Learn more about unwelcome and malicious Buying.
What is the policy?
Buyers who do not meet the seller’s terms as outlined in the item listing are not permitted to bid on or buy the item. Furthermore, buyers are not permitted to place bids or purchase items with the primary intent of disrupting a listing.
Sellers are permitted to exclude bidders at any time prior to the listing close and are free to cancel unwelcome bids. After a seller has cancelled a bid, the bidder may not place a new bid without the seller's permission.
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.
Some Examples
Failure to meet a seller's terms
Examples:
- Seller states item will only be posted domestically. Buyer is registered outside the posting area.
- Seller states that buyers with negative feedback comments are not permitted to bid. The buyer has negative feedback.
Report a buyer who participated in a listing without meeting the listing terms.
Buying with the intent to disrupt a listing
Examples:
- Buyer places a bid that greatly exceeds the value of the item in order to prevent a sale.
- Buyer bids on multiple items listed by a seller without intent to complete the sale.
- Buyer attempts to purchase an item after having been placed on a seller's blocked bidder list.
Report a buyer who bid with intent to disrupt a listing.
Note: Buyers who fail to respond or who back out of a transaction do not fall under the Unwelcome Buying policy. These listings should be reported as Unpaid Items.
Additional information
In addition to reporting a user to eBay, there are several steps sellers can take to prevent unwelcome buying including:
Why does eBay have this policy?
This policy protects the marketplace by enforcing the contractual obligation entered into between buyer and seller made with the placement of a bid or Buy it Now. It also protects sellers from buyers who do not honour the seller’s terms of sale.