Use case
Sell safely online
Use a proxy email and virtual phone number on listings, then turn them off after the sale — no more "is this still available?" texts six months later.
Best for
Anyone selling on Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, eBay classifieds, or local listing groups.
The workflow
How it runs end to end
- 01 Create a proxy email and virtual number specifically for the listing
- 02 Use them on the marketplace post — never your real details
- 03 Buyers reach you normally; everything forwards to your real inbox and phone
- 04 Once the sale completes, pause or delete the alias and number
- 05 The listing's long tail of late enquiries dies with the alias
The problem with using your real number on a listing
Marketplace listings have a long tail. The bike sells in three days, but six months later you’re still getting “is this still available?” texts because the listing was archived, not removed, or because someone screenshotted it. Worse, marketplaces’ messaging features sometimes leak the underlying email or number.
Once your real details are out there, they’re out there. There’s no way to take them back without changing them yourself.
A clean exit at the end of every transaction
The fix is treating each listing like a little project that has a beginning and an end:
- Create. Spin up a fresh email alias and virtual number when you post.
- Use. Buyers reach you exactly as they would normally.
- Retire. Once the item is sold and exchanged, delete or pause the contact details.
Late enquiries hit a dead end. Your real details were never on the listing in the first place.
A useful side benefit
Per-listing aliases also tell you which marketplace actually drives the responses. If you list a sofa on three different platforms with three different aliases, you find out which one is sending you the buyers worth talking to.
Buyer-side safety
The same setup works in reverse — when you’re buying. If a seller wants your number to confirm a viewing, give them the proxy. If the deal falls through, no permanent record. If the seller turns out to be dodgy, you don’t have to live with the consequence of having shared a number that’s also linked to your bank.