Offers to buy or sell outside eBay

Policy overview

What are the guidelines?

How to tell if you're buying or selling on eBay

Why does eBay have this policy?

Policy overview

We don't allow our members to use eBay to contact each other to make offers to buy or sell items outside of eBay. Also, members can't use information obtained from eBay to contact each other about buying or selling outside of eBay.

Sellers are liable for fees arising out of all sales made using some or all eBay services, even if sales terms are finalised or payment is made outside of eBay.

Sellers are also liable for final value fees if they offer or reference their contact information, or ask for a buyer’s contact information, in the context of buying or selling outside of eBay for the introduction to the buyer, even if the item doesn't sell.

If you receive an offer to buy or sell outside eBay, please report it.

Make sure you follow these guidelines. If you don't, you may be subject to a range of actions. We may limit, restrict or suspend you from buying, selling or using site features. All of your listings may be removed, displayed lower or not shown in search results, without refunding any or all applicable fees. You may also forfeit special account status and any discounts. You may be subject to the application of fees and recovery of our expenses in policy monitoring and enforcement.

What are the guidelines?

Allowed

Sellers can end a listing early in order to sell an item at the current bid price to the high bidder.
Bidders can ask sellers to end a listing early and sell at the current bid price, but sellers don't have to honour the request.
Sellers can use the eBay Private Offer feature to send a customised offer within My Messages to a specific buyer for an active fixed price listing.
When selling an item with a fixed price, you can choose the Best Offer option when you list your item, which gives buyers a chance to negotiate the price with you.

Not allowed

Some examples of activities that aren't allowed include:

Using member contact information obtained from eBay or using any eBay system to offer to sell any listed item outside of eBay.
Posting or displaying contact information in a listing, including email, phone number, and mailing address, without the permission of eBay or except as required by law.
Cancelling a listing to sell to a buyer who found the item on eBay.
Ending an auction-style listing early to sell the item to the winning bidder a price higher than the current bid.
Including, requesting, offering, or referencing contact information or an offer to buy or sell an item outside of eBay within a Best Offer, email message, or other communication with an eBay user.
Offering to sell an item to a non-winning bidder without using Second Chance Offer or Private Offer.
In your listing page or in communications with another eBay member, you can't refer to or promote your personal website (including links to home page web addresses that promote websites outside of eBay), sales outside of eBay or other businesses.

How to tell if you're buying or selling on eBay

The best way to tell if you're actually transacting on eBay is:

1. Open a new browser and type www.ebay.co.uk.

2. Click My eBay at the top of the page and sign in.

3. Check to see that the listing you've bid on, bought, or sold appears in the Purchase History or Sell sections.

If your transaction doesn't show up in My eBay, then you didn't buy or sell the item on eBay.

Why does eBay have this policy?

Offers to buy or sell outside of eBay are a potential fraud risk for both buyers and sellers, and are not protected by eBay Money Back Guarantee programmes. Additionally, these offers may be an attempt to avoid eBay fees. This is unfair to other sellers and is in breach of our poliicies.

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