For this reason, and to comply with local legal restrictions, some categories of products are restricted, or completely banned from being listed.
If you're not sure if an item you're intending to list is allowed, take a look at the relevant policy from the list below to find out. Our prohibited and restricted policies are applicable across all selling formats on eBay, including listing and eBay Live events.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out what items are allowed on eBay?
If you're not sure whether your item can be listed on eBay, check our list of prohibited and restricted item policies below.
What do I do if I see an item that isn't allowed?
If you see a listing that doesn't follow one of our policies, report it from the Report item link in the listing.
eBay prohibited and restricted items policies
Airsoft, air rifle & BB guns policy
Alcohol policy
Animal products policy
Animal traps policy
Art policy
Artefacts and cave formations policy
Beta & OEM software policy
Chance listings policy
Charity listings policy
Collectable currency policy
Compilations of information policy
Cosmetics and perfume policy
Counterfeit item policy
Credit and debit card policy
Custom printed products policy
Disaster and tragedy policy
Electronic equipment policy
Electronically delivered items policy
Embargoed goods policy
Emissions control defeat devices policy
Encouraging illegal activity policy
Event tickets policy
Fertiliser and pesticides policy
Firearms and accessories policy
Food policy
Funeral items policy
Government items policy
Hazardous materials policy
Human body parts policy
Illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia policy
Illegal explicit content policy
Intangible items policy
International trading policy
Jewellery policy
Knives policy
Live animals policy
Lockpicking devices policy
Lottery tickets policy
Medical devices policy
Military items policy
Offensive materials policy
Perfume policy
Personal information policy
Pill press, die and mould policy
Plants and seeds policy
Police-related items policy
Prescription and over-the-counter drugs policy
Price gouging policy
Product safety policy
Products with eligibility requirements policy
Prohibited adult items policy
Property policy
Protecting minors policy
Replica, toy, and prop firearms policy
Restricted adult items policy
Services policy
Single-use plastic products policy
Slot machines policy
Social media and reviews manipulation policy
Stocks and securities policy
Stolen property policy
Titles policy
Tobacco and e-cigarettes policy
Travel policy
Used clothing policy
Vehicle, parts and accessories policy
Violence and violent criminals policy
Virtual currency policy
Vouchers policy
Weapons policy
Read our full policy
Prohibited and restricted items policy overview
Before listing your item, make sure we allow it on eBay, and find out if we have specific rules and conditions on how you should list it. Check the list of prohibited and restricted items policies above. You also need to make sure that the sale of your item complies with all laws.
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.
In certain scenarios, we may hide your listing from being visible to shoppers until the problematic content is fixed. Once changes are made and approved by eBay, your listing will be available to shoppers once again.
Understanding the rules
Our policies are often based on country and state laws, although in some cases, we may also base our policies on input from our members and our own discretion, especially for dangerous or sensitive items.
Read and understand our policies before listing items. Follow our guidelines and review our examples so you know beforehand what you can and can't sell on eBay.
When selling internationally, read our international trading policy. Although certain items may be legal to sell in your country, they might be illegal elsewhere.
To find out if we have other guidelines that might affect your listing or product, read our rules for listings and our rules about intellectual property.
Tip
Visit Seller Help - opens in new window or tab to find details of any policy issues with your account or listings, and get the information you need to quickly resolve them.
Reporting listings that don't follow policy
If you see a listing that doesn't follow one of our policies, report it from the Report item link in the listing.
If we determine that a listing or product isn't following a policy, we email the seller and the bidders or the buyer to let them know that we've removed or hidden the listing or product.