Medicine and healthcare products policy

Restricted

Most GSL, or OTC, products in a form the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) - opens in new window or tab defines as not requiring a prescription from, or supervision of, a licensed practitioner, to dispense may be sold provided they meet the following conditions:

• They are delivered to the buyer prior to its expiration date
• The packaging is intact
• The item has not been tampered with
• The item has been stored safely prior to shipment
• The listing includes the ingredients, how to use the product, side effects/hazards/cautions, use-by date and storage instructions
• The products are classified as GSL and have obtained the relevant marketing authorisation for sale in the UK
• You comply with any applicable legal requirements. This particularly includes registration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) and displaying a logo issued by the PSI. You can find more information on the PSI’s website 

Food for special medical purposes may be sold, provided warning labelling remains intact and the item complies with appropriate local laws and regulations.

Not Allowed

Prohibited items include but are not limited to:

• Any medicinal product which does not have a marketing authorisation for sale in the UK or Ireland
• Any substance in a form the HPRA defines as requiring a prescription from - opens in new window or tab, or supervision of, a licensed practitioner. This includes both Prescription and Pharmacy Only substances including, but not limited to:
  • Allergy medicines
  • Components of prescription or over-the-counter drugs unless the sale of such components without a prescription has been approved by the HPRA
  • Contraceptives, including implantable devices
  • HIV testing kits
  • Injectable substances, including vitamins, and regardless of whether they're available over the counter
  • Insulin in all forms, including non-prescription
  • Prohormones
  • Pseudoephedrine in any form or combination
  • Synephrine
• Repackaged over-the-counter medications
• Services offering medical procedures e.g. services offering Botox. A complex set of regulations prohibit advertising to the general public which is likely to lead to the use of a prescription only medicine (POM). Please visit the HPRA website - opens in new window or tab for more information.
• Tooth whitening products that contain greater than 0.1% of hydrogen peroxide, carbamide peroxide, zinc peroxide or other compounds that release hydrogen peroxide. For more information please see the General Dental Council website - opens in new window or tab for the UK and the Irish Dental Association for Ireland - opens in new window or tab.

Allowed

• Vitamins
• Calling an herbal product by its common name without its scientific name (such as milk thistle for silybum marianum)

Restricted

• Descriptions of herbal and holistic remedies and other items can't compare the products listed to prescription drugs, imply any non HPRA-approved treatments, or be marketed as having the same results.

Not Allowed

Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:

• Jiu Bian Li
• Muscletech NaNoX9 Hardcore tablets
• TREN-Xtreme
• MASS Xtreme
• ESTRO Xtreme
• AH-89-Xtreme
• HMG Xtreme
• MMA-3 Xtreme
• VNS-9 Xtreme
• TT-40-Xtreme
• Products containing ephedra, ephedrine, or ma huang
• Weight loss pills with HPRA warnings or recalls - opens in new window or tab

Not Allowed

• Claiming or suggesting that muscle-building supplements have the same effect as steroids
• Claiming that stamina products work like Viagra or other erectile dysfunction medications
• Making a claim which is disallowed under EU regulation - opens in new window or tab or when the HPRA hasn't approved such claims. This includes claiming an item can cure, relieve, treat, or reduce the risk of getting an ailment or a disease.

Restricted

• Medical devices not requiring a prescription from or supervision of a licensed practitioner to dispense (for example, breast pumps) may be sold under the following conditions:
  • Medical devices must bear the CE marking of conformity.
  • Sellers must clean and handle all medical devices in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions before shipping. Sellers may not list any medical device that has been altered in any way that significantly changes the product's performance or safety specifications.
  • Sellers must provide the buyer with the original box, labels and instructions that were provided by the manufacturer with the original product. Medical devices that do not come with the box, label(s) and a complete set of manufacturer's instructions may not be listed on eBay.
  • Sellers must clearly inform potential bidders, in the item description, if the device has been opened or used.
• Prescription eyewear is not permitted but vintage eyeglasses sold for collectible purposes can be listed.
• Tens machines, Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) units and their accessories unless they require a prescription or postage outside the UK is offered.
• Hearing aids may only be listed by sellers properly registered with the Health Professions Council - opens in new window or tab. You must provide your registration number in the listing.

Not Allowed

Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:

• Medical products that reference avian bird flu or swine flu
• Contact lenses (including 'zero powered' or cosmetic lenses)
• Covid tests, even if they are over-the-counter
• CPAP machines, Bilevel Positive Airway (BiPAP) devices, and Variable Positive Airway Pressure (VPAP) devices and their accessories that require a prescription
• Defibrillators
• Nebulizers and their accessories
• Implantable devices, such as pacemakers, heart valves, vascular grafts, ventricular bypass devices, and implantable fusion pumps
• Pumps and ancillary items for the administration of enteral tube feeds
• Unauthorised medical devices such as ear candles

The following medical equipment and related products, which can be abused for unlawful purposes, are not permitted:

• Items or device parts that could be used to facilitate the manufacture of illegal drugs or pharmaceutical products
• Needles, with or without a disposable syringe

Information on Veterinary products can be obtained from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). Their website is: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterinary-medicines-directorate - opens in new window or tab
For similar information relating to Ireland, visit the Veterinary Medicines Section of the Irish Medicine Board's website http://https://www.hpra.ie/ - opens in new window or tab.

Allowed

• Authorised veterinary medicine classified as GSL (General Sales List) by the VMD

Not Allowed

Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:

• Any medicinal product which does not have a marketing authorisation for sale in the UK or Ireland
• Any substance the VMD - opens in new window or tab defines as requiring a prescription
• Injectable substances, including vitamins, and regardless of whether they're available over the counter
• Repackaged over-the-counter medications, including flea and tick medications
• Frontline flea control products
• Sentinel, Revolution, Heartgard and Interceptor heartworm medicines