Before listing your item, make sure it's allowed on eBay and find out if it's subject to certain restrictions. This helps avoid potential issues with your listing. Check out our list of policies below and click the product category to get more details. As an eBay seller, you also need to make sure that the sale of your item complies with the law.

Violations of these policies may result in a range of actions, including:

• Listing cancellation

• Limits on account privileges

• Account suspension

• Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings

• Loss of PowerSeller status.

When a policy violation occurs, we email the seller and the bidders to let them know that the listing was removed from the site. You can report violations by clicking the Report item link in the listing, or by clicking the Report or Contact Us link located on most of our help pages.

Understanding the rules about prohibited and restricted items

• Policies about listing items are often based on country and state laws. However, many restrictions may involve the sale of dangerous or sensitive items and are not necessarily prohibited by law. These limitations are often based on input from people who use eBay. For example, see our offensive material policy.

• When selling internationally, be sure to review our guidelines on international trading and import restrictions. Keep in mind that although certain items may be legal to sell in your country, they might be illegal elsewhere.

• Just because a particular type of item is listed below, it doesn't mean it's completely prohibited. In the medical devices policy, for example, while many items are prohibited (such as contact lenses), others are allowed under certain conditions (including certain types of medical instruments). It's important that you read and understand our policies before listing items. And remember to check out the Some examples and Additional information sections on the policy web page.

  Note: Examples are designed to help explain the policy – they're not an exhaustive list of what you can and can't sell on eBay.

• It is also important to review the rules for listings and the rules about intellectual property to check if your item has additional restrictions that would affect your listing.

  
  

Prohibited and restricted items list:

• Adult Only category

• alcohol (see also wine)

• animals and wildlife products – examples include live animals, mounted specimens, and ivory 

• art

• artifacts – examples include Native American crafts, cave formations, and grave-related items 

• catalytic converters and test pipes

• cell phone (wireless) service contracts

• charity or fundraising listings

• clothing, used

• coins

• contracts

• cosmetics, used

• counterfeit currency and stamps

• credit cards

• drugs and drug paraphernalia

• drugs, describing drugs or drug-like substances

• electronics equipment – examples include cable TV de-scramblers, radar scanners, and traffic signal control devices

• electronic surveillance equipment – examples include wiretapping devices and telephone bugging devices

• embargoed goods and prohibited countries – examples include items from Cuba

• event tickets

• firearms, weapons, and knives – examples include pepper spray, replicas, and stun guns (see also military items)

• food and healthcare items

• gift cards

• government and transit documents

• government and transit uniforms

• government IDs and licenses

• hazardous, restricted, and perishable items – examples include batteries, fireworks, and Freon

• human parts and remains

• importation of goods into the United States – examples include CDs that were intended only for distribution in a certain country

• international trading

• items encouraging illegal activity – examples include an eBook describing how to create methamphetamine

• lockpicking devices

• lottery tickets

• mailing lists and personal information

• manufacturers' coupons

• medical devices – examples include contact lenses, pacemakers, and surgical instruments 

• military items (see also firearms, weapons, and knives)                          

• multi-level marketing, pyramid, and matrix programs

• offensive material – examples include ethnically or racially offensive material and Nazi memorabilia 

• pesticides

• plants (see weeds and seeds)                           

• police-related items

• political memorabilia (reproduction)

• postage meters

• prescription drugs

• prohibited services

• real estate

• recalled items

• slot machines

• stamps

• stocks and other securities

• stolen property and property with removed serial numbers

• surveillance equipment

• teacher's edition textbooks

• tobacco

• transit and shipping-related items – examples include blueprints of transit facilities, airplane operations manuals, and flight attendants' uniforms                 

• travel

• weeds and seeds