Community content policy

Community content policy overview

Please report inappropriate behaviour

If you see any offensive, abusive, patently false, or otherwise inappropriate content (including posts, pictures, and videos), please click on the "Report Inappropriate Content" link that is attached to the post or private message. This will alert the moderators so they can look into the issue. We ask that you submit only one report per post. The reporting function is anonymous, and eBay will not discuss actions taken on a user with any other user.

Be respectful

eBay moderators may take action to edit or remove content that is, or could be reasonably inferred to be, derogatory, harmful, hostile, threatening, abusive, baiting, vulgar, defamatory, harassing, includes hate or racist speech, name calling, or profanity. Read more in our Profanity policy.

Do not post obscene, vulgar, or pornographic content

This includes media, text, photos, and/or links to this type of content.

Avoid duplicate, repetitive, or disruptive threads and posts

Members should only post one thread per topic on the most relevant board for the issue or question. Topics or posts that are duplicative or disruptive may be merged with existing topics or removed without notice.

Do not abuse Helpfuls

This includes soliciting others for Helpfuls, giving an excessive number of Helpfuls to a specific user or users, using multiple accounts to give yourself or others multiple Helpfuls, and marking another member's posts as Helpful to help them get to the top of the leaderboards.

Keep information confidential

Email and private message content is intended only for the recipient(s) and should not be shared publicly without consent. Using the forums to share this information or the private details of another person without consent, or for the purpose of shaming another member, will be edited or removed. This includes, but is not limited to, personal names, addresses, tracking numbers, private messages, chat transcripts, or emails from Community members, moderators, or eBay employees.

Do not share patently false information

Posting patently false or unsubstantiated content is harmful to other members and goes against the sprit of the Community. This doesn't include honest mistakes, but does include presenting opinion or speculation as fact, or perpetuating inaccurate information after being provided eduction.

Do not post copyrighted content without the permission of the copyright owner

This includes posting images that depict persons without the permission of the depicted person. Learn more about how eBay protects intellectual property.

Do not discuss or post about moderation actions

Attempting to repost deleted or admin-removed content is inappropriate. Additionally, discussing past moderation actions and/or targeting moderators for past actions in new or existing threads will be considered a violation. It is inappropriate to talk about others who are suspended from the Community or eBay.

Do not advertise items, listings, services, or commercial websites, including offers to trade, "wanted" posts, petitions, or solicitations

Members are not permitted to tell others to stop selling on or leave eBay, or solicit involvement in off-eBay activities. Examples of this include naming or posting links to off-eBay sites, groups, or forums with the intention of soliciting involvement.

Reporters and third-party representatives need permission from the eBay Legal Department prior to posting or emailing members in their official capacity

This rule helps assure that the eBay Community is made aware if they are speaking to someone who is acting an a professional capacity, rather than as a fellow member.

Do not encourage others to breach eBay policies or the eBay User Agreement

It is against the spirit of the Community to suggest to other members that they do something that may be in breach of eBay policies.

Activity on eBay is required to follow this policy, the eBay User Agreement and all applicable laws, as well as respect the rights of third parties. If it doesn’t, eBay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the eBay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: Removing the listing or other content, issuing a warning, restricting activity or account suspension.

Participation in the eBay Community forums is done at will and eBay reserves the right to limit or suspend member access or permissions within the Community at its sole discretion.

eBay may, at any time, and at eBay's sole discretion, modify this Community Content Policy with or without notice.

What are the guidelines?

Allowed in some situations

• Using profanity or vulgar language in a public area of the site is not allowed. However, when reviewing a product where the title contains a profane or vulgar term (e.g., a CD with a profane term in the title), the reviewer may use the term, but only in the context of the title

Not allowed

Here are some examples of content or actions that aren't permitted in the community content areas (Reviews, Guides, member-created products or product descriptions, and comments). These examples provide guidance for self-publishing content on our site but shouldn't be viewed as a complete list.

• Promoting or advertising to buy, sell, or trade any product or service listed or located outside of any eBay property (eBay, eBay Stores, etc.)
• Placing published content or products in the wrong category (miscategorization)
• Including feedback or comments about other users
• Including unauthorized trademarked or copyrighted content (such as uploading photos or content for which you do not have permission to use)
• Using another eBay member's pictures or text without the other member's express permission
• Using intellectual property without the property owner's express permission, when required. eBay strongly encourages members writing and publishing content to familiarize themselves with how eBay helps protect intellectual property. For more information, see Intellectual property and the VeRO program
• Creating products or updating products in the catalog in a way that would violate eBay's Prohibited and restricted items policy ; or eBay's Encouraging infringement policy (for example, creating and/or selling products that a manufacturer/brand does not make or that are counterfeit); or eBay's Listing Policies
• Including any advertising credit, including links, logos, or company names within published content
• Publishing more than one identical piece of content or more than one identical product at the same time and in the same context
• Encouraging, publishing, promoting, facilitating, or instructing others to engage in illegal activity or to violate eBay policy
• Publishing content in the incorrect forum
• Publishing reviews that aren't specific to the product
• Enabling, encouraging, or instructing others to infringe copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights
• Promoting giveaways, lotteries, random drawings, raffles, or prizes of any kind
• Using HTML and JavaScript functions prohibited on eBay. See our JavaScript policy for a complete list
• Using keywords, random links, inaccurate titles, text, or other content not directly relevant to the subject of the community content for the purpose of gaining attention or diverting members to that content. For more information on misuse of keywords, see our search and browse manipulation policy
• Publishing content or images that are adult in nature or otherwise not appropriate for minors (individuals under 18 years of age). See our Adult items policy for clarification on what is permitted in public areas of the site
• Linking from content published on eBay to any third-party website, including those that include offers to trade, sell, or purchase goods or services off eBay is generally not permitted
• Linking to items, services, or content prohibited on eBay or to sites that offer items, services, or content prohibited on eBay
• Misrepresenting yourself as an eBay employee or as another eBay member
• Publishing content that promotes or glorifies hatred, violence, racial, or religious intolerance, or content that promotes organizations with such views. For more information, see our offensive material policy
• Using profanity or patently vulgar language in a public area of the site
• Publishing personal contact information of any person in any public area of eBay, including emails, phone numbers, name, street address, etc.
• Misusing the violation reporting function to maliciously or frivolously report content as not in compliance with eBay policy
• Artificially increasing or decreasing any community content, including ratings and reviews

Other Rules

• You must be a registered and active member of eBay to post a comment
• We may use your eBay username and profile picture, if you have one, to identify you to other users as the person who posted your content
• We may promote, demote or remove any of your content in community content areas in our sole discretion
• Users who create collections may remove any comment on their collection
• We may limit the amount of community content you post
• When a user refers in community content to an individual, or to a third party's product, service, or trademark, that does not mean eBay endorses or claims any endorsement by the individual or third party, nor does it mean we are affiliated
• You acknowledge that all posts you make are public
• While we may moderate or monitor any comment, we take no responsibility and assume no liability for any comment posted by you or a third party

Why does eBay have this policy?

eBay provides the community content areas of the site to promote community interaction by giving our members the opportunity to express their individual views and share helpful information. When publishing content, especially individual commentary or opinion, it's important for members of the community to respect each other as human beings and follow societal norms. Content that contains or promotes hate, illegal acts, violence, or racial intolerance (or organizations dedicated to such notions) has no place in the eBay community and is prohibited. In addition, posting activity that violates intellectual property rights is prohibited.