You might think you can buy and sell pretty much anything on eBay, though there are some restrictions in place. Some of the things you’re not allowed to sell on eBay are actually understandable, but for others it’s a bit of a mystery why you can’t sell them.
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Used funerary items
If you happen to have a used gravestone or urn in your possession, don’t even think of trying to sell them on eBay because they’re simply not allowed. You can sell them if htey haven’t been used.
2. Alcohol
Pre-approved sellers may sell wine over eBay, but for everyone else, selling all types of alcoholic drinks is forbidden. You can, however, sell food with alcohol in it, so long as it complies with eBay’s food policy.
3. Replica coins
The strange thing is, while you’re not allowed to sell replica coins over eBay, selling replicas of paper currency is totally fine.
4. Restricted plants and seeds
You can sell plants and seeds, so long as they’re permitted in the location you intend to send them to. There are some seeds and noxious weeds that you’re not allowed to sell at all, no matter where you’re sending it to.
5. Tobacco
The sale of any item containing tobacco is forbidden on eBay – it isn’t restricted to cigarettes, cigars and loose tobacco. Nicotine inhalers and nasal sprays aren’t allowed, though nicotine patches are.
6. Lottery tickets
You’re allowed to sell lottery tickets if they’ve expired and scratch cards if they’ve been scratched, even though there’s not exactly much use in doing so. You’re banned from selling active lottery tickets, scratch cards that haven’t yet been scratched and lottery tickets from another country.
7. Pesticides
You’re allowed to sell some pesticides on eBay, including snake bite kits, though there are lots of restrictions on what you can’t sell because of health and safety concerns.
8. Used clothing
Most used clothing can actually be sold on eBay so long as it’s been cleaned, it’s listed as used and it doesn’t have any inappropriate content. The following items of clothing that can’t be sold if they’ve been used include boxer shorts, children’s underwear, socks, briefs, thongs and panties.
9. Human remains and body parts
This one’s expected. You can’t even sell human remains or body parts even if it’s for medical research. The only things in this category that are allowed are items containing human scalp hair, such as lockets and wigs.
10. Authentic prison uniforms
Selling costume prison uniforms is perfectly fine, but for some reason eBay doesn’t want those who have been in prison to make a profit from selling their uniform.
11. Lock picking devices
This kind of makes sense since lock picking devices can help people commit crimes. Though really, lock picking devices are just long, thin pieces of metal – you’re bound to have something like this at home you could use to pick locks if you wanted to, not that you should of course.