There is a very specific kind of frustration that comes with losing a good contact. Back in 2018, I bought a vintage Nikon F3 camera from a seller who was an absolute artist with packaging. He wrapped the lens in three layers of bubble wrap and included a handwritten note about the shutter speed calibration. It was the best buying experience I’d had in years. Six months later, I wanted to buy a specific 50mm lens, and I knew I wanted to buy it from him. I opened the eBay app, confident I could find him in seconds.
I spent the next forty-five minutes scrolling, sweating, and swearing.
I couldn't remember his exact username. Was it "NikonGuy88"? "CameraPro_Japan"? I scrolled through my purchase history, but the transaction had fallen off the main view. I felt ridiculous. Here I was, a "tech-savvy" reseller, unable to perform a simple lookup. It made me realize that while eBay is a massive marketplace connecting millions of people, its interface can sometimes feel like a labyrinth designed to keep us apart.
That afternoon taught me a valuable lesson: knowing how to navigate the platform's search architecture is a skill. Whether you are trying to rebuy from a trusted source, spy on a competitor, or vet a new supplier, you need to know the shortcuts.
The "Advanced Search" Method (The Right Way)
Most people treat the main search bar at the top of the eBay homepage like Google. They type in "seller name" or "shop by [User]" and hope for the best. Usually, this just returns a list of items that happen to have those words in the title, which is incredibly unhelpful.
To actually search by seller name on ebay, you have to go where the casual browsers rarely go: The Advanced Search tool.
This tool hasn't changed much visually in the last decade (it still looks a bit like the internet did in 2008), but it is precise.
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Locate the word "Advanced" to the right of the main search bar.
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Once you click it, do not get distracted by the item search fields at the top.
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Scroll down—past the price ranges, past the buying formats—until you see a header titled "Sellers."
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Check the box that says "Only show items from."
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Enter the specific User ID.
I remember using this exact method in late 2019 to find a seller named "PartzKing" (not their real name, but close enough). I needed a replacement motor for a Dyson vacuum I was flipping. I knew this seller had thousands of parts, but I couldn't find their store through a regular product search because their titles were messy. By plugging their name into the Advanced Search, I pulled up their entire inventory list, filtered by "lowest price," and found the motor for $12.
Here’s where it gets interesting...
If you don't know the exact spelling, the Advanced Search will fail you. It is unforgiving. If the seller is "Vintage_Toys" and you type "VintageToys" (missing the underscore), eBay will give you zero results. This precision is great when you are accurate, but a nightmare when you are guessing.
How Do I Find a Specific Seller on eBay Using the URL Hack?
If navigating through menus feels too slow—and honestly, sometimes it is—there is a faster way. I call this the URL hack, and it is how I navigate 90% of the time.
Every seller on eBay has a specific profile URL structure. If you know the username, you can bypass the search engine entirely.
Type this into your browser address bar: www.ebay.com/usr/[USERNAME]
For example, if you wanted to find my old profile, you would just type the username after that slash. This takes you directly to their profile page, where you can see their feedback score, join date, and a button to "See all items."
This method is particularly useful when you have the username written down on a piece of paper or saved in a spreadsheet. I keep a Google Sheet of my top 15 competitors. I don't waste time searching for them; I just click the direct URL links I’ve created using this structure.
The "Store" vs. "User" Distinction
One thing that confuses people is the difference between a User ID and a Store Name. They are often different.
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User ID: The unique handle you sign up with (e.g.,
ResellRocker99). -
Store Name: The branded name of your subscription shop (e.g.,
The Rocker Thrift Shop).
The URL hack I mentioned above works for the User ID. If you are wondering how do i find a specific seller on ebaybut you only know their fancy Store Name, the URL structure is slightly different:
www.ebay.com/str/[STORENAME]
I once spent twenty minutes trying to find a seller called "MidModSupply." I kept typing it into the user search and getting nothing. Eventually, I realized that was their Store Name. Their actual User ID was something obscure like mms_llc_2015. Once I swapped to the /str/ URL structure, I found them immediately.
