eBay Gift Card Ban Set For Australia, US Sellers Receive Similar Notice
eBay is banning the sale of gift cards in Australia starting November 12, with similar notifications sent to sellers in the US suggesting the marketplace may be preparing for a broader global rollout that would also prohibit empty or expired gift cards sold purely as collectibles.
The company announced the changes in the eBay Australia Community, citing concerns about fraud and misuse as the reason for eliminating gift card sales.
The new policy covers eBay gift cards, digital gift cards and gift card codes, gift certificates and vouchers with monetary value, prepaid gaming cards, merchant and service gift cards, store credit and other prepaid payment products. Even collectible, empty, used, unactivated or expired gift cards will be prohibited, regardless of whether they have any remaining monetary value.
Sellers are being advised to end affected listings before November 12, with eBay warning that listings remaining after the policy takes effect may be removed.
While eBay has not yet made similar official announcements in other markets, an apparently US-based Reddit user shared an email notification detailing nearly identical restrictions effective November 16, suggesting the changes may apply there as well.
The email states that sellers have 30 days to remove affected listings and that listings removed by sellers or eBay during the transition period will not negatively affect their policy compliance history. Listings remaining after November 16 could result in enforcement action.
The matching lists of prohibited products, similar fraud-prevention explanations and effective dates just days apart point toward a coordinated international rollout, though eBay has not publicly confirmed whether the restrictions will apply globally or which other markets may be included.
eBay has already updated its Australian Gift Cards policy page to reflect the November 12 change, while keeping the previous rules in place through November 11. The US Gift Cards policy page still shows the existing policies and restrictions, including permission to sell collectible cards without redemption value and a $500 total face value limit, with no mention of a November 16 change.
The new restrictions are also a significant expansion of eBay's decision earlier this year to discontinue sales of its own branded gift cards. In June, eBay announced it would stop selling digital gift cards beginning August 3, with physical cards at retailers like CVS and Walgreens gradually disappearing as remaining inventory sold through.
Liz Morton
At the time, eBay specifically said, "Only eBay-issued gift cards are being discontinued," adding that third-party gift card listings on the marketplace would continue to be available.
The Australian announcement confirms existing eBay gift cards will remain valid and can still be used for eligible purchases, so the ban on selling cards does not affect balances buyers already hold.
While eBay cites fraud prevention as the reason for the new restrictions, it's less clear why the company is extending the ban to empty, used and expired gift cards that no longer have any monetary value. These cards are also collected as vintage retail memorabilia and promotional items, raising questions about whether other types of collectible stored-value cards, such as expired phone and transit cards, will be affected.
The gift card ban follows eBay's decision to eliminate Classified Ads outside Vehicle categories in September, removing a longstanding listing option for certain digital goods, services and information products.
Liz Morton
That change also left sellers with conflicting guidance, as eBay's electronically delivered items policy still directs some sellers to use the Classified Ad format even though it's no longer available in those categories. Gift cards are governed by a separate policy, but the latest restrictions add another category of products sellers will no longer be able to offer on the marketplace.
eBay has not responded to a request for comment as of publication.
