3 min article

Removed or hidden listings

Occasionally, we may have to remove or hide a listing if it doesn't follow our policies, or because the rights owner has asked us to.

If we remove or hide your listing, we'll send details about why we did so to your registered email address, as well as to your Messages in My eBay. If you don't see an email from us, check your spam folder.

 

We'll only remove or hide a listing for one of the following reasons:

  • It doesn't follow one of our policies
  • It doesn't follow a law
  • The rights owner of the item requested it be removed
  • It's been active on the site for a year or more without any sales

For more information, please read our listing policies and our Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) policy . If you still have questions about why your listing was removed or hidden, you can contact us.

Tip
Visit Seller Help - opens in new window or tab to find details of any policy issues with your account or listings, and get the information you need to quickly resolve them.

Tip
If the rights owner asks us to remove a listing, we'll do so, even if the item is genuine.

Frequently asked questions

Why was my listing removed or hidden when similar listings are still active?

If your listing is removed or hidden by eBay, you may see similar listings still active on the site. This could be for a few reasons:

  • There may be differences between the two listings that aren't obvious
  • The other seller may be a rights owner or authorised retailer of the item
  • A participant in the VeRO program may have asked us to remove your listing but hasn't requested the other listing be taken down. These types of removals are only done at the request of the VeRO participant, and aren't eBay's decision. Read more about the VeRO program
  • Your listing was reported to us, but the other listing wasn't

If you think another listing isn't following our policies, please let us know and we'll investigate.

 
Will my fees be refunded if eBay removed or hid my listing?

If your listing was removed or hidden for not following a policy, we may or may not refund your fees. Our decision depends on the nature of the listing, and whether you have a history of now following our policies.

 
Can I relist my item?

Even if you think your listing was removed incorrectly, you shouldn't relist without first speaking to us to find out exactly why your listing was removed. Relisting in this case can result in a suspension from eBay, and in some cases legal action. For this reason, the Relist option isn't available for some removed listings.

In certain scenarios, we may hide your listing from being visible to shoppers until the problematic content is fixed. Once changes are made and approved by eBay, your listing will be available to shoppers once again.

If your listing was removed at the request of a rights owner, you should contact them before relisting. You can contact the rights owner using the email address provided in the email you received when your listing was removed.

If your listing was removed because it hadn't had any sales in a year or more, we recommend taking the time to improve it before placing the item back up for sale. Read more about optimising your listings for Best Match.

 
What happens if I bought something from a seller who’s been removed from eBay?

If you haven’t paid for the item, you won’t need to. The item should’ve been removed from your Purchase history - opens in new window or tab. We encourage you to look for a similar item from a different seller.

If you've already paid for the item, please follow these steps:

  1. Wait 10 days for the item to arrive.
  2. If you haven’t received it within 10 days, please let us know your item hasn’t arrived.

If you receive your item, but want to return it, you can request a refund.

When we remove or hide a listing, we'll send details about why we did so to your registered email address, as well as to your Messages - opens in new window or tab in My eBay.

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