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Embargoed goods and prohibited countries policy

Policy overview

As a subsidiary of a US company, United States government trading restrictions also apply to eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie.

US agencies ban or regulate trade between people in the US and certain organisations, businesses, and individuals. eBay doesn't allow the sale of embargoed (restricted) items from or to those countries, organisations, businesses, or individuals.

Under US law, buying or selling certain items made in restricted countries may not be lawful, depending on the nature of the item, when it was manufactured, and when it left that specific country.

Sellers who post internationally should regularly review current information about which countries may be affected by sanctions enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), a division of the US Department of the Treasury. Additionally, before listing items on eBay, it's important to review embargo regulations of the UK and Irish governments and the European Union. For more details, visit the websites of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and the European Union. For more information about laws governing such trade, please see additional information below.

Make sure your listing follows these guidelines. If it doesn't, it may be removed, and you may be subject to a range of other actions, including limits of your buying and selling privileges and suspension of your account.

What are the guidelines?

The following information is meant as guidelines to help you determine if an item is allowed to be sold on eBay.

Allowed

  • Informational items from sanctioned countries, such as books, movies, artwork, photographs, music, or similar materials.

Restricted

  • Replica items of antiques and artefacts must clearly state that they're replicas.

  • The items must still meet all eBay policy guidelines.

Not allowed

  • We don't allow items on our site if they fall under the embargo regulations with the following countries. Since we can't determine when an item was removed from a specific country, we don't permit items that claim to be pre-embargo:

    • Cuba

    • Iran

    • North Korea

    • Syria

We also don't allow organisations, businesses, or individuals from these countries to have or register accounts while based in these countries.

  • We don't allow organisations, business or individuals on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) list to have register accounts.

You can review the most up-to-date list of sanctions-affected countries, organisations, and individuals by visiting the Office of Foreign Assets Control website.

Additional information

This eBay policy is a guideline, and should only be used as a starting point for members buying and selling such items. For more details about laws governing such trades, and copies of the actual governing laws, visit the US Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control website.

International sellers should also familiarise themselves with other restrictions the US government may have in place. Links to the relevant websites are maintained on the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security website.

Additional information about these regulations and lists of these prohibited persons can be found at the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Why does eBay have this policy?

eBay urges its sellers and buyers to follow all government laws and regulations. The sale of embargoed items are prohibited by law and may cause harm to eBay or its members. Therefore, sellers may not list them on eBay.

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