Home > Help >Membership & account >Rules & policies >Knowing the rules for sellers |
Knowing the rules for sellersIf 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.
![]()
eBay policies are intended to:
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 itemsOur 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):
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 practicesFor 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:
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:
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 saleIf your item sells, contact your buyer, accept their payment, and ship the item. Examples of actions that are not allowed on eBay:
When something goes wrong, there are options available to you (find out more about resolving selling problems). Reporting policy violationsIf 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. Contact Customer Service | ![]() | Contact usHave a question? We can help. Related Help topics |