eBay policies are simple and clear and most members follow them faithfully and easily. However, there may be situations where eBay has to occasionally restrict or suspend accounts to protect the community. If your eBay account is restricted or suspended, eBay will email you explaining what happened and what you need to do to get your account back. You’ll find a copy of this message in your Messages on eBay.
Why your account was suspended or restricted
Holds, restrictions, or suspensions are usually placed on accounts for one of the following reasons:
- You have eBay fees to pay
- You need to reimburse eBay for a refund it made to your buyer
- You have violated one of eBay’s rules or policies
- We couldn't verify your account information
- You need to update your payment method
When creating an eBay account, make sure that all your information is correct and up-to-date with your bank details. Otherwise, eBay may suspend your account and ask you to confirm your personal information.
What happens while an account is suspended
When your eBay account is suspended, you won't be able to:
- Bid, buy, or sell
- Leave feedback
- Create new listings or revise existing listings
- Contact bidders
- Reply to your eBay messages
Any bidders on your existing listings can retract their bids. When your account is reinstated, you’ll be able to leave feedback for any transactions you completed in the previous 30 days.
Depending on why your account was suspended, eBay may end listings early. Keep in mind that listing fees can be forfeited too, depending on the reason for suspension.
Your account can be either completely suspended or just restricted. If the account is not suspended, but restricted for selling, you can still buy; if it is restricted for buying, you can still sell.
How to have your account reinstated
Getting your account reinstated depends on the reason eBay suspended your account. The full details will be in the message eBay’s sent you.
If your account was restricted or suspended because of outstanding seller fees or a refund reimbursement, you can make a one-time payment to resolve the issue. When we receive your payment, your account will be reinstated.
To make a one-time payment:
- Go to Account in My eBay.
- Beside Payment methods for seller fees, select One-time payment, and follow the instructions.
Most account restrictions or suspensions can be resolved by making a one-time payment or by following the steps eBay gave you in the email in your Messages.
For security reasons, sometimes eBay blocks accounts and asks you to provide or confirm personal information. A list of required documents and a download link can usually be found in My eBay > Messages. Such requests may concern proof of identity, address or merchandise.
If some of your listings have been deleted and your account is restricted, do not list these items again. If your listings have not been edited in accordance with eBay Customer Support recommendations, they will be removed again and your account may be suspended indefinitely.
Creating a new account is not the best way to get back to work on eBay after a blocking. For fraud protection purposes, eBay keeps account related information, including the seller's name, mail and IP addresses, bank details, etc. This allows tracing the connection of new accounts to those that are subjected to restrictions or suspension. Therefore it is not recommended to create a new account immediately. However, when you solve the suspensions or restrictions, you can create an additional account or open more than one eBay Store. Many sellers do this to split up different kinds of items or keep different financial sources.
The eBay community has tens of millions of sellers. And eBay understands that every one of them is a real person who can make a mistake or get into an unexpected situation.
Don't be afraid to contact eBay, find out why your account is blocked, show that you understand what went wrong, and are willing to follow the rules.
The first eBay account suspension for a policy violation is usually not indefinite. However, if you continue to violate the same rules or policies after a warning or temporary restriction, your eBay account may be suspended indefinitely.
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