Finding a Vendor via Product Research
Sometimes the goal isn't to find a friend, but to find a supplier. If you are asking how to find a vendor on ebay to source inventory, you have to work backward.
You don't search for the seller; you search for the product, and then analyze who is selling it in bulk.
When I started getting into selling discontinued cosmetics (a surprisingly lucrative niche, by the way), I didn't know who the big players were. I just searched for "MAC Lipstick Discontinued Lot."
I looked for listings that had:
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Quantities available (e.g., "More than 10 available").
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Professional stock photos.
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Feedback scores over 10,000.
Once I clicked on an item, I looked at the "Seller Information" box on the right side of the listing. This is your goldmine. By clicking their name, I could see their other items.
In 2021, I found a vendor this way who was selling bulk cables. I noticed they were selling packs of 50 HDMI cables for a price that was barely above manufacturing cost. I clicked through to their store, used the "Contact Seller" button, and negotiated a direct deal for 500 units. If I had just tried to randomly search for "cable vendors," I never would have found them.
The Mobile App Struggle
Now the tricky part... doing this on your phone.
The eBay mobile app is great for many things, but searching for a specific seller is not one of them. The interface changes frequently, and features get buried.
As of the latest update, there is no big "Advanced Search" button on the app home screen. To search by seller name on ebay on mobile, you usually have to use the main search bar, type the name, and then hope a "Search for user" option pops up in the autocomplete dropdown.
Often, it doesn't.
My workaround for mobile is simple but annoying: I don't use the app to find sellers. I open Chrome or Safari on my phone, go to eBay.com, and use the URL hack (ebay.com/usr/name). It forces the browser to open the seller's page, which usually then deep-links back into the app.
I had a moment of panic at a flea market in 2022. I found a rare video game, EarthBound, and I wanted to see if a specific high-end game collector I followed had sold one recently to price check it. I tried typing his name in the app. Nothing. I tried filtering. Nothing. By the time I fumbled through the browser to find his store, another buyer had walked up and asked to see the game. I didn't lose the buy, but I lost the advantage of speed.
Common question I see: Can I search by location?
People always ask me if they can find sellers in their specific city. The answer is... sort of.
You cannot type "Sellers in Chicago" into a search bar and get a directory. eBay protects seller privacy too much for that. However, you can use the Radius Search to reverse-engineer this.
If you want to know how do you find an ebay seller near you (maybe to save on shipping or do a local pickup), follow this workflow:
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Search for a generic item (like "Table").
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Go to filters.
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Select "Item Location."
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Choose "Within 25 miles of [Zip Code]."
This will show you items listed by sellers near you. From there, you can click on their usernames to visit their stores.
I tried this when I was looking to outfit a home gym. Shipping heavy iron weights is astronomically expensive. I searched for "dumbbells," filtered to 50 miles from my zip code, and found a seller who ran a liquidation business out of a warehouse just two towns over. I ended up driving there and buying not just the weights, but a bench and a rack, paying cash on pickup. I saved about $200 in shipping fees.
However, a limitation here is that not all sellers offer local pickup, and some large sellers use fulfillment centers, so their "location" might be a warehouse in Kentucky even if they are based in New York.
Competitor Spy Games
If you are a seller yourself, you aren't just looking for friends; you are looking for data. One of the best ways to improve your store is to find a seller who is doing slightly better than you and analyze their operation.
I use a tool called Terapeak (which is now built into eBay's Seller Hub) for this, but you can do it manually.
When I find a seller who is dominating a niche I want to enter—let's say, vintage typewriters—I don't just look at what they are selling. I look at their "Sold Listings."
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Go to their profile.
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Click "Items for sale."
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Scroll down the left-hand filter bar.
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Check the "Sold Items" box.
