What is the policy
Some adult items are allowed when they follow our guidelines.
At eBay, we have policies to ensure our platform remains a trusted and inclusive environment for our global community of buyers and sellers. Although most adult-only material is prohibited, listings that show nudity are allowed in limited situations and when they follow the guidelines below.
We are committed to preventing bias in the application of our policies. All forms of adult content that don't follow our policy will be removed. We’ll review the content of the listing, images, and the category of the items to determine if it is allowed.
eBay defines nudity as showing any part of male or female genitalia, anus, or female breasts where the areola or nipple is visible. The following are also considered nudity:
- Modeled clothing that is see-through or very tight and shows human genitalia, the anus, or the nipple/areola of female breasts
- Male erections, even if the model is clothed
- People engaged in sexual contact or activity
The following are not allowed:
- Adult items with content that is illegal
- Sexually explicit materials, including items displaying sexual activities, aren't allowed. This includes the following:
-- Sexually explicit adult films with a rating of X, XXX, or unrated for an adults-only audience
-- Sexually explicit video games with a rating of Adults Only 18+
-- Sexually explicit anime, comics, books, animation, manga, hentai, yaoi
-- Sexually explicit magazines that show displays of sexual activity
- Items that do not comply with our illegal explicit content policy, including nudist publications
- eBay-hosted video content may not contain nudity.
The following items are allowed only under the conditions outlined below:
- Adult magazines that contain nudity are allowed only if they don't contain sexual activity and if no images of nudity are showing in the listing.
-- Some examples of this include Bear (magazine), Blue (magazine), Butt (magazine), Gayletter, Mayfair, On Our Backs, Penthouse, Playboy, Playgirl, and Playguy. This isn't an exhaustive list of magazines we allow. Any adult magazine that doesn't contain sexually explicit content can be listed following the guidelines in the this policy.
- Nude art listings that don't contain sexually suggestive poses or sexual activity are allowed, but must include the item specific attribute Subject: Nudes. They can only be listed in the following categories:
-- Art categories
-- Collectibles > Paper > Pin Up > Vintage (Pre-1970)
-- Collectibles > Postcards > Risqué
-- Collectibles > Photographic Images > Risqué > Vintage & Antique (Pre-1940)
-Sex toys and sex accessories can be listed in the Health & Beauty > Health Care > Sexual Wellness categories, and must follow these guidelines:
-- Sellers must be pre-approved. Seller accounts are automatically reviewed for pre-approval at the time of attempting to list in these categories.
-- Items must be new and in the original packaging.
-- Listings must not offer international shipping.
-- Listings must not include images of nudity or sexual content.
- Educational materials that don't contain sexually explicit content can be listed as long as the listing doesn't show nude images.
Why we have this policy
We want to make adult items available to those who wish to purchase them and can do so legally, while preventing those who do not wish to view or purchase these items from easily accessing them.