eBay Prohibits AI-Powered Shopping Agents in Updated User Agreement

eBay has implemented significant updates to its user agreement prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence-powered shopping agents on its platform. The revised terms, effective January 20, 2026, explicitly forbid users from employing "buy-for-me agents, LLM-driven bots, or any end-to-end flow that attempts to place orders without human review" without prior authorization from eBay.

This amendment expands eBay's existing restrictions against automated access tools, which already prohibited "any robot, spider, scraper, data mining tools, data gathering and extraction tools, or other automated means to access our Services." The new language specifically targets emerging AI technologies capable of completing multi-step purchasing workflows without human oversight.

Under the updated agreement:

1. Prohibited Activities: Users may not deploy any AI system that autonomously searches, evaluates, negotiates, or completes purchases on eBay
2. Human Review Requirement: Any automated purchasing workflow must incorporate meaningful human validation before transaction completion
3. Exception Process: eBay may grant limited exceptions through formal approval channels, though criteria remain unspecified
4. Enforcement Mechanisms: Violations may trigger account suspension, transaction reversals, and legal action

The regulatory change addresses two primary concerns:

• Revenue Protection: eBay's fee structure relies on percentage-based commissions (Final Value Fees), meaning AI agents programmed to secure items at minimum prices could reduce platform revenue
• System Integrity: Autonomous agents could increase server load through constant price monitoring and create unfair bidding advantages

Compliance obligations take effect immediately for all users. Organizations developing shopping automation tools must:

• Audit existing integrations for compliance with Section 4.3 of eBay's User Agreement
• Implement human verification checkpoints for any eBay-connected purchasing workflows
• Submit exception requests through eBay's business development channels before deploying agentic systems

This policy aligns with similar restrictions from Amazon, which issued cease-and-desist notices to AI agent developers. The update reflects broader e-commerce industry efforts to maintain control over transaction environments as autonomous agents gain capability.

Platform operators should note eBay's action establishes precedent for regulating emerging agentic commerce technologies. Companies developing similar marketplaces may need to evaluate their own terms of service to address this evolving compliance landscape.