eBay strictly forbids the sale of stolen property. eBay strongly supports law enforcement efforts to recover stolen property that is listed on its Web site, and urges the prosecution of those who knowingly attempt to sell such items on eBay.
Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:
Limits on account privileges
Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
Loss of PowerSeller status
Stolen property includes:
Items taken from private individuals.
Property taken without authorisation from companies or governments.
Items sold when in possession as part of a bailment.
For New South Wales and Australian Law regarding buying or selling stolen property please review the following:
Theft of Property: If members see an item on eBay that they believe is stolen, the best course of action is to contact law enforcement immediately. Under eBay's privacy rules, eBay’s Trust and Safety team will provide important records about pending and past listings upon receipt of an official request from law enforcement officials. eBay will ask that members inform the police officer handling the case that eBay will be pleased to cooperate in the investigation, and ask the officer to contact eBay using established communications channels. The officer should include all relevant information, including the case number and any item numbers or User IDs.
Theft of descriptions or pictures: If members are concerned that the images, text, or HTML in their item description have been used by another eBay user without authorisation, please see eBay's Item Description and Picture Theft Policy.
Theft of Intellectual Property Rights: If members believe that their intellectual property rights have been violated by an eBay listing, get more information about eBay's Verified Rights Owner program.
Why does eBay have this policy?
eBay urges its sellers and buyers to comply with all governmental laws and regulations. Since the sale of stolen property is prohibited by law, or may cause harm to eBay or its members, sellers are not permitted to list them on eBay.
