Knowing the rules and policies on eBay can help you become a more successful seller. So before listing your item, make sure you read, understand, and regularly check our policies (including the rules for sellers and the eBay User Agreement) and all applicable laws and regulations on the sale of your item. This can help you avoid potential problems.
eBay policies are intended to:
Support laws and regulations
Minimize risks to sellers
Provide equal opportunity to all sellers
Protect intellectual property rights
Provide a more enjoyable buying and selling experience
Support the values of the eBay community
Make sure your listing follows our guidelines. If it doesn't, it may be removed, and your buying and selling privileges could be limited.
Prohibited and restricted items
Our policies are often based on country and state laws, although in some cases, they may also be based on input from our customers and our own discretion, especially for dangerous or sensitive items.
eBay policies cover 3 main areas—prohibited, restricted, and potentially infringing items (see also our overview of prohibited and restricted items):
Prohibited items are not allowed to be sold on eBay, often because they're illegal or involve strict federal or state regulations. Examples include:
Offensive material, which includes items that are racially or ethnically inappropriate (see our policy.)
Prohibited services, which include services that are illegal or sexual in nature or that violate the eBay User Agreement (see our policy for more details.)
Restricted items can generally be sold on eBay but only under certain conditions that sellers are required to meet. Examples of items include:
Potentially infringing items may be in violation of certain copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights. So some items are not allowed (even though they may be legal) because they often violate copyright or trademark laws. This also applies to certain types of information that appear in listings. Here are some examples:
Sellers should use their own images and text. If you use images or text created by someone else, be sure you have permission from the owner or creator. For more details, see our
images and text policy.
To avoid creating listings that infringe upon intellectual property rights, read how eBay protects intellectual property. You can also take our intellectual property tutorial.
And remember: Offering a prohibited, restricted, or potentially infringing item for free (rather than for sale) won't protect you from potential liability. This policy applies to both sellers and buyers.
Listing practices
For a satisfying and fun experience on eBay, we're helping sellers list their items in the most effective ways possible. As general rules, sellers have to:
Select a category that matches the item for sale.
Provide a clear, honest, and accurate description about the item.
Avoid tactics like keyword spamming because they make it hard for people to find what they're looking for.
Note: Your item description and terms of sale cannot be included in an image. They must be in the listing hosted on eBay.
It's against our policies to do anything that manipulates the search or browse experience on eBay. This applies to all parts of a listing, including the title, subtitle, product details, description, pictures, links, and meta tags. If you use tactics that can inappropriately divert bidders and buyers to a listing, we will take action.
Before listing items, be sure to read our search and browse manipulation policy to learn more about our guidelines on:
Text and other information
Other rules include not using profanity in a listing or other community pages on eBay, HTML and JavaScript functions, or links outside of eBay. Be sure to read our rules for listings for information on how to list and describe certain items.
It's also important to stay in good standing with eBay fee payments. Sometimes sellers try to find ways to get around paying fees, or they do it by mistake. Be sure to read our policy about avoiding eBay fees.
You should also read the following policies:
Completing the sale
If your item sells, contact your buyer, accept their payment, and ship the item.
Examples of actions that are not allowed on eBay:
Bidding on an item with the intent to artificially increase its price or desirability. This is against our shill bidding policy.
Accepting payment and sending an item that is significantly different from the item described in the item listing. For more details, read our
seller performance standards.
Refusing to accept a buyer's PayPal payment using a credit card when you included the PayPal logo in the listing. For more info, see the PayPal payments policy.
Charging buyers an additional fee for their use of ordinary forms of payment including acceptance of cheques, money orders, electronic transfers, or credit cards. For details and examples, read our payment surcharges policy.
When something goes wrong, there are options available to you (find out more about resolving selling problems).
Be sure to also read the following policies:
Reporting policy violations
If you see a listing that violates eBay policies, please report it by clicking the Report item link in the listing, or by clicking the Report or Contact Us link located on most of our help pages.
When a policy violation occurs, we email the seller and the buyer to let them know that the listing has been removed from eBay.
Your participation and vigilance as part of the eBay community is invaluable in helping us help you be a more successful seller.
