It's important to remain in good standing in paying eBay fees. Sometimes sellers try to find ways around paying fees or do so by mistake. Please see 'Some Examples' (below) to make sure you're following eBay policies.
Breach of this policy can result in a range of actions, including:
Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
Limits on account privileges
Loss of PowerSeller status
Choice Listings
With the introduction of multi-variation fixed price listings, eBay has created an avenue for sellers to offer variations of the same product in a single listing. Typical examples include:
Clothing items such as shirts, trousers, shoes, etc. which can come in various colours and sizes
Home items such as sofas which can come in various sizes, colours and materials.
While it is permissible to offer this type of choice within a listing, please note that dissimilar items may not be listed in this manner and would be considered a breach of this policy.
Example:
Permitted:
A seller offers their buyers a pair of Guess jeans, with a choice of three different sizes within the same listing.
Not Permitted:
A seller offers their buyers a choice of different brands of jeans within the same listing.
A seller offers their buyers a choice between a pair of shoes and a watch within the same listing
Multiple Item Listing Avoidance
Listing a single item and offering additional items for sale within the item description is not permitted.
In single item listings, sellers may not:
use the item description to encourage buyers to indicate how many items they want, or
state that buyers can get additional items similar to the one described in the listing, for the same price.
Instead, sellers should list multiple items using either
(a multiple item Auction, also known as Dutch Auction)
a multi-variation fixed price listing
Example:
Permitted:
(A seller offers their buyers six identical picture frames through the Dutch Auction format.)
A seller offers their buyers 20 identical USB drives through the multiple-item fixed price listing format.
A seller offers their buyers a t-shirt in 3 sizes and 2 colours through the multi-variation fixed price listing format.
Not Permitted:
A seller who lists one square foot of carpet in a regular auction or fixed price format, then states in the item description that the buyer may purchase as many additional square feet as they wish at the winning bid/price.
Offers to transact outside eBay - Offering the opportunity to purchase the item or other merchandise outside the eBay online marketplace.
Unreasonable postage or packing costs - Listings with low prices but unreasonably high postage or packing costs.
Listings with additional purchases - Listing an item that requires or offers an additional purchase. For example, travel documents that require the holder to buy or pay for something (such as a hotel room for seven nights) as a condition of receiving the benefit of the coupon (such as free or discounted airfare).
Avoiding multiple item listing charges
- Listing a single item and offering additional identical items for sale to multiple buyers in the item description or proposing that buyers indicate the number of items they want for the same price as the item in the listing.
Email address, phone number or domain name in the title, subtitle or item location - Listings with an email address or domain name in the title. Exception: This will be permissible only in listings that are offering a domain name for sale.
Catalogue sales - Listings catalogues from which buyers can directly order items isn't allowed. In this case, the seller offers the catalogues for low bid prices and completes the sale outside of eBay for items found in the catalogues. Old or collectible catalogues(from which you can no longer place an order) are allowed. Please see the complete catalogue policy for more details.
Avoiding Reserve fees
- Cancelling bids and ending a listing early because the seller's desired price hasn't been met.
Extending listings - Sellers indicate the listing duration when they create their auction-style or Fixed Price listing. When the seller submits the listing, the duration is fixed. eBay may on rare occasions (for example, as the result of a site outage) extend the duration of a listing. Extension of listing duration by a seller, either manually or using automated tools, isn't allowed. Extending a listing for any reason is not only a form of fee avoidance, but also creates a poor finding experience for buyers.
Putting items in the wrong category - Listing items that are outside of the appropriate category and belong in a flat fee category, such as homes and vehicles, is a form of fee avoidance and isn't allowed.
To report a listing that circumvents eBay fees through an offer outside the eBay online marketplace, unreasonably high postage or packing costs, Multiple Item (Dutch) listing avoidance, or a catalogue sales breach, contact us with the item number.
To report a listing that a seller ended early in breach of our reserve fee avoidance policy, contact us with the item number you would like us to review.
Although there are legitimate reasons for ending a listing early, we'll investigate sellers who abuse this option.
Note: Posts made in the Want It Now area must also comply with this policy. Want It Now posts that are in breach of this policy may be removed. Repeated breaches may result in suspension. You can report a Want It Now breach of this policy from the Want It Now Policies page.
Why does eBay have this policy?
Listings that avoid fees can provide a poor buying experience and can put sellers who pay all their eBay fees at a disadvantage. Furthermore, even though offers to buy or sell outside of eBay are not always made with the intent to defraud, there is always a significant level of risk involved. Please be aware that items purchased as a result of an outside of eBay offer are not eligible for eBay services, including:
Requests for contact information
