3 min article

Deleting your data

If you request to delete your data, we'll delete all your personal data from eBay, except data that we are legally obliged or permitted to retain for limited purposes.

To delete your data, we'll have to close your eBay account, so you'll no longer be able to buy or sell with this account, or access My eBay. You'll also lose your Feedback and your purchase and sales history.

To submit a request, select the button below. (If you need help deleting the data of a deceased eBay member, please contact us instead.)

Delete my data - opens in new window or tab

If your account has any of the following, your request will be denied:

  • Active listings, bids or offers
  • Transactions awaiting resolution (e.g. pending returns or payment disputes)
  • An outstanding balance for fees or selling costs
  • Funds that haven't yet been paid out to your bank account (including Available, On hold and Processing funds)
  • An active subscription

You'll need to resolve these issues before re-submitting a request.

Tip
If you have any active restrictions on your account, or if your account doesn't currently meet our minimum seller performance standards, you'll need to contact us in order to delete your data.

What happens after requesting to delete data?

Within 24 hours of receiving your request, we'll send you an update on its status to your registered email address and eBay Messages. Generally, it takes 14 days to delete data from the date we receive a request, though it may take up to 60 days if you've had any transactions, payments, claims or disputes in the previous 30 days.

After this period, your data will be deleted and your account will be permanently closed. Deleting your data will also result in the closure of all eBay businesses associated with that account which rely on the same identity – for example, the eBay Partner Network (EPN).

Please be aware that any open service requests will also be closed when your data is deleted. 

If you change your mind during this waiting period, you can contact us and ask to withdraw your deletion request and have your account reinstated if it was in good standing (not restricted or suspended) at the time of your deletion request.

What data is deleted?

When your request to delete data is accepted, we'll delete all personal data that we are legally obligated to delete.

Personal data is deleted using approved methods such as direct deletion, anonymisation, pseudonymisation and aggregation. You'll need to clear your cache, cookies and history from each browser you used to sign into your eBay account and delete the eBay app from your mobile devices.

Once your data is deleted and your account is closed, we'll let you know by sending an email to your registered email address. If you'd like to use eBay again, you'll need to create a new account - opens in new window or tab.

What data is retained?

After deletion, we retain a record of your request and our response. We also retain some personal data that we are we're legally required or allowed to retain in order to:

  • comply with eBay's financial and legal retention obligations
  • detect and resolve issues related to security or functionality, including to protect against fraudulent or illegal activity
  • exercise the right of freedom of expression and information
  • exercise or defend against legal claims
  • provide goods or services requested by you or otherwise perform a contract between eBay and its users
  • resolve any balances owed to you or to eBay
  • provide you with tax-related information
  • inform you if there is a public health issue

We will only use personal data retained to fulfil these purposes and we will delete the data when we no longer need it. Please note that we may contact you after deletion if we need to resolve an outstanding balance or provide you with tax information.

To delete your data, we'll have to close your eBay account, so you'll no longer be able to buy or sell with this account or access My eBay.

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