Blocking annoying pop-ups and ads on eBay

One thing we've heard a lot recently from customers is that they don't like shopping on eBay because of the annoying ads and pop-up windows that demand zip code and other information or try to get you to download malicious files. Gem, our resident computer wiz kid, has figured out how to stop these from appearing, so we're passing the info on to our customers to provide you with a more pleasant, less annoying shopping experience when you visit us on eBay.

There are two types of ads that are particularly bothersome, and this is how you block each type.

#1 - Flashing or animated ads (top and side banners that move to get your attention) :

In Internet Explorer, click on Tools, then Manage Add-ons. Look for Shockwave Flash Object by Adobe and click the box at the bottom that says "disable."

#2 - Pop-up windows asking for zip code or suggesting file downloads, etc. :

In Internet Explorer, click on Tools, Internet Options, and open the Security tab. On the bar across the top, select "Restricted Sites." When the "Sites" button becomes available, click on it and add to your list of restricted sites:

http://cdn.fastclick.net/
http://include.ebaystatic.com/

Click OK, and again click on the "Restricted Sites" icon. Click the "Custom" button. Go down the list, and for everything that has a disable/enable/prompt option, select disable. Click OK to close all windows.

No more annoying or dangerous ads to ruin your shopping!

**Just a note about #2 above - if you sell on eBay, you'll need to remove http://include.ebaystatic.com/ from restricted sites in order to use the listing tool. There may be other functions on eBay that also use this URL. So if you use it to block ads, just bear in mind that if things stop working, you may need to delete it. I have a sticky note on my monitor that reminds me to delete it right after I'm finished browsing. (The fastclick.net you can just leave in there - it's only for ads.) You may also have to enable Shockwave again for pages on other sites to display correctly. ==gem==

Thanks, Gem!