Our travel policy will guide you through what you need to know when selling travel on eBay.
What is the policy?
The business of arranging and selling travel, holiday packages, and other travel services is complex and heavily regulated in many countries. We have special guidelines for listing travel and travel services on eBay, including air, train and sea travel; hotel, spa, and resort stays; holiday packages; and gift certificates and travel vouchers.
Aeroplane tickets
The sale of tickets for air travel is highly regulated in the United Kingdom by the Civil Aviation Authority - opens in new window or tab and in Ireland by the Commission for Aviation Regulation - opens in new window or tab.
- Sellers with an Air Travel Organisers Licence - opens in new window or tab. (ATOL) may sell plane tickets or package holidays that include air travel
- Listings for air travel are permitted from the following non-ATOL holders:
- Airline ticketing agents (ticket providers). These are businesses that immediately issue a valid scheduled airline ticket in exchange for any payment. This exception will normally apply only to International Air Transport Association (IATA) licensed travel agents selling published fares
- Agents authorised to act on behalf of ATOL holders, provided that they state their agency capacity and furnish buyers specified documents under law showing that they have accepted money on behalf of a particular ATOL holder
- If you do not have an ATOL licence and do not fall into one of the above exceptions, you may not list aeroplane tickets or package holidays that include air travel on eBay
- Listings may not offer a choice of airline
Train tickets
- The sale of all UK train tickets (including Eurostar tickets) by unauthorised persons is not permitted under the railway bylaws, made under Section 46 of the Railways Act 2005
- Listings for train tickets by an authorised person (someone acting in the course of his or her duties who is an employee or agent of the relevant train operator, or any other person authorised by the train operator or a person operating any railway assets is allowed
- You must make it clear in the listing that you are authorised to sell train tickets
- Listing any UK train tickets, unless you are an authorised seller as described above, is not allowed
- In Ireland, the sale of all train tickets (including LUAS and DART tickets) is not permitted under the relevant railway byelaws
- Listing any Irish train tickets, including LUAS and DART ticket, is not allowed
Travel certificates, vouchers and travel-related incentives
- Travel-related certificates are allowed only if they are issued by one specific provider of travel services (i.e. one particular airline, hotel chain, cruise company etc.) for use only with that company
- Gift certificates or travel vouchers issued by a specific travel provider (e.g. hotel chain or airline) are allowed, provided that the issuing company is disclosed
The following items are not allowed:
- Choice travel certificates or similar items that entitle the holder to free or low-cost travel services with a variety of providers and/or destinations
- Travel certificates or similar items that require an additional purchase (see also our policy on avoiding eBay fees)
- Travel club memberships, including service, cards, or identification numbers that give the holder the right to free or discounted travel or some other travel-related benefit
- Travel-related incentives, including:
- Airline gift vouchers
- Awards
- Certificates
- Codes
- Coupons
- Credits
- Frequent-travel miles
- Lodging certificates
- Travel or lodging gift vouchers
- Upgrades
- Vouchers
Accommodation
- Listings for accommodation rentals, such as homes, apartments, villas, B&Bs and timeshare weeks, are allowed as long as:
- You personally own the property or have ownership rights, OR you are an accredited travel provider or licensed travel agent
- You list in the Holidays & Travel > Accommodation category
- Listings for the sale of accommodation, such as holiday apartments or timeshares, are in the Property category
- Choices of accommodation locations are not allowed
Cruises and package travel
- Cruises and vacation packages, provided your business is authorised to issue these
- A choice of travel dates is allowed, but the specific destination, location of the hotel, spa, or resort or cruise line and cruise must be clearly identified in your listing
- Choices of cruise lines or cruise points of departure or destination
Additional information
Taxes and other fees
Your listing should clearly state the types and amounts of any special fees associated with your travel listing in the item description. These additional fees – such as all-inclusive resort fees, processing fees, registration fees, cleaning fees, and deposits – must be included in the item price. No additional fees may be added on top of the final cost of the item.
Taxes paid to government or other regulatory agencies don't have to be included in your item price, but you do need to clearly state the amounts in the item's description.
Charity and fundraising
Many travel-related businesses – such as airlines, cruises, hotels, and resorts – donate their services to organisations as part of fundraising efforts. Charitable organisations may list travel services on eBay only if those services will be provided directly by the business that has donated the listed service. The listing must also meet our specific guidelines for charity and fundraising.
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?
eBay is always looking for ways to improve the buying and selling experience. As part of this effort, we want to make sure travel-related items or services are listed properly on our site without breaching our policies or government regulations.