If you intend to sell on one or more of eBay's international sites, you will need to accept, and we encourage you to carefully review, the User Agreement, policies, and other requirements of that site. You can continue to reach out to the relevant customer service teams on the respective eBay site of your listing or transaction, as may be applicable to the nature of your query.
Materials adult in nature are not permitted on eBay, as they breach laws in many countries. Some items, though legal to sell to adults outside of eBay, are still restricted on the site.
These guidelines outline the policy, including limited exceptions and where you should list these items. Additionally, you need to follow any applicable laws or postal restrictions for adult material and adhere to the laws of the countries you are posting to.
Make sure your listings follow our guidelines. If it doesn't, it may be removed, and your buying and selling privileges could be restricted.
Sexual Wellness Category
Approved sellers can list in this category only on or after September 22, 2014.
We let pre-approved sellers list certain items in limited Sexual Wellness categories. These items are not generally permitted on the site, and shouldn’t be listed unless you’re an authorised pre-approved seller. Our team manually reviews these items and they may be allowed on the site at their discretion. Items removed from the site will count as listing and policy violation.
Sellers are advised to note that in India it is illegal to upload items /listings/content/description or provide access to any item/product or material which is or is likely to (a) be lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest or if its effect is such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it (b) be grossly harmful, harassing, blasphemous defamatory, obscene, pornographic, paedophilic, libellous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically objectionable, disparaging, relating or encouraging money laundering or gambling, or otherwise unlawful in any manner whatever (c) harm minors in any way (d) violate any law for the time being in force. Sellers are required to observe compliance with the User Agreement and Policies.
Restricted
eBay may at its discretion disable acess to listings where eBay is of the opinion that nudity or sexually explicit content is present in the listing images or description uploaded by the preapproved sellers:
Sexual massagers and pumps
Adult games and edible items
Erotic wear and accessories
Not allowed
Items containing images or nudity, sexually explicit, or obscene content
Anatomically correct massagers
Sex related material which has tendency of ‘undue’ exciting lustful thoughts
What are the guidelines?
Not allowed
Photographs of wives/girlfriends/husbands/boyfriends, even if there's no nudity in the image
Hidden camera videos and amateur videos containing adult sexual activity
Not allowed
Any items which, because of their nature or because of the item description, appear to be designed for use in sexual/adult activity, including sex toys, used underwear and items used for bondage or S & M activities.
Restricted
All permitted used clothing items must be properly cleaned, and listings should clearly state this in the description
Underwear listings that include images must indicate the pair being model is not the pair being sold. Underwear listings that aren't clear about whether the underwear is new or used will be removed.
See-through clothing is permitted but the listing image should not show any nudity.
Not allowed
Used underwear can't be listed on eBay even if it's clean. This includes, but it is not limited to, boxer shorts, panties, briefs, nappies, diapers and athletic supporters.
Clothing listings with modelled clothing cannot include any information about the person wearing the item.
Clothing listings may not contain nudity. Images of models wearing clothing that include sexual aspects, such as details of the genitalia, are not permitted.
Any used clothing item with content we find to be inappropriate. We consider the overall content of the listing, including the description and images, when making this assessment.
eBay defines nudity as male/female genitalia, anus, or female breasts where the areola or nipple is visible. We won't determine if an item constitutes art, but we'll review the content of the listing description, images and categories to determine if an item should be removed.
Restricted
The use of nude images is restricted.
Frontal nudity is allowed in Art categories when the item is considered fine art, such as Michelangelo's David, vintage pin-up art, Renaissance-style paintings, and nude cherubs.
Descriptions of items containing nudity can't contain explicit or overtly sexual content.
Nude art listed in the Art categories must include the item specifics attribute Subject: Nudes.
Not Allowed
'Adult' or 'sexually-orientated' material that is not permitted includes, but is not limited to:
Any visual representation of human genitals presented in such a manner as to suggest sexual activity
Any visual representation of any form of sexual intercourse
Any materials clearly designed to sexually arouse the viewer/reader
Any items which depict human sexual characteristics in a degrading fashion
Any item that portrays frontal nudity will normally be treated as 'adult' material, with limited exceptions as set out in the Restricted section
Any photo-montage nude image of a celebrity
Any items depicting bestiality, rape sex, incest, sadism, masochism or sex with graphic violence and degradation
Items which contain an indecent representation of women within the meaning of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986
Restricted
Romance novels are permitted but the description may not contain explicit content.
Books on sex, relationships, sexual education and self-help are generally permitted, but the listing can't contain nude images or explicit content.
Not allowed
Playboy, Playgirl and Penthouse magazines
All other adult magazines, nudist publications or adult anime/manga that include sexually explicit content, nudity or sexual stories may not be listed regardless of publication date.
Anthologies of Playboy, Penthouse and letters to the editor of adult magazines may not be listed.
Internationally released versions of films, publications, or computer games that significantly differ from the domestic release.
Unrated films containing explicit sexual content
Adult only video games
Not allowed
Child pornography is illegal and not allowed on eBay. eBay may use broad discretion when removing items that depict minors, even if the content is not sexual in nature.
Images of minors that are not fully clothed or the item is described based on their clothing
Underage modeling photos are generally not permitted even if the subject is fully clothed.
Items using the words 'child', 'children', 'young girls' or 'young boys' to describe an item containing nudity or sexual situations is not allowed. Items with those words or phrases can't be listed even if the performers are 18 years or older or the words are part of the product title.
Items described as 'teen', 'teens', 'teenager' or 'Lolita' if they are used in a sexual context and there's no indication that the performer is 18 years or older.
Restricted
Vibrators and massagers intended for sexual pleasure may not be listed. Other massagers can be listed, but if a listing indicates the item is for sexual use it can be removed.
Not allowed
Anything designed for use in sexual or adult activities may not be listed on eBay. At our discretion we may remove items including, but not limited to:
Adult-orientated domain names
Anatomically-accurate sex dolls
Any item which, because of their nature or because of the item description, appear to be designed for use in sexual/adult activity
Netsuke (miniature Japanese sculpture) that contains nudity or explicit sexual content may not be listed
Nude playing cards or trading cards
Sex toys
Not allowed
Obscene materials, while not easy to define, aren't allowed on eBay. For some guidance, at our discretion we prohibit items depicting or describing bestiality, necrophilia, rape, scat and incest (real or fictionalised).
Services that include any sexual/adult activity. This includes the suggestion of any form of prostitution, escort service, sexual relationship or other adult-only activity, including 'virtual' boyfriends or girlfriends.
Links to sites that contain adult items are prohibited on eBay.
Is profanity allowed on eBay?
Most profanity is prohibited. We may allow some media titles and descriptions (film titles, CD names or track lists, for example) containing profanity as long as the original production company title or description also contains the profanity.
We want to create an atmosphere that mirrors real life, where adults can purchase legal items, but people who are offended by these kinds of materials don't have to see them.
