Listing No Item

Listings not offering an item or service for sale are not permitted on eBay. These types of listings include but are not limited to:

Listings where the buyer cannot verify the existence of the item upon receipt of the item
Listings with the apparent, primary purpose of expressing the seller’s personal views
Signposts – listings primarily meant to direct a user to a seller’s store or other listings
Want Ads – unless they are posted in the Want It Now Format

Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

Listing or Want It Now post cancellation
Limits on account privileges
Account suspension
Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
Loss of PowerSeller status

Some Examples

“Government should not tax gasoline” would be a violation if it appears the primary purpose of the listing is to express a personal view.
“Air in a jar from New York” is considered a violation since the item cannot easily be verified by the buyer.
“Tommy Bahama, Gucci and other great products” where the listing only includes a link to the sellers store.

Additional Information

Note: Posts made in eBay’s Want It Now area must also comply with this policy. Want It Now posts that violate this policy may be removed. Repeated violations may result in suspension. You can report a Want It Now violation of this policy from the Want It Now Policies page.

Why does eBay have this policy?

Listings that do not offer an item clutter the site making it harder for buyers to find and sellers to sell items. Furthermore, these listings undermine trust in the eBay marketplace.

Related Help topics

Back to Key Rules and Policies