If we've placed a hold, restriction or suspension on your account, we'll send you an email explaining what happened and what you need to do to get your account back. You'll find a copy of this message in your Messages.
Why your account was suspended or restricted
Holds, restrictions or suspensions are usually placed on accounts for one of the following reasons:
- You have eBay selling costs to pay
- You need to reimburse eBay for a refund or a claim paid to your buyer
- You have violated one of our rules or policies
- We couldn't verify your account information
How to have your account reinstated
Getting your account reinstated may be as simple as waiting for a temporary suspension to finish, making changes to your listings, or sending us some more information – it depends on the reason why we suspended your account. The full details will be in the message we sent you.
If your account was restricted or suspended because of outstanding seller costs or a refund reimbursement, you can make a one-time payment. When we receive your payment, your account will be reinstated.
To make a one-time payment:
- Go to Payments in My eBay - opens in new window or tab or Seller Hub - opens in new window or tab.
- Select One-time payment to make a payment. Alternatively, you can add a new payment method.
If eBay doesn't currently manage your payments, you may also need to complete seller registration before your account will become fully reinstated.
Tip
Most account restrictions or suspensions can be resolved by making a one-time payment or by following the steps we gave you in the email in eBay Messages.
What happens while an account is suspended
When your eBay account is suspended, you won't be able to:
- bid, buy, or sell
- leave Feedback
- create new listings or revise existing listings
- contact bidders
- reply to your eBay messages
- receive payouts
If you're a seller, your payouts will be placed on hold until the hold, restriction or suspension on your account is lifted.
Any bidders on your existing listings can retract their bids. When your account is reinstated, you'll be able to leave Feedback for any transactions you completed in the previous 30 days.
Depending on why your account was suspended, we may end listings early. If we remove listings because of a policy violation, eligibility for a fee credit will depend on the situation and any previous policy violations will be taken into account. These credits can be viewed on the account activity page of My eBay. Keep in mind that listing fees can be forfeited too, depending on the reason for suspension.
Account verification holds
When you start selling on eBay, we will confirm your identity and bank account details so you can receive your payouts. We may place a temporary hold on your account until we can verify your details. Once verification is complete, we'll email you to let you know the hold has been lifted from your account and you can start selling.
Fake account hold and suspension notices
Watch out for spoof (fake) emails about account holds or suspensions. To confirm that an email was sent from eBay, check your eBay Messages - opens in new window or tab. If you can't find a copy of the email there, then it wasn't from eBay. Learn how to recognise spoof emails.