eBay User Agreement Update June 2026: eBay Live, US Managed Shipping & Arbitration Policies
eBay has released an update to the user agreement adding new sections for eBay Live and Managed Shipping for the US as well as changes to arbitration policies, effective June 28, 2026.
The following summary of changes was provided in an announcement in the eBay community forum:
We’ve updated eBay’s User Agreement, including the agreement to arbitrate any disputes you may have with us.
Our updated User Agreement was posted on May 26, 2026. For users who agreed to a prior version of our User Agreement, this agreement is effective as of June 28, 2026.
These changes are designed to support our evolving features and services. We’ve also made clearer shipping options, labels and seller shopping obligations.
As always, sellers are encouraged to read the entire updated terms carefully, but Value Added Resource has you covered with a side by side comparison highlighting some key changes.
Disclaimer: comparisons are made using both automated and manual methods and are provided for informational purposes only - no warranty of completeness or accuracy is expressed or implied and users are advised to do their own due diligence.
eBay Live
eBay has added a new dedicated section of the User Agreement just for livestream shopping on eBay Live.
eBay Live is an interactive live streaming feature of our Services that allows sellers to host live events where buyers can view, interact with, and purchase items in real time.
When you access or use eBay Live as a seller or buyer, you must comply with the eBay Live policy and all other rules and policies that apply to your use of our Services, including the eBay rules and policies, each as updated from time to time. These policies are incorporated into this User Agreement by reference.
Participation in eBay Live as a seller is available to sellers who meet our eligibility criteria and remain in compliance with this User Agreement, the eBay Live policy, seller agreements, and our policies. The primary purpose of each seller's eBay Live stream must be to promote and sell items listed through that eBay account.
As an eBay Live seller, you are responsible for the acts and omissions of any personnel and guests who appear in your live streams, including their compliance with this User Agreement, the eBay Live policy, seller agreements, and our policies.
We may, at any time and in our sole discretion, suspend or terminate access to eBay Live, or require the immediate removal of any individual from an eBay Live stream, if we believe they have violated this User Agreement, seller agreements, or any of our policies.
eBay has finally been ramping Live up after initial launch in 2022, but eligibility criteria remains very selective, leaving many sellers out of the loop.
This line is particularly interesting: "the primary purpose of each seller's eBay Live stream must be to promote and sell items listed through that eBay account."
That could suggest that whatever eBay has planned for their "streaming as a service" offering coming could potentially be a consignment model where the item will need to be sent to the Live host to sell through their account.
Liz Morton
Shipping
eBay has also added a new section on shipping and since User Agreement is for the main US eBay.com site, it likely means that some type of Managed Shipping will be coming to the US soon.
eBay may add certain delivery options to your listings to help improve both the seller and the buyer experience for selecting a delivery label.
For listings that are eligible, you may see a simplified listing flow where eBay will require you to
- (i) list with eBay shipping as the delivery method and
- (ii) ship your item using the shipping label eBay provided to you.
In such instances, your buyer may be able to choose whether to have a standard or express delivery service, or whether to collect at one of the carrier's locations.
Once your item has sold, the delivery costs paid by your buyer at checkout will be paid to eBay for the shipping label provided to you.
If you have chosen to offer free delivery, you agree that the delivery costs owed to eBay will be deducted from your account and paid to eBay as set forth in eBay's Payments Terms of Use. You agree that no further delivery costs are owed to you by your buyer for the shipping label provided to you.
As a buyer, you agree that any delivery costs you pay at checkout for the shipping label will be owed to eBay.
By listing with eBay shipping services, you are acknowledging that you have read and agreed to the eBay Shipping Terms and Conditions and that they will apply to you as a seller and to all of your eligible new and existing listings.
These terms include, among other important provisions:
- an acknowledgment that you agree and are responsible for ensuring that your listings and items are compliant with the eBay Shipping Terms and Conditions including any applicable carrier terms; and
- a description of the items that are ineligible for the delivery services and restrictions on the value, weights, and dimensions of items that may qualify for eBay shipping as a delivery option.
You also acknowledge and agree that should the buyer request a return, you may be responsible for refunding the buyer any outbound delivery costs (including for express delivery) for the label eBay provided to you, and that the outbound delivery costs will be deducted from your account to execute the refund.
If you declare the size and weight of your item at listing, you will be responsible for ensuring you declare this correctly.
If you have under-declared the size or weight of your item and additional delivery costs are due to eBay, the additional delivery costs (including any applicable administration or other fees) will be deducted from your account and paid to eBay as set forth in eBay's Payments Terms of Use.
While some of those terms may apply to existing offerings like eBay International Shipping and authenticated sneakers, it also may be hinting at a Managed Shipping option coming to the US as part of broader global consumer to consumer selling efforts - similar to Simple Delivery in the UK and new shipping policies for fee-free selling in Australia.
So far there aren't a lot of details about what Managed Shipping may look like for the US, but eBay has been testing seller sentiment on the topic since last year.
Liz Morton
Arbitration
eBay has added the following section their Arbitration Policy, allowing either eBay or users to assert claims in small claims court instead of going through arbitration.
If a party initiates an arbitration asserting a claim that falls within the jurisdiction of a small claims court, the other party may, in its discretion, require that the arbitration demand be withdrawn and that the claim be filed in small claims court.
Any dispute about whether a claim falls within any given small claims court's jurisdiction will be resolved by that court, not by an arbitrator.
eBay has also changed the method for submitting a dispute from email or mail to webform.
Old Version
To initiate Informal Dispute Resolution, a party must give notice to the other party in writing in a valid Notice of Dispute ("Notice"), which may be downloaded at this link.
Such Notice to eBay should be sent by email to DisputeNotice@eBay.com or regular mail to our offices located at 339 W. 13490 S., Ste. 500, Draper, UT 84020.
New Version
To initiate Informal Dispute Resolution, you must give notice to eBay by submitting a Notice of Dispute ("Notice") via this webform.
To be valid, you must complete all information on the Notice webform, including a description of the claims you are asserting, the specific relief sought, and the username, email address, and phone number associated with your account
eBay had previously updated arbitration terms in 2025.
Liz Morton
And that's it for changes to eBay's User Agreement going into effect June 28, 2026.
Let us know in the comments below what you think of these change and how they'll affect your business!
