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Unwelcome and Malicious Buying

Buyers who do not meet the seller’s terms as outlined in the item listing are not permitted to bid on or buy the item. Furthermore, buyers are not permitted to place bids or purchase items with the primary intent of disrupting a listing.

Sellers are permitted to exclude bidders at any time prior to the listing close and are free to cancel unwelcome bids. After a seller has cancelled a bid, the bidder may not place a new bid without the seller's permission.

Additionally, members are prohibited from bidding on or purchasing an item to disrupt or to leave non-positive feedback or detailed seller ratings for the seller, with no intention of completing the transaction.

Breaches of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

  • Listing cancellation

  • Limits on account privileges

  • Account suspension

  • Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings

  • Loss of PowerSeller status

Some Examples

Failure to meet a seller's terms

Examples:

  • Seller states item will only be shipped domestically. Buyer is registered outside the shipping area.

  • Seller states that buyers with negative feedback comments are not permitted to bid. The buyer has negative feedback.

Report a buyer who participated in a listing without meeting the listing terms.

Buying with the intent to disrupt a listing

Examples:

  • Buyer places a bid that greatly exceeds the value of the item in order to prevent a sale.

  • Buyer bids on multiple items listed by a seller without intent to complete the sale.

  • Buyer attempts to purchase an item after having been placed on a seller's blocked bidder list.

Report a buyer who bid with intent to disrupt a listing.

Note: Buyers who fail to respond or who back out of a transaction do not fall under the Unwelcome Buying policy. These listings should be reported as Unpaid Items.

Additional Information

Preventing Unwelcome Buying

In addition to reporting a user to eBay, there are several steps sellers can take to prevent unwelcome buying including:

Why does eBay have this policy?

This policy protects the marketplace by enforcing the contractual obligation entered into between buyer and seller, made with the placement of a bid or Buy it Now. It also protects sellers from buyers who do not honor the seller’s terms of sale.


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