eBay does not allow the sale of stolen property. Selling stolen property violates state, federal, and international law. eBay strongly supports efforts by law enforcement to investigate any situations where users attempt to sell stolen property on our site. We will proactively refer cases to the appropriate law enforcement agency for investigation and prosecution when we determine that such attempts are taking place. eBay also prohibits its members from listing goods that have altered or removed serial numbers, as the possession and sale of such items is prohibited in most U.S. states.
If you try to sell a stolen item or an item with an altered or removed serial number, it may be removed, and your buying and selling privileges could be restricted.
What to do if you see stolen property on eBay
If you see stolen property on eBay or items with missing or altered serial numbers: Please contact law enforcement immediately. Under eBay's privacy rules, eBay’s attorneys will provide important records about pending and past listings in response to an official request from law enforcement officials. Please inform the police officer handling the case that eBay will be pleased to cooperate in the investigation, and ask the officer to contact eBay using eBay’s law enforcement-specific form. The officer should include all relevant information, including the case number and any item numbers or user IDs. This information appears on the listing page.
Please do not use the law enforcement form to contact us unless you are a law enforcement official. By having a contact method reserved for law enforcement use only, we can respond to those messages quickly in case of emergencies. Messages sent through this form that are not from a law enforcement official will be routed to the appropriate mailbox or individual accordingly. This re-routing may cause delays in response time.
Here are some examples of items that are not permitted on eBay:
Items stolen from private individuals.
Property taken without authorization from companies or governments.
A television set with a completely removed serial number.
A DVD player with some of the digits in its serial number altered.
If you think another eBay member has stolen your item descriptions or pictures: See our item description and picture theft policy.
If you think your intellectual property rights have been violated: Find out more about our Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program.
For more information on the laws that apply to selling stolen property or government property without authorization, visit these links:
Why does eBay have this policy?
eBay urges its sellers and buyers to comply with all governmental laws and regulations. Since the sale of stolen property is prohibited by law, and may cause harm to eBay or its members, sellers are not permitted to list such items on eBay. State and federal law prohibit the knowing sale of stolen property, and a majority of states in the US prohibit the sale of consumer goods with missing or altered serial numbers; therefore sellers are not permitted to list such items on eBay.
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