This filters out the noise. It shows you what buyers are actually paying for, not just what the seller is asking.
(It’s important to note: You can’t see their "Best Offer" accepted prices perfectly on the public side, but you can see the volume).
I once audited a competitor who seemed to be selling the same denim jackets as me but for $20 more. I couldn't figure out why. When I drilled into their sold listings and read the descriptions, I realized they were including specific measurements (pit-to-pit, sleeve length) that I was omitting. I updated my listings the next day.
This kind of research is vital. If you are serious about growing, you should look into how to analyze your selling performance to see how you stack up against these competitors once you find them.
The "Save This Seller" Function
Once you have gone through the hassle of figuring out how do i look for a seller on ebay, do not let them go.
Every seller profile has a little heart icon or a button that says "Save this seller." Click it.
This adds them to your "Saved Sellers" list, which is accessible from your "My eBay" drop-down menu.
I currently have about 100 saved sellers. Some are sources for inventory, some are competitors I watch, and some are just shops I like.
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The "Wishlist" Sellers: These are the ones who sell things I collect personally (vintage watches, specific vinyl records).
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The "Benchmark" Sellers: These are the big dogs in my categories. I check their stores once a week to see what they are listing.
If you don't save them, you are destined to repeat the "What was their name?" panic cycle.
Using External Tools to Find Sellers
Sometimes, eBay's internal search is just too clunky. In these cases, Google is actually a better tool to find an eBay seller than eBay itself.
You can use "search operators" to force Google to look only within eBay.
Try typing this into Google: site:ebay.com "seller name"
If you know the seller is named something like "RedDoorAntiques" but you aren't sure if there are spaces or underscores, Google is smart enough to figure it out. It will usually serve up their profile page as the top result.
I use this when I’m trying to find a seller on ebay by name but I only have a vague memory of it.
I also rely on automation tools to keep my own business organized so I have time for this research. I use Closo to automate my cross-listing to Poshmark and Mercari – saves me about 3 hours weekly. When you are running a business, those hours add up, and I’d rather spend them sourcing from the vendors I found than manually copying and pasting photos.
People always ask me: What if the seller changed their name?
This is a common headache. eBay allows users to change their User IDs every 30 days.
If you are trying to find a seller you bought from two years ago, and their name was CoolStuff2020, they might be SuperStuff2025 now.
If you search for the old name, you will hit a dead end.
The only way to find them is if you have an old transaction email.
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Search your email inbox (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) for "eBay Order."
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Find the old confirmation email.
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Click the "View Order Details" link inside that email.
Even if the item page is archived, clicking the Seller's name in the order details will usually redirect you to their currentprofile, regardless of name changes. I recovered a relationship with a wholesale supplier this way after they rebranded completely.
The Risks of "Off-Platform" Searching
A quick warning: If you are looking for a seller to try and message them to take a deal off eBay, be very careful.
eBay's algorithms scan messages for keywords like "text me," "PayPal," or "Venmo." If you find a seller and immediately message them asking to buy directly to save fees, you risk getting both of you banned.
I tried this once in my early days—rookie mistake. I found a seller with a rare guitar amplifier and messaged him to call me. eBay flagged the message, blocked it from being sent, and sent me a scary warning email.
Use the search tools to find them, buy from them, or research them. But keep the transaction on the platform until you have established a legitimate business relationship that doesn't violate the Terms of Service.
Conclusion
So, the next time you ask how do i look for a seller on ebay, remember that you have a toolkit at your disposal. You have the Advanced Search for precision, the URL hack for speed, and the radius filter for local deals.
The platform is vast, and good sellers are hard to find. When you find one who ships on time, describes items accurately, and communicates well, treat that connection like gold. Save their profile, subscribe to their newsletter, and don't rely on your memory to find them next time.
If you are looking to take your own selling game to the next level and become the seller people search for, check out the guides on the Closo Seller Hub for more strategies on inventory management and growth.
