Guidelines for eBay Giving Works listings

Guidelines for charity listings (without eBay Giving Works)

Restricted categories for charity or fundraising listings

Guidelines for eBay Giving Works listings

We’ve chosen the nonprofit MissionFish to power the eBay Giving Works program. MissionFish supports eBay Giving Works by:

• Powering the nonprofit directory for eBay Giving Works

• Verifying that nonprofits are eligible for this program

• Collecting and paying out sellers’ donations

• Providing sellers with tax receipts

• Powering the donation account inside My eBay

You can list with eBay Giving Works if you: 

• Accept the eBay Giving Works terms and conditions and keep your account in good standing.

• Agree to donate at least 10% of the final sale price or $5 (whichever is greater) to a certified organization in the nonprofit directory if the item sells. Note: The $5 minimum donation requirement does not apply to Nonprofit Direct Sellers – charities selling items for themselves.

  • Select PayPal, a credit card, or a debit card as one of the seller payment options. This is not required for Nonprofit Direct Sellers.

Note: The charity you select has the right to ask that your listing be canceled if the organizations prefers not to be associated with it.

eBay Giving Works listings are:

• Called out by a distinctive charity-ribbon icon, along with information about the donation and the charity it benefits in the item description.

• Included in a special eBay Giving Works search, in addition to the regular eBay search.

• Eligible for the eBay Giving Works fee credit policy if the item sells.

You’ll be eligible for a tax receipt for each eBay Giving Works donation you make.

Note: You can't create eBay Giving Works listings in the Real Estate or Adult Only categories. But you can list real estate as a charity listing without Giving Works as long you follow the guidelines in the section below.

Learn more about eBay Giving Works.

Guidelines for charity listings (without eBay Giving Works)

Sellers may only list items for charity without eBay Giving Works if they:

• Are soliciting on behalf of recognized tax-deductible charitable organizations (for example, 501(c)(3) status or equivalent with the IRS).

• Receive advance written consent for the solicitation, on the organization's letterhead, from the charity that will benefit.

To verify you've received permission, you need to include a scanned copy of the written consent in your listing. The letter must be on the charity’s letterhead, signed by one of the organization's officers, and include the charity’s tax-deductibility status. It must also include your name or eBay user ID, dates of event/listings, and the donation amount (percentage of the final sale price) you'll be donating if your item sells. In your listing, the consent letter must appear as a picture rather than a link and appear large enough to be easily read.

Restricted categories for eBay Giving Works listings

There are strict limitations on what items and categories can be included in an eBay Giving Works listing. Some categories aren’t allowed, including Real Estate and Adult Only. Sellers can’t offer items that aren't allowed on eBay, including raffle and lottery tickets.

Charitable fundraising is regulated by state and federal law. We strongly encourage our buyers and sellers to follow all laws and regulations. To help, we’ve chosen a nonprofit, MissionFish, to power the eBay Giving Works program. They’ve created specific guidelines for allowing charitable solicitations on eBay. These guidelines conform to the various laws and regulations in this area and help protect the entire eBay community.