Before closing your account, please contact eBay Customer Service first. We'll do everything we can to sort out any issues you have on eBay.
Once your account is closed, you won’t be able to use it to buy or sell on eBay. You will also lose access to all your account information, including feedback, selling history, and purchase history.
First, you need to understand whether you want to delete your account completely or whether you’ve decided to just stop selling on eBay.
How to stop selling on eBay
If you want to close your account because you've decided to stop selling, you can do that and still leave your account active. Simply remove your preferred payment method and cancel your selling tool subscriptions.
To remove your automatic payment methods:
1. Go to My eBay, Account tab.
2. Under Payment Information, find your payment options and click Delete under each of them.
To cancel your selling tool subscriptions:
1. Go to My eBay, Account tab.
2. Cancel all subscriptions on the Subscriptions page (click on it from the left side menu).
How to close a Seller Account
Remember, if you close your eBay account, you'll no longer be able to sell on the site or access My eBay. You'll also lose your feedback, as well as your purchase and sales history.
If you still want to close your account, make sure that:
- All your fees are paid, and your account balance is zero
- You don't have open bids on an item
- You don’t have any outstanding payouts to be processed to your bank account
- You’ve cancelled all your subscriptions
If you have any suspensions or restrictions active on your account, or if your account doesn't currently meet eBay minimum Seller Performance Standards, you'll need to contact eBay Customer Service in order to close your account.
How long will it take to close your Seller Account?
When you submit a request to close your account, eBay will send an email to your registered email address and to your eBay Messages within 24 hours, letting you know we've received it.
Generally, it takes 30 days to close an account from the date we receive a request. However, if you've bought or sold items in the 30 days prior to submitting your request, eBay will keep your account open for 60 days from receiving your request so any outstanding sales or purchases can be completed, and so eBay can meet its commitments to all buyers and sellers under the eBay Money Back Guarantee.
After the 30-day or 60-day period (depending on whether you’ve bought or sold in the past 30 days) your account will be permanently closed and your data will be deleted. If you change your mind and decide to keep your account, you have 7 days from the account closure to request that your account be reopened.
eBay can reopen your account only if it was in good standing when you closed it. Suspended or restricted accounts won’t be reopened.
Personal data on closed accounts
The right to have your personal data deleted depends on the applicable law which varies by country and region. eBay extends this right to all users regardless of your country or region's regulation.
When you send a request to close your account, your personal data will also be deleted. eBay deletes personal data using approved methods such as encryption, pseudonymization, and aggregation. On your part, you'll need to clear cache, cookies, and history from each browser you used to sign in to your eBay Seller Account.
Please note, if you downloaded any eBay apps on any of your mobile devices, you'll need to delete those too.
Unless you've reconsidered and would like to keep your account, and as long as your account is in good standing and none of the exceptions listed below apply, your account will be closed and your data will be deleted within 30-60 days of receiving your request.
When eBay has closed your account, we will let you know by sending an email to your registered email address. If you'd like to use eBay again, you'll need to create a new account.
Closing account and personal data deletion exceptions
eBay can't close an account and/or delete associated data if:
- Your account has an outstanding balance
- You have pending transactions (i.e. open bids, pending payments from buyers, outstanding payouts to be processed to your bank account)
- Data related to an account needs to be retained to detect, prevent, mitigate or investigate fraudulent or illegal activities
- Data related to an account needs to be retained for a purpose required by applicable law
- There is a public health issue
- A subpoena or other court or legal order compelling eBay to retain certain data is in place
If data can't be deleted for any reason, it will be retained in accordance with eBay Privacy Notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I change my mind?
If you change your mind during the time it takes to close your account (30-60 days) or within 7 days after the account closure, you can contact eBay Customer Service and ask to have your account reopened.
Can I transfer or sell my eBay account to a new owner?
For security reasons, you can't transfer or sell your eBay account to a new owner. However, you can add a secondary contact to your account.
My relative has passed away and I want to close his account, what should I do?
Please contact eBay Customer Service.