You Can Sell Anything on eBay – Or Can You?

Over 100 million people are members of eBay.

Through eBay, you can buy items in almost any

category that you can imagine – at great prices.

You can also sell almost anything you can

imagine on eBay – people often sell items that have

absolutely no real value for very high prices. There

are limits, however, to what can be bought and sold.

eBay does not allow certain items to be auctioned

through their website. Services are one type of ‘item’

that cannot be auctioned – simply because it is not

an item. Some seller’s blatantly ignore this however.

The sell of other items is illegal, even if it isn’t being

sold through eBay. eBay restricts the sale of any

type of item that is considered ‘illegal for sale’ in any

other selling format. Illegal items such as satellite

descramblers are forbidden as well.

Anything that is copyrighted - such as copies of

DVDs, CDs, or software - may not be sold through

eBay auctions. You can, however, sell a DVD, CD,

or any software that you bought legitimately…as

long as you are not just selling a copy that you

made of these types of items. eBay does not allow

the sale of ‘replicas.’ A replica is a knockoff version

of designer items, such as purses, dresses, shoes,

or sunglasses that look identical to those that have

designer labels.

Items that are regulated by the state or federal

government are forbidden on eBay. These items

include alcoholic beverages, weapons and firearms,

all tobacco products, and both prescription and

illegal drugs. There are small exceptions to this rule,

however. If you have a collectable, such as a tin that

contains tobacco, you may sell that item if the

package has never been opened, and if you state the

contents of the package are not meant for

consumption. There are other conditions that must be

met as well when selling these types of collectables.

Any type or breed of animal or reptile may not be

sold through an eBay auction. This includes animals

that were once living, and are now stuffed and

mounted. This rule may also apply to items that are

taken from endangered species, such as Ivory. When

it comes to these types of items, when in doubt,

don’t.

Tickets may be sold, but it is illegal to sell tickets

for a higher price than you originally paid for them.

This is called ticket scalping, and it is illegal.

Lottery tickets are also banned from eBay

auctions, as well as raffle tickets. Again, if you are

not sure if your item is eligible for an eBay auction,

either don’t put it up for auction, or contact eBay to

get an answer one way or the other. Don’t risk