Please note that eBay does not permit its users to do business with persons from certain countries - since eBay is a US company, all eBay users must respect the US rules in this area when doing business over eBay. For more information, please also see section on Embargoed Goods and Prohibited Countries.
Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:
- Listing cancellation
- Loss of eBay fees
- Limits placed on account privileges
- Account suspension
Some Examples
Examples of some goods that might be subject to import restrictions:
- Controlled goods: Amusement machines, coin or disc operated, including pin-tables, shooting galleries and cinematography machines, replication equipment for CDs, DVDs and VCDs.
- Prohibited Goods: Weapons of war, gambling devices, narcotics or prohibited drugs.
- Copyrighted goods: The owners of the copyrights in works, such as literature, music, movies, software, video games, and photos have certain rights under Philippine copyright law to prevent the importation of copyrighted goods. Legitimate parallel imports of goods manufactured with the consent of the copyright owner in the country of manufacture are allowed in the Philippines for personal purposes under certain conditions.
- Trademarked (branded) goods: The owners of the trademarks on branded goods have certain rights under Philippine law to prevent the importation of infringing and counterfeit goods. The parallel importation of genuine goods may give rise to civil liability in case the importation violates the rights of an exclusive importer in the Philippines and the member is aware of the exclusive distributorship arrangement.
- Patented goods: The owners of the patents have certain rights under Philippine patent law to prevent the importation of goods which employ technology protected by a Philippine patent. Importation of such products into the Philippines without permission may be an infringement.
Examples of potentially infringing items:
- Pirated Music CDs and Videos
- Counterfeit apparel
Additional Information
Some reasons members should check applicable laws before importing goods into the Philippines:
- Philippine Customs has the power to seize any goods in respect of which he has reasonable grounds for believing are illegal, and the member could be fined or face other liability because of the seizure.
- The member could face legal liability from the owners of trademarks, copyrights, or other rights that might be involved.
- The member could face other civil or criminal liability, depending upon the type of product involved.
eBay strongly recommends that members carefully review the Philippine Customs Web site and other sources of information concerning importation of goods into the Philippines, and (if necessary) consult with an expert in this field before completing any transactions. The information and links provided below are a starting point so that members can quickly familiarise themselves with some of the regulations in this area.
- Philippine Customs Web site - opens in new window or tab
- Please also see the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines - opens in new window or tab (Republic Act No. 8293)
Activity on eBay is required to follow this policy, the eBay User Agreement and all applicable laws, as well as respect the rights of third parties. If it doesn’t, eBay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the eBay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: Removing the listing or other content, issuing a warning, restricting activity or account suspension.
Why does eBay have this policy?
eBay urges its sellers and buyers to comply with all governmental laws and regulations. Since the importation of goods is highly regulated by the Philippine government or may cause harm to eBay or its members, members should educate themselves on the laws governing the importation of goods prior to listing those goods on eBay.