Cookies are bits of information associated with your account that are saved on your computer to make your online experience quicker and easier. You can decide whether or not to accept cookies, however in most cases cookies help to facilitate a smooth and efficient user experience.
If you have concerns or want to know more, you can learn more about how eBay safeguards the information in cookies.
How do cookies work?
Your browser retrieves small files of information, called "cookies," from your computer to provide services to you and make your online experience more convenient. For example, eBay uses cookies to recognise you when you sign in, to remember your preferences, and to allow you to navigate the site without having to keep re-entering your password.
Flash cookies are another kind of cookie eBay uses for security. When you sign in, eBay creates a Flash cookie that gives your computer a unique ID. The next time you sign in, the Flash cookie confirms your computer as a trusted source.
Do I need to change my web browser's cookies setting?
Probably not—most cookies are "session cookies" that automatically disappear from your hard drive once you sign out or close your web browser. The cookies that stay on your computer identify you to the site when you return, so you can continue where you left off. Without the cookie file, eBay wouldn't recognise you when you came back, so you'd need to re-enter your data each time.
Accepting or deleting cookies in your web browser
Each type of web browser has its own way of managing cookies.
To make sure eBay’s features (including signing in) work properly:
Check that your web browser is set up to accept cookies. To learn more about accepting cookies, consult your browser's help.
Be familiar with how your web browser manages cookies, including how to delete cookies. To learn more about deleting cookies, consult your browser's help.
Important: You should only need to delete cookies from your computer if you receive an error message saying that your browser is rejecting cookies.
Managing Flash cookies
As with browser cookies, eBay suggests you allow Flash cookies. If you delete Flash cookies, you may need to enter verification information more frequently for security reasons.
If you need to delete Flash cookies for technical or security reasons, or to eliminate browser slowness, here's what to do:
Go to the Settings Manager for Adobe Flash Player. (If you aren't taken to a website, it means you don't have Adobe Flash Player. In that case, contact the support centre for your Flash software.)
Click the websites whose cookies you want to delete.
