About cookies

Cookies are small files placed on the hard drive of your computer. eBay uses cookies to provide services to you and help ensure account security. Most cookies are 'session cookies', meaning that they are automatically deleted from your hard drive once you end your session (log out or close your browser).

eBay uses cookies on certain pages of the website to:

• Enable you to enter your password less frequently during a session.

• Provide information that is targeted to your interests.

• Promote and enforce trust and safety.

• Offer certain features that are only available through the use of cookies.

• Measure promotional effectiveness.

• Analyse our site traffic.

Cookies we use for trust and safety (Flash cookies)

eBay uses Flash cookies, which are cookies written with Flash technology, to help ensure that your account security is not compromised and to spot irregularities in behaviour to prevent your account from being fraudulently taken over.
Learn more about managing Flash cookies

Cookies on eBay's discussion boards

Our third-party service providers for eBay's discussion boards use session cookies to facilitate conversation threads and overall service functions.

Cookies and search

If you enter a search term like 'red fire engine' on the eBay search page, you will see a line in the source code that reads 'kw=red fire engine'. The search term becomes the keyword, which allows the code to search eBay for the search term. eBay's policy is not to display banner ads from non-eBay sellers that compete directly with the search term you enter, unless it is a service not provided by other eBay sellers (for example, 'car insurance').

Your choices about cookies

We offer certain features that are only available through the use of a cookie. You're always free to decline cookies if your browser permits. However, if you decline cookies, you may not be able to use certain features on the website, and you may be required to reenter your password more frequently during a session.
Learn how to set your browser to accept cookies

About web beacons

A web beacon is an electronic image, called a single-pixel (1x1) or clear GIF placed in the web page code. Web beacons serve many of the same purposes as cookies. In addition, web beacons are used to track the traffic patterns of users from one page to another in order to maximise web traffic flow.

Use of cookies and web beacons by third parties

We may work with other companies who place cookies or web beacons on our websites. These service providers help operate our websites - for example, by compiling anonymous site metrics and analytics. We require these companies to use the information they collect only to provide us with these services under contract, and not for their own purposes.

Advertising.com, App Nexus, Blue Kai, MediaMath, Sociomantic and Turn are our service providers who use cookies to help us deliver our advertising. We require these companies to use the information they collect only to provide us with these services under contract. You can block these cookies by adjusting your browser’s privacy settings. Learn more about Advertising.com, App Nexus, Blue Kai, MediaMath, Sociomantic and Turn business practices and privacy policies, including how to decline participation in their programme.

We participate in a cookie-based exchange operated by Google. Google uses cookies to collect anonymous information, which may be used to tailor the advertising you see on the eBay sites or elsewhere on the web, but we don't permit them to collect any personal information about you. Learn more about Google practices and privacy policies, including how to decline participation in their programmes.

We don't permit third-party content on eBay (such as item listings) to include cookies or web beacons. If you believe a listing might be collecting personal information or using cookies, please report it to spam@eBay.com.