eBay lets you decide how and when you'd like to receive notifications and alerts. You can receive notifications in your email using your email account. You can receive alerts by instant messenger, text messages (SMS), or receiving a phone call. 

• SMS Alerts (text messages)

• IM alerts (instant messenger)

• Phone call alerts

If you need to update your email address, see Changing Your Contact Information.

The alerts and emails you can receive include the following:

• Status of items you’re bidding on, watching, or selling

• Feedback reminder emails or removal alerts

• Promotions and events

• User Agreement or Privacy Policy changes

To change your notification preferences, sign in to eBay, go to the My eBay page, and click Preferences. You can also select whether to receive emails in HTML or text-only format.

SMS alerts

SMS stands for "short message services" or text messaging. You can subscribe to have text message alerts sent to your mobile phone to notify you when an auction ends or you’ve been outbid. You will also be able to bid again from your alert.

Note: To subscribe to SMS alerts, you need a mobile phone services that has short message service (SMS) capabilities. Your service provider should be able to help you with this information. Most carriers charge for SMS, so please review the plan of your wireless service provider.

IM alerts

IM stands for "instant messaging." You can subscribe to have message alerts sent to your chat window to notify you when an auction ends or you’ve been outbid. If you subscribe to IM alerts, your chat window will open and you will see the IM alert.

Note: To subscribe to IM alerts, you need an account with an instant messenger provider, such as Skype. This account needs to exist before you subscribe for IM alerts.

Phone call alerts

You can subscribe to receive a phone call when an item you are watching or bidding on is about to end. You can then bid again from the phone call.

Note: To subscribe to phone call alerts, you need to create an account with UnWired Buyer, an eBay partner. For more information, go to the eBay Wireless page.