The sale of tobacco is highly regulated, and may cause harm to eBay members, so we do not allow tobacco products to be listed.
What is the policy?
Items containing tobacco or nicotine are not allowed, including but not limited to the following:
- Any item containing tobacco, including, but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, and loose tobacco
- Herbal cigarettes or herbal tobacco (sometimes called nicotine-free or tobacco-free cigarettes or shisha)
The following are exceptions that can be listed:
- Collectable/vintage packages
- Nicotine patches, nicotine gum or nicotine pouches
- Tobacco seeds
- E-cigarettes, e-shishas and related accessories such as atomisers, liquids (with and without nicotine) and flavours are allowed from permitted business sellers - opens in new window or tabwho meet the following requirements:
- All sales must use VerifyMyAge, which is currently the only age verification process that satisfies due diligences described in the Business Companion guide - opens in new window or tabfor online age verification checks and that:
- Has, or has the benefit of, assured advice from the Trading Standards department of a UK local authority; and
- Operates using the eBay API and fulfill the requirements of the Program
- Sellers can find more information here: https://www.verifymyage.co.uk/ebay-signup.html - opens in new window or tab
- Listings must include the following text: "You must be over 18 to purchase this product. We have an effective and monitored age verification process provided by VerifyMyAge. We will not sell to persons that do not meet the age restrictions for this product and by continuing with this purchase you hereby consent to the processing of your personal data for age verification purposes."
- E-cigarettes and nicotine-containing e-liquid products must be notified to the MHRA, and the notification must be published on the MHRA publication home page. Products aren't compliant for supply until the notification has been published on the relevant list for Great Britain and/or Northern Ireland.
- Permitted business sellers must only sell Tobacco Policy Directive compliant nicotine liquids to end consumers (B2C) with the following restrictions:
- Maximum strength allowed is 20mg/ml
- Maximum size of refill container allowed is 10ml
- Maximum size for e-cigarettes is 2ml
- Tamper-evident and child-resistant packaging
- Permitted business sellers offering nicotine products to business buyers (B2B) must clearly mention in their listings that the nicotine products are only sold to business buyers and must ensure that the buyer is a professional buyer
- All sales must use VerifyMyAge, which is currently the only age verification process that satisfies due diligences described in the Business Companion guide - opens in new window or tabfor online age verification checks and that:
- Shake 'n' vape kits that consist of both nicotine-free liquids and nicotine shots are not allowed. These products can only be sold separately
Activity on eBay is required to follow this policy, the eBay User Agreement and all applicable laws, as well as respect the rights of third parties. If it doesn’t, eBay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the eBay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: Removing the listing or other content, issuing a warning, restricting activity or account suspension.
Tip
Visit Seller Help - opens in new window or tab to find details of any policy issues with your account or listings, and get the information you need to quickly resolve them.
Why does eBay have this policy?
This policy helps sellers follow important government regulations while ensuring that eBay remains a safe marketplace.