Home > Help > Rules & policies

Help

Searching & researching

Bidding & buying

Selling & seller fees

Payment & postage

Feedback

Membership & account

Rules & policies

Our policies are designed to create a safe and fair environment for all eBay members. Learning what's allowed can help you avoid unintentionally breaking the rules and helps everyone in working with reliable, trustworthy members.

Solve a problem

There are some items that, due to legal restrictions and other considerations, aren't allowed or can only be listed under certain conditions. If you're not sure whether your item is allowed, you can learn why some items are prohibited or restricted and view a detailed list of items you can't sell.

Confirm that the email was sent from eBay by checking your messages in My eBay. This email from eBay explains why your account was suspended and the steps you can take to resolve the problem. Learn more about suspended accounts and how to tell if an email is really from eBay .

If you buy an item and the seller doesn't receive your payment for any reason, the seller can open an unpaid item case. If you receive a notification about this, it's important to respond quickly. If you don't pay or don't respond to the seller within 4 days, the seller will be able to close case and an unpaid item may be recorded on your account. If you have a reason for not paying, you can appeal the case.

Help topics

Basics

Rules for sellers
Learn what items you can sell, what's allowed in your listing, and other guidelines for selling.

Rules for buyers
Buyers have obligations too. Be sure to bid responsibly, always pay for purchases, and follow our buyer guidelines.

Rules for everyone
These policies apply to all eBay members.

Top 10 policies

Invalid bid retraction policy
Did you bid on an item by mistake? Learn when you're allowed to cancel a bid.

Unpaid item policy
We require buyers to pay for items that they commit to purchase.

All about Feedback policies
Our guidelines are designed to encourage open and honest Feedback about experiences with eBay members.

Prohibited and restricted items
Before listing an item for sale, make sure it's allowed on eBay. Get an overview of items that are prohibited or subject to restrictions, or click a link below to learn about items we're frequently asked about.

Rules for listings
These guidelines cover how you describe your item, what you can include in your listing, and other listing practices.

Seller performance standards
When selling an item, buyer satisfaction is important. Learn about our seller performance standards and what you can do to stay in compliance.

Accepted payments
Learn which payment methods sellers are allowed to accept.

Search and browse manipulation
Make sure your listing is accurate and don't include information that might misrepresent your item.

Avoiding eBay fees
Techniques that avoid eBay fees, such as offers to sell items outside of eBay, aren't allowed.

Links
Learn when it's OK to link to content outside of eBay, such as additional photos or descriptions of your item.

How to

Reporting inappropriate trading
Find out what we can investigate and the actions we'll take.

Creating legally compliant listings
These general guidelines can help you create listings that are legal and don't infringe the intellectual property rights of others.

Appealing unpaid items
Find out how to appeal an unpaid item.

Tutorials

Trust and safety tutorials
These interactive tutorials can help you comply with eBay policies, trade safely, and increase your overall knowledge of eBay.

Contact Customer Service

If you have an additional question about this subject, email us at Customer Service.
If you would like to ask a question on another subject, please use the Contact Us page.

Contact us

Have a question? We can help.

Ask eBay members

Get help from other eBay members. Visit the Answer Centre to post a question.

Shortcuts

Report a listing violation

Shop by category