eBay
- Your data trains their AI unless you opt out by form or email.
- Your data is used for personalized ads, including by third-party ad companies.
- Data is shared with partners and affiliates; you can opt out.
- Staff may review your content; the policy does not describe an opt-out.
eBay collects a lot, trains AI on your data unless you object.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, listings, messages, payments, device IDs, location, and data from credit and ad partners.
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Privacy policy
“We also collect personal data from other sources (such as other eBay Affiliates, credit agencies or bureaus, and data providers).”
Training
They run the site, personalize ads, fight fraud, and may train their own and third-party AI on your data.
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Privacy policy
“Where permitted under applicable law, we use personal data collected from our users to train, test, validate, and align our own AI models as well as third-party AI models”
Sharing
Other buyers and sellers, affiliates, shippers, ad partners like Google and Meta, and credit bureaus.
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Privacy policy
“Third-party advertising partners such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, and TikTok, as listed on our Advertising and related preferences page”
Kept
They keep data as long as they need it; in Europe that is often 6 to 10 years.
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Privacy policy
“In Europe, the retention periods are generally between 6 and 10 years (e.g. for contracts, notifications and business letters).”
Controls
You can ask to access or delete data, object to AI training, and change ads and email settings.
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Privacy policy
“Your rights also include the - opens in new window or tab to our processing of your personal data for AI development and training purposes.”
Fine print
They take a lasting license to your content, can close accounts.
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Terms of service
“you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, , , , (through multiple tiers) right to exercise any and all Intellectual Property Rights you have in that content”
Expand “Read the exact line” to see the source alongside the explanation.
What you can turn off
The controls and opt-outs their own documents describe, and where they say to find them.
Object to AI training and
Privacy Contact page / eBay Privacy Center (section 8)
Turn down personalized ads
Advertising and related preferences (EEA/UK/CH) or AdChoice for other users
Change marketing emails and calls
My eBay → Communication Preferences, or unsubscribe link in emails
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
They can use what you do on eBay to train both eBay AI and outside AI companies, unless the law blocks it or you object.
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Privacy policy
“Where permitted under applicable law, we use personal data collected from our users to train, test, validate, and align our own AI models as well as third-party AI models and systems”
For example, your listing photos and chat text could be used to train an AI listing tool.
You give eBay a forever license to use, copy, and your listings and other content to run and promote the site.
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Terms of service
“you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, , , , (through multiple tiers) right to exercise any and all Intellectual Property Rights you have in that content”
For example, they can keep showing your old listing photos in ads even after you leave.
not a regular court, unless you mail an opt-out in time.
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Terms of service
“any and all disputes or claims between you and eBay (or any related third parties) that arise out of or relate in any way to this or previous versions of the User Agreement, your use of or access to our Services”
For example, if a fee dispute goes badly, you generally cannot join a .
If someone sues eBay because of how you used the site, you may have to pay eBay’s legal bills.
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Terms of service
“You will and hold us (including our affiliates and subsidiaries, as well as our and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents) harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable legal fees”
For example, a listing that infringes a brand could leave you covering eBay’s lawyer costs.
eBay computers scan every message, and staff can read ones that look suspicious.
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Privacy policy
“All messages are automatically filtered according to certain criteria. If necessary, conspicuous messages are checked manually by our customer service.”
For example, a chat about meeting off-site to pay cash could be opened by a human reviewer.
They always get a rough location from your IP and can get exact GPS if you allow it.
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Privacy policy
“Location data, including your general location data (e.g. IP address) and, with your permission, the precise location data of your mobile device.”
For example, the app can use your phone’s GPS for nearby search if you turn that on.
Sellers may have face or similar biometric data processed, with consent, to prove identity and stop fraud.
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Privacy policy
“For sellers, processing of your biometric data to identify you and further prevent fraud and reduce other risks on our platform”
For example, a selfie with your ID can be used to unlock seller payments.
They can cut off your buying or selling without promising a reason.
