For us cross-border people, a clear understanding of these basics such as IP addresses, proxy IPs, etc. and learning to use IP addresses correctly is crucial to safeguarding the security and stability of the store, especially understanding the difference between dynamic IPs and static IPs and how to utilize this knowledge to prevent account associations is a mandatory course for every e-commerce seller, so that we can truly understand what is the anti-association and better pick the right anti-association tool. Today we will explain in detail the definitions of dynamic IP and static IP and their differences to provide you with practical strategies on cross-border e-commerce anti-association.

What is Dynamic IP

A dynamic IP address is a proxy server that dynamically changes its IP address. Each time a device connects to the Internet, it gets a new address from a pool of available addresses, which means that the dynamic IP address changes. This address may be reassigned to another user or device shortly after you disconnect; in short, a dynamic IP is a temporary Internet address that can change.

How Dynamic IP works

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have a system called DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) that is responsible for automatically assigning IP addresses to devices connected to the network. Every time your device connects to the network, DHCP assigns your device an IP address that is not currently being used. When your device disconnects, or a specific amount of time passes, this IP address goes back into the address pool and may be assigned to the next connected device.

Advantages of Dynamic IP

Protecting Privacy: For cross-border e-commerce sellers, it is vital to protect their online identity. Dynamic IP addresses help sellers hide their real IP address by constantly changing it, thus reducing the risk of privacy leakage.

Prevent blocking: E-commerce platforms may take restrictive measures on accounts due to the detection of anomalies or frequent visits from the same IP address. The use of dynamic IP can reduce the risk of banning due to repeated use of IP address, especially when managing multiple accounts, dynamic IP can effectively help sellers avoid such problems.

Bypassing Restrictions: Many online services and websites have access restrictions on IP addresses in specific regions, dynamic IP addresses allow sellers to bypass geographic restrictions and break through these barriers even in those cases where there are restrictions on specific regions.

Increase speed: Dynamic IP address can choose the best IP path according to the user's geographic location and needs, thus increasing the data transmission speed and website loading speed, providing customers with a better shopping experience.

What is a static IP

In contrast, a static IP address is a fixed network address permanently assigned to a network device. Since it is a fixed network address, once it is assigned to a network device, it stays the same for a long time and does not change as the device disconnects or after a period of time.

How Static IP Works Static IP addresses need to be manually assigned and configured to a specific network device through an Internet Service Provider. Once set, this IP address becomes the device's permanent network address unless the user requests a change. The assignment of a static IP address is not automatic and usually requires a configuration process that may involve adjustments to network settings and will likely require an additional fee to use.

Advantages of Static IP

Better Stability: Stability is critical for cross-border e-commerce merchants who operate their own websites and servers. Static IP addresses provide this stability, ensuring that users are always able to access the merchant's website and services from the same address.

Easy to manage: Another advantage of static IP addresses is that they are easy to access and manage remotely. Cross-border e-commerce companies can utilize static IPs to remotely access computers and network devices located in different geographic locations for maintenance, updates or troubleshooting.

Running a dedicated server: For cross-border e-commerce merchants that need to run their own email, FTP or web servers, a static IP is a must, which ensures that customers have uninterrupted access to the merchant's online resources.

Difference between Dynamic IP and Static IP

To give you a better understanding of the difference, we can compare the two in terms of the following characteristics:

dynamic IP

• Assignment method: automatic, each time you connect to the network you may get a new IP address
• Stability: changing, addresses are updated frequently
• Cost: usually free, included with standard Internet service
• Application scenarios: personal user Internet access, small businesses, mobile devices, temporary network access
• Security and privacy: provides a degree of anonymity due to the fact that IPs change frequently

静态IP

• Allocation: Manually assigned, fixed, same IP address for a long time once set up
• Stability: Stable, address stays the same for continuous access
• Cost: More expensive
• Application Scenarios: Web hosting, remote access, online service provision, running servers
• Security and Privacy: Fixed IP may be more susceptible to long term monitoring and attacks

How to choose IP type for cross-border e-commerce

In the field of cross-border e-commerce, in order to do a good job of cross-border e-commerce stores to prevent correlation, sellers often need to buy a large number of IP, and in different occasions should choose the right type of IP, then do cross-border e-commerce in different occasions should be selected dynamic IP or static IP? The following are suggestions for you:

dynamic IP

Dynamic IP addresses are characterized by their volatility and the possibility of getting a brand new IP address every time you connect to the Internet. This immobility makes dynamic IPs ideal for managing multiple accounts, especially during the registration and login process, as they can simulate different users logging in, thus reducing the risk of the platform detecting that the same user is operating multiple accounts.

• Account registration: cross-border e-commerce companies should use dynamic IPs when creating new store accounts to simulate the behavior of different users in different regions and reduce the risk of account association.
• Multi-account management: For example, if an e-commerce operation team is responsible for managing multiple independent stores, they can use dynamic IP to ensure that each store account operates independently and reduce the risk of blocking due to association.
• Data Capture: When cross-border e-commerce companies utilize dynamic IPs for market analysis and price monitoring, they can avoid being blocked by target websites due to frequent requests.

static IP

A static IP address is a fixed and unchanging IP address, which is generally applicable to network environments that require long-term stability, like doing store operations should use an exclusive static IP, such as a single merchant account that operates for a long period of time. However, if you use a static IP to register multiple accounts, once one of the accounts is flagged or banned, other accounts using the same IP will also be easily affected.

• Store operation: For a single merchant account operating for a long period of time, a static IP provides a fixed network access point, which helps to improve the store's reputation and search engine ranking.
• Customer Service: If an e-commerce business needs to provide online customer service, a static IP can ensure stable access to the customer service platform and improve user experience.
• Remote Office: For e-commerce companies with international teams, a static IP can be used to set up a VPN to ensure that employees can access company resources remotely in a secure and stable manner.

To maximize results, cross-border e-commerce merchants often need to use a combination of dynamic IPs and static IPs. dynamic IPs are used to protect privacy and avoid account correlation when performing account registration and managing multiple accounts, while static IPs are used to ensure stability and professionalism when steadily operating major stores. Balancing the use of both IP types correctly can help cross-border eCommerce merchants effectively maintain multiple stores while enhancing the operational efficiency and security of their primary business.

Cross-border e-commerce account anti-association strategy

Account linkage is one of the most important issues that cross-border e-commerce companies want to avoid. Account linkage is commonly found in e-commerce and social media platforms such as Amazon, eBay, Facebook, etc., and once the platform algorithm detects that multiple accounts are linked to each other, it may result in the account being restricted or blocked.

It is important to note, however, that while the use of dynamic IPs can reduce the risk of accounts being linked to each other to a certain extent, it is not foolproof. Cross-border e-commerce platforms may also identify users through browser fingerprinting tracking technology, which is capable of identifying and tracking specific user behavioral patterns by analyzing a wide range of factors such as the user's device information, operating system, browser version, and so on. In addition to browser fingerprinting, there are other technical vulnerabilities that could lead to account association risks, one of which is WebRTC, which could also accidentally leak a user's real IP address. How WebRTC can leak IP addresses was explored in detail in our previous article, which you can read if you're interested.

To address these challenges, cross-border e-commerce merchants can manage multiple accounts with the help of AdsPower Fingerprint Browser. It creates a separate browser environment for each account, ensuring that each environment has a unique browser fingerprint, reducing the risk of account association. When using AdsPower, you can also configure settings to disable or manage WebRTC to protect accounts from being associated with the platform.