US agencies ban or regulate trade between people in the US and certain organisations, businesses, and individuals. eBay doesn't allow the sale of embargoed (restricted) items from or to those countries, organisations, businesses, or individuals.
Under US law, buying or selling certain items made in restricted countries may not be lawful, depending on the nature of the item, when it was manufactured, and when it left that specific country.
Policy overview
Sellers who post internationally should regularly review current information about which countries may be affected by sanctions enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets control - opens in new window or tab (OFAC), a division of the US Department of the Treasury. Additionally, before listing items on eBay, it's important to review embargo regulations of the UK and Irish governments and the European Union. For more details, visit the websites of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office - opens in new window or tab, Irish Department of Foreign Affairs - opens in new window or tab and the European Union - opens in new window or tab. For more information about laws governing such trade, please see additional information below.
What are the guidelines?
The following information is meant as guidelines to help you determine if an item is allowed to be sold on eBay.
Allowed
- Informational items from sanctioned countries, such as books, movies, artwork, photographs, music, or similar materials.
Restricted
- Replica items of antiques and artefacts must clearly state that they're replicas.
- The items must still meet all eBay policy guidelines.
Not allowed
- We don't allow items on our site if they fall under the embargo regulations with the following countries. Since we can't determine when an item was removed from a specific country, we don't permit items that claim to be pre-embargo:
- Cuba
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
- Iran
- Syria
- The Crimea, Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), and Luhansk People's Republic (LNR) regions of Ukraine (as defined under applicable sanctions)
- Items from Russia subject to international sanctions
We also don't allow organisations, businesses, or individuals from these countries to have or register accounts while based in these countries.
- We don't allow organisations, business or individuals on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) list to have register accounts.
You can review the most up-to-date list of sanctions-affected countries, organisations, and individuals by visiting the Office of Foreign Assets Control website - opens in new window or tab.
Activity on eBay is required to follow this policy, the eBay User Agreement and all applicable laws, as well as respect the rights of third parties. If it doesn’t, eBay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the eBay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: Removing the listing or other content, issuing a warning, restricting activity or account suspension.
Additional information
This eBay policy is a guideline, and should only be used as a starting point for members buying and selling such items. For more details about laws governing such trades, and copies of the actual governing laws, visit the US Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control website - opens in new window or tab
International sellers should also familiarise themselves with other restrictions the US government may have in place. Links to the relevant websites are maintained on the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security website - opens in new window or tab.
Additional information about these regulations and lists of these prohibited persons can be found at the Office of Foreign Assets Control website - opens in new window or tab.
Why does eBay have this policy?
eBay urges its sellers and buyers to follow all government laws and regulations. The sale of embargoed items are prohibited by law and may cause harm to eBay or its members. Therefore, sellers may not list them on eBay.