Hazardous, restricted, or regulated materials

Allowed

• Books on fireworks, including books on how to make fireworks

• Chemistry books

Restricted

• Combustible items that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has identified as ORM-D (Other Regulated Materials-Domestic) have to include specific shipping restrictions in an eBay listing. (See the USPS website for mailing requirements.)

• Firework labels that are no longer attached to a firework

• Model rockets that have no engines

• Pyrotechnic devices that have no combustible materials (such as control devices, launchers, or tubes)

Not allowed

• Black powder

• Caps for toy guns

• Combustible materials that the USPS has prohibited for shipping

• Explosive fuses

• Fireworks, including dummy fireworks

• Exploding targets

• Flares (both projectile and road flares)

• Flash paper

• Red phosphorous

• Thermite

Allowed

• Empty fire extinguishers or grenades

• Fire extinguishers that don't contain carbon tetrachloride

• Information on how to use a fire extinguisher

Restricted

• Antique fire extinguishers or grenades need to clearly state in a listing what substance they are filled with

Not allowed

• Fire extinguishers (including glass bulb fire extinguishers and brass fire extinguishers with a T-shaped handle) or grenades that contain carbon tetrachloride. (Contact your local fire department for tips on safe disposal.)

Allowed

• Refrigerants contained within a household appliance or a vehicle

Restricted

• To list a refrigerant, you have to include the following information in your description:

  • The buyer has to be EPA-certified.

  • The buyer has to show proof of certification before paying and before the item is shipped.

• Used refrigerants can be sold only if all of these requirements are met:

  • The seller can show proof that the substance has been reclaimed by a person certified by the EPA.

  • The refrigerant is part of a household appliance that is being sold.

  • The refrigerant will be used only in a household appliance.

Not allowed

• Non-EPA approved refrigerants (see the EPA website for more info)

Allowed

• Information on the use of pesticides

• Snakebite kits

Restricted

• Flea and tick medications that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are sealed in their original packaging (see also our medical drugs and devices policy)

• Pesticides can be listed if all of the following conditions are met:

  • The pesticide is registered by the EPA and the U.S. state where the buyer is located.

  • The registration hasn't been suspended or canceled by the EPA or the U.S. state where the buyer is located.

  • The pesticide is not classified as restricted by the EPA or the U.S. state where the buyer is located.

  • The container or original packaging is unopened and intact.

  • The pesticide’s package labeling complies with all federal and state requirements. A seller's item description on eBay has to be consistent with the product's label.

  • The container can be shipped in a way that complies with U.S. postal regulations.

  • The seller clearly states both of the following details in a listing:

    • The seller complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations and ensures that the buyer satisfies all applicable laws and regulations.

    • The seller won't accept bids from, sell to, or ship to buyers located in a U.S. state where the item is not registered as a general-use or non-classified pesticide.

Not allowed

• EPA-restricted, suspended, or canceled pesticides

• Flea and tick medications that are:

  • Purchased in another country and shipped to the U.S.

  • Repackaged flea and tick medication that was approved by the FDA and EPA. (By repackaging the item, it loses its approval and becomes a violation of federal law.) See also our medical drugs and devices policy.

• Opened containers or packages of pesticides

• Poisonous or toxic substances that the U.S. Postal Service has prohibited for shipping

Allowed

• Geiger counters

• Information about atomic or nuclear testing or energy

• Warning badges for radioactive material

• Warning signs for radioactive material

Restricted

• Items containing only a trace amount of radioactive material (such as watches or gunsights)

• Natural ore samples that have trace amounts of radioactivity

• Tritium personal markers

Not allowed

• Atomic or nuclear blast items (such as hot rocks, items from a blast or testing zone, and Trinitite)

• Items considered problematic by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and that the NRC has asked to be removed from eBay

• Items described in a listing as radioactive

• Nuclear materials

• Radioactive waste or contaminated materials

• Radium

• Raw depleted uranium

• Tritium in large amounts (such as certain types of glow sticks and exit signs)

Allowed

• Disco or show lasers

Restricted

• Elemental iodine (250 grams or less)

• Fuel additives, though sellers have to include a health disclaimer and can't make performance claims in their listing

• Hazardous materials and explosives that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has identified as ORM-D (Other Regulated Materials-Domestic) have to include specific shipping restrictions in an eBay listing. (See the USPS website for mailing requirements.)

• Iodine solutions (including tinctures of iodine) may be restricted by federal and state laws, including California state law.

• Hoverboards, self balancing scooters, and components or parts such as batteries and chargers if they have been certified to meet the UL 2272 safety standards. Sellers must state in the listing that the item is UL 2272 certified, include a link to the UL Online Certifications Directory showing the certification and offer US, Canada, and Australia shipping only.

Not allowed

• Asbestos and items containing asbestos, such as collectible gas masks

• Chloroform products

• Cyanide products

• Handheld lasers with an output of more than 5 milliwatts (MW) of power

• Hazardous materials that the USPS has prohibited for shipping

• Iodine products

• Items containing mercury such as thermometers and the following batteries:

  • Alkaline-manganese batteries

  • Mercuric oxide button batteries (button-shaped batteries typically used in vintage camera equipment)

  • Zinc-carbon batteries

• Items that pose a health or safety hazard as specified by government agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), EPA, FDA, and NRC. (We will remove listings at the request of any government agency.)

• MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) heaters (see our military items policy for details)

• The following explosives precursors:

  • Ammonium nitrate

  • Calcium ammonium nitrate

  • Calcium nitrate

  • Hydrogen peroxide above 12% weight by weight

  • Nitric acid

  • Nitromethane

  • Potassium chlorate

  • Potassium nitrate

  • Potassium perchlorate

  • Sodium chlorate

  • Sodium nitrate

  • Sodium perchlorate

  • Sulphuric acid