eBay prohibits email offers to buy or sell listed items outside of the eBay Web site. Offers of this nature circumvent eBay's fee structure and are a potential fraud risk for both buyers and sellers.
Some examples of off-site offers include:
Using information obtained through eBay to offer to buy or sell a listed item outside of eBay.
Cancelling a listing to sell to a buyer who became aware of the item through eBay.
Ending a listing early to sell the item at a higher price to the winning bidder.
Offering to sell duplicate or additional merchandise to underbidders
It is acceptable for sellers to end a listing early in order to sell an item at the current bid price to the high bidder. Bidders are permitted to contact sellers with requests to end a listing early; however, sellers are under no obligation to do so.
Although outside of eBay offers are not permitted, sellers may be able to sell items to underbidders by sending a Second Chance Offer. Potential risk of outside of eBay offers
Policies Rules for everyone | Unsolicited Commercial email (SPAM) | Offers to Buy or Sell Outside of eBay
Even though offers to buy or sell outside of eBay are not always made with the intent to defraud, there is always a significant level of risk involved. Please be aware that items purchased as a result of an outside of eBay offer are not eligible for eBay services, including:
Requests for contact information
Coverage under the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program
Some members have reported receiving outside of eBay offers from sellers who insist that payment be sent using third-party instant cash transfer services. These services are designed to allow individuals to send money to trusted parties such as family and friends. Requests to send instant cash to an unknown third-party present a significant fraud risk, especially when the seller is offering to sell outside of the eBay Web site. If you have received an offer of this nature, please report it to us immediately.
Buyers who request that items be sold outside of eBay who wish to pay for the items with a credit card are also cause for concern, especially when the buyer requests that items be shipped internationally. These types of offers may indicate that the buyer is attempting to purchase an item using stolen funds. If you suspect that this is the case, you can report the member making the offer from the Receiving Payments page.
Reporting outside of eBay offers
If you would like to report a user who is attempting to sell an item off-site through text in the item description, please refer to the Sales Outside of eBay page.
To report any other off-site offers, contact eBay with the item number that the offer refers to, the User ID or email address of the member you are reporting, and a copy of the email.
Policies Rules for everyone Unsolicited Commercial email (SPAM):
Contact eBay to report an outside of eBay email offer from a Seller.
Policies Rules for everyone Unsolicited Commercial email (SPAM):
Contact eBay to report an outside of eBay email offer from a buyer.
If you have received an unsolicited email offer to purchase an item that is not related to a specific item number, see the Spam page for information on how to report the offer.
Transactions outside of eBay are not eligible for eBay services, including feedback, the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program, the Item Not Received Process, and the Unpaid Item Process. If you knowingly or unknowingly transacted outside of eBay and believe you were defrauded, please review the Transactions Outside of eBay page to learn more about the steps you can take
Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:
Listing or Want It Now post cancellation
Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
Limits placed on account privileges
Loss of PowerSeller status
Spend a few minutes taking eBay's tutorial on Fee Circumvention.
Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