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Terms of service
“we reserve the right to refuse, modify, or terminate all or part of our Services to anyone for any reason at our discretion.”
For example, they could suspend your account after a policy flag even if you disagree.
Even after you stop using eBay, records can stay for many years for legal and tax reasons.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“In Europe, the retention periods are generally between 6 and 10 years (e.g. for contracts, notifications and business letters).”
For example, an old sale from 2019 might still sit in their files until the late 2020s.
You can tell them not to use your personal data to train AI, through their privacy contact process.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Your rights also include the - opens in new window or tab to our processing of your personal data for AI development and training purposes.”
For example, you can file an objection on the Privacy Contact page so future chats are not used for training.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- personal data
- Any information that is about you or can be linked to you, from your name to your phone's ID. For example, your email, your IP address and the list of apps on your phone are all personal data.
- affiliates
- Other companies owned by or connected to the same parent company. For example, if you use one app, its sister apps under the same owner may also get your data.
- third parties
- Any company or person other than you and the app, such as advertisers, partners or analytics firms. For example, an analytics company that receives a record of every screen you tap is a third party.
- retention
- How long a company keeps your data before deleting it. For example, a policy might keep your messages for 30 days after you delete them, or for as long as it likes.
- data subject rights
- The legal rights you have over your data, such as seeing it, fixing it, deleting it or moving it. For example, you can email the company and ask for a copy of everything it holds about you.
- worldwide license
- You let the company use your content anywhere on earth, usually for free and for as long as it likes. For example, a video you post can be shown in ads in any country without asking you again.
- perpetual
- Lasting forever, with no end date. For example, a perpetual licence means the company can keep using your video years after you leave.
- irrevocable
- Cannot be taken back or cancelled once given, even if you change your mind or delete your account. For example, an irrevocable licence to your photos means you cannot withdraw it later.
- royalty-free
- The company can use your content without ever paying you for it. For example, your photo can appear in the app's ads and you get nothing.
- sublicensable
- The company can pass its rights over your content on to other companies without asking you. For example, an app can let an advertiser or a partner reuse your video under the licence you gave.
- indemnify
- You promise to pay the company's legal costs and losses if your use of the service gets it sued. For example, if you post a song you do not own and the label sues the app, you owe the app's lawyer bills.
- precise geolocation
- Your exact position, usually from GPS, often accurate to within a few metres. For example, an app can tell not just your city but which building you are in right now.
How we got here · grade F · score 34/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 1 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect far more than account and listings: device IDs, cookies, precise location with permission, credit-bureau data, ad-partner data, and social-login data.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
Sellers can provide selfie photos and biometric data with consent for ID and fraud checks. Customer-service calls may be recorded with consent.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
They use user personal data to train their own and third-party AI by default where the law allows. You can object through their data-subject rights process.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Every message is filtered automatically, and staff may manually read ones that look suspicious. No opt-out of that review is described.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They personalize ads on and off eBay and share with partners such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, and TikTok.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with affiliates, service providers, other users, credit bureaus, and ad partners. You can object to some marketing and ad uses.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You grant a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable license over content you provide.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
Deletion is mainly by request. They keep data as needed and say European records often last 6 to 10 years.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They personalize pages, ads, and recommendations from your activity. The policy does not describe a memory you can view or turn off.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe encryption, network security, and access limits for data centers. No independent audit is named in these pages.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
You must be able to form a contract (they give under 18 as an example). They say they do not knowingly collect from children. No age-proofing is described.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The privacy notice is dated April 21, 2025. Registered users get notice of material privacy changes. The User Agreement promises 30 days’ notice of amendments.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may refuse, modify, or terminate services to anyone for any reason at their discretion. They may also end the agreement with notice.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is, liability is often capped at fees or $100, and you must indemnify eBay for third-party claims from your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 18,910 words at a college graduate level (Flesch reading ease 36); the terms are 23,043 words at a college graduate level.
