Pre-Sale Listings

Pre-sale listings are those that describe items for sale that are not in the control or possession of the seller at the time of the listing. These listings generally consist of items that are sold in advance of a delivery date to the public.

eBay permits pre-sale listings only on a limited basis. The seller must guarantee that the item will be available for dispatch within 30 days from the date of purchase (i.e., the day the listing ends or the date the item is purchased from a shop front listing). The seller must also clearly indicate within the listing the fact that the item is a pre-sale item with a delivery date that indicates the item will be dispatched by the 30th day from the end date of the listing. Additionally, this text must be no less than the default font size of the eBay Sell-Your-Item form. Currently, the default font size is HTML font size 3.

The exception to this policy pertains to tickets. eBay permits sellers to list tickets that they have bought even if they do not physically have them in their possession as it is common practice now for event organisers to send out their tickets close to events. However, eBay does not permit the sale of tickets where the seller could not possibly have bought or have any claim on the ticket because either (a) the event does not exist or (b) the tickets for the event in question have not been put on public sale, or made available through fan clubs, debentures or any other means.

Breaches of this policy can result in a range of actions, including:

Listing cancellation
Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
Limits on account privileges
Loss of PowerSeller status
Account suspension

Some Examples

The following is permissible:

You’ll receive delivery of a new video game from the publisher within 39 days. You start a 10-day online auction on eBay, offering these games to buyers. Your online auction clearly states that these games are offered as pre-sale items, but that you will send them to buyers within 30 days of the end of the auction.

The following is not permitted:

Your competitor will also receive delivery from the same publisher within 39 days. They start an online auction identical to yours, except that they choose a 5-day format. This is a breach of eBay’s Pre-Sale Listings policy because you will not be able to dispatch the item within 30 days after the listing closes.

Additional Information

eBay, at its discretion, for special promotional events, may approve an actual manufacturer of an item to sell an item outside the 30-day pre-sale guideline as long as the manufacturer is supplying the item for sale. These exceptions will be made for certain promotions and must be approved prior to listing items for sale on eBay that fit the exception above.

Why does eBay have this policy?

eBay has strict guidelines for pre-sale Listings to protect our members from potentially poor buying experiences while still enabling members to buy and sell items which are not yet available.

Related Help topics

Prohibited and Restricted Items Overview

Contact Customer Support

Report breaches of eBay policy or problems with another eBay member.

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