is registered with.
> 
> Since then PayPal now demands a capcha on every log-in too (though
> at least only once, and just an old-fashioned wonky letters one). So
> to buy something on Ebay I have to log in, do the capcha, select to
> buy the item, select to pay, do another capcha for Ebay, do a capcha
> for PayPal, tell them for the 1,000th time that I DO NOT want to link
> my PayPal account to Ebay, then finally get the order completed.**
> 
> Not to mention I always seem to be getting cheated on postage costs
> that are more than advertised lately. Maybe that's just the virus,
> but someone (or some website) honest would stick by the advertised
> price rather than try to extort me after agreeing to buy.
> 
> Then there's Aliexpress and Alibaba that often forces you to enter
> a code from a confirmation email just to log in now. Also Aliexpress
> doesn't even seem to let you browse for long before demanding that
> you log in to continue.
> 
> It's happening with the latest Firefox ESR release (even a fresh
> install where I hadn't dug into about:config yet), so it's not due
> to me using a weird browser. I have NoScript (which Google has to
> be let through every time I log in to Ebay now), but turning it off
> doesn't stop them. Surely everyone is being driven nuts by this, but
> after months they're still doing it!
> 
> * How's an Aussie even expected to know what an American fire hydrant
>   looks like when the ones over here live on fire trucks and only get
>   inserted ("shipped" is the actual term) into the outlets next to
>   the road when something is burning down nearby?
> 
>   Also, strangely, 
ebay.com (not the .com.au Australian version) uses
>   a different 3rd party capcha provider instead of Google.
> 
> ** Ebay are apparantly planning to start handling payments themselves
>    at the seller's side in place of PayPal soon, allowing more payment
>    platforms to be supported besides PayPal.
>     
https://sellercentre.ebay.com.au/managed-payments
> 
Heh. Lucky you. All I ever get is their 'Your mobile device is not supported. download some app.' screen
(on a PC with an iceweasel=old version of firefox)
But there's other platforms you know.. amazon, alibaba..