How to keep your phone number private when selling online
To keep your number private when selling online, don't put your real mobile on the listing. Get a second UK number in an app and hand that out instead - buyers call and text the second number, and your personal one stays yours. If contact gets much, you can silence it, and because your real number was never shared, you stay in control.
Why not just use your real number?
Once your mobile number is on a public Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, eBay or Gumtree listing, it's out there for good. You can get chased long after the item's gone, added to marketing lists, or contacted by people you'd rather not hear from. Keeping your selling contact separate from your personal number means a quick sale doesn't cost you your privacy.
How do you sell without giving out your real number?
- Get a second number. In an app like nothanumber you add a UK number - mobile or landline - in minutes, on the phone you already own.
- Put it on your listings. Use the second number wherever a listing asks for a contact, instead of your real mobile.
- Handle buyers in the app. Calls and texts to that number come into the app, kept in one place, separate from your personal messages.
Does the buyer ever see your real number?
No. When you call or text a buyer from your second number, they see that number - never your personal mobile. That's the whole point: you can talk to a stranger about a sale without ever handing over your real line.
What if a buyer keeps contacting you after the sale?
You're in control. Use Quiet Hours to make the number go quiet - instantly, or on a schedule - so it stops ringing. And because your real number was never shared, the buyer only ever has your second number, not your personal one. If you sell often, you can even hold more than one number and keep, say, big-ticket sales on their own line.
Is this just for selling?
No - the same idea works anywhere you'd rather not give out your real number: signing up to a service, a dating app, or a side hustle. It's about legitimate privacy - a clean line between your personal number and the rest - not hiding from anyone. You're simply choosing who gets your real mobile.
Common questions
Will buyers see my real phone number if I use a second number?
No. When you call or text a buyer from your second number, they see that number, not your personal mobile. Your real number is never shown.
How do I keep my number private on Marketplace or Vinted?
Get a second UK number in an app like nothanumber and put that on your listings instead of your real mobile. Buyers contact the second number, so your personal one stays private.
Can I stop a buyer contacting me after the sale?
Yes. You can silence a number with Quiet Hours, and because your real number was never shared, a buyer only ever has your second number - not your personal line.
nothanumber gives you a second UK number - mobile or landline - to hand out when you sell, with calls, texts and free voicemail, and Quiet Hours to switch it off. It's ready, and access is invite-only for now - join the waitlist for your spot.