i wont deal with gearbest

[Trenzalore]

Hey, Will. I went through the same process. I was initially skeptical, just as you are now, because like you say, they didn't require it before. It's a security update on their side as well as on PayPal's. You can blur out sensitive info on the ID and card like they indicated (gave an ID without an address, too). I didn't need to provide any proof about PayPal registration, though. Just verified my card on PayPal and it was good to go.

I'm not forcing you to provide the requirements, just thought I'd share that I didn't get into any issues after doing so.
I asked around about it as well, when I was asked for the info, and seems to be a new protocol for them.