Buying

You can shop for most things on eBay without needing an eBay account, but you’ll miss out on the benefits of being a member.

If you want to return an item, or if there's a problem with your order, the first step is to let the seller know. If you're not able to resolve things with the seller, you can ask us to help.

If the estimated delivery date for your order has passed and your item hasn't arrived, you can let the seller know by reporting that you didn't receive it.

Buying items

You can shop for most things on eBay without needing an eBay account, but you’ll miss out on the benefits of being a member.

If you’ve changed your mind about a purchase, you can submit a request to cancel the order. The seller can either accept or decline your cancellation request.

You can save fixed-price items you'd like to buy by adding them to your shopping basket while you continue shopping. When you're ready, you can check out and pay for multiple items in one go.

With Best Offer you can offer the seller a price you’re willing to pay for the item. The seller can accept, decline, or counter your offer by suggesting another price.

If you've made a Best Offer on a listing, the seller may come back to you with a counter-offer suggesting another price.

You can search for vehicles and parts by year, make, and model on eBay Motors. You can also shop by category, or filter your results so you only see local listings.

Download the eBay app to buy, sell, or browse straight from your phone. Available for free on iOS and Android, the eBay app has a range of great features to help you keep track of your eBay activity.

As of 1 September 2024, you are no longer able to collect and spend Nectar points on eBay purchases. Learn more.

How bidding works

Automatic bidding is the easiest way to bid on an auction-style listing. Simply enter the highest price you're willing to pay for an item, and we'll do the rest.

Auction-style listings on eBay will often have multiple competing bidders, and you can maximise your chances of winning by having a well thought out bidding strategy.

Waiting until the last few seconds of an auction to make a winning bid is known as bid sniping. This tactic is used to try and prevent other bidders from having a chance to react and place a higher bid before the auction ends.

If you didn't win an auction, the seller might give you another opportunity to buy the item you wanted by sending you a Second Chance Offer.

A reserve price is the minimum amount the seller is willing to sell an item for. If the reserve price isn't met, the item won't be sold.

Resolving buying problems

If the estimated delivery date for your order has passed and your item hasn't arrived, you can let the seller know by reporting that you didn't receive it.

If you've changed your mind about an item you bought or there's something wrong with it, you can request a return.

If you requested a return or reported an issue with your purchase and the seller hasn't responded, or if you're not able to resolve things with them, you can ask us to help.

If you've requested a return or reported that you didn't receive your order, you can check the status at any time.

If you don't agree with our resolution when we've stepped in to help resolve an issue, you can appeal by providing new information within 30 calendar days of the case closing.

There are several ways you can send an item back to the seller. Who pays the cost of return shipping depends on the seller's return policy and the reason for the return.

If you want to return an item, or if there's a problem with your order, the first step is to let the seller know. If you're not able to resolve things with the seller, you can ask us to help.

Payments

When you see an item for sale on eBay, the listing will include the payment methods you can use to buy it. If you have any problems paying for your items, we can help troubleshoot the issue.

If you're having problems paying with PayPal or need help with your PayPal account, contact PayPal Customer Support directly.

If you have a PayPal account, you can use it to pay for your items on eBay. You can also link your PayPal and eBay accounts so you don't need to enter your details each time you pay at checkout.

Most sellers on eBay accept payment by credit and debit cards. You’ll find the payment methods a seller accepts on their listing.

At checkout you can pay for your item, choose where you’d like it to be delivered, and review your order details before you pay.

Many countries and jurisdictions around the world apply some type of tax on consumer purchases, including items bought on eBay. Whether the tax is included in the listing price, added at checkout or charged at the border depends on the order price, the item's location, and your delivery address.

Postage and tracking Items

When the seller uploads tracking information, you can follow your package online all the way to your delivery address.

You can find out how much postage costs in the Postage section of every eBay listing. We always show the postage cost separately from the item cost so you can see exactly how much you'll pay for delivery before you go to checkout.

Most sellers on eBay are happy to post everything to you in the same package if you're buying multiple items from them. You might also get a discount on postage costs because the seller saves money by combining items.

If you've already completed your purchase but need to make a change to your address or delivery details, contact the seller as soon as possible to let them know.

Many sellers offer free collection, especially for large items which may be difficult to post. You can collect the item in person, inspect it before you take it home, and save money by not having to pay for postage.

You'll find items from all over the world on eBay. International sellers can send items to you through regular postage services, or they may use one of eBay's shipping programmes.

With Click & Collect, you can buy on eBay and collect your items at a time that suits you from thousands of conveniently located eBay Collection Points.

Finding items and managing purchases

You’ll find all your orders from the past 7 years in your purchase history. It's also the place to go if you need to return an item, pay for your purchases, or view your order details.

If you've used our range of filters on your search and still can't find what you're looking for, try advanced search.

You can find listings you've browsed lately in your recently viewed items. However, if the listing isn't there, the item may have been purchased, or we needed to remove the listing.

If you have your eye on something but are not quite ready to commit, you can add it to your watch list while you make up your mind.

Feedback

You can find all of the Feedback you've left for sellers in your Feedback profile. Once you’ve left Feedback, you won’t be able to edit or delete it, unless you ask the seller to send you a Feedback revision request. Alternatively, you can add extra comments or information to your original Feedback by leaving a follow-up comment.

When you leave Feedback, you're letting others know about your buying experience with a seller. If the seller doesn't believe the Feedback was fair, they may dispute it.

You can find the best and most reputable sellers on eBay by looking at their seller rating, Feedback score, and the number of items they've sold.

Buying limits

To keep our marketplace safe for buyers and sellers, we occasionally place limits or restrictions on a member's buying activity. We may also restrict buying if we believe a member has violated an eBay policy.

Working with sellers

To make sure eBay is a safe place to buy and sell, we have policies that members have to follow. If you're having a problem with a seller because they're not following our policies, let us know and we'll look into it.

Keeping our members safe is a top priority for us, so we have zero tolerance for fraud on eBay. If you spot something suspicious, let us know.

You can find the best and most reputable sellers on eBay by looking at their seller rating, Feedback score, and the number of items they've sold.