This policy is effective as of 20 December 2024. It was updated to provide more extensive guidance regarding which items aren't allowed and how to sell permitted items.
There are restrictions related to the sale of many kinds of artwork. This policy provides guidance on how to properly represent both your own artwork and the work of other artists when listing and selling on eBay.
What is the policy?
- Make sure that your listing includes details of all the evidence of authenticity available to you. Examples of evidence of authenticity include, but aren't limited to:
- An original Certificate of Authenticity (COA)
- Invoices or receipts from when you or previous owners bought or sold the work
- Exhibition labels or catalogues
- The artist's catalogue raisonné
- Expert appraisals
- Auction house sale catalogues
- Archive photographs or films
- You can sell reproductions of artworks as long as they were created with the authorisation of the rights owner. Selling reproductions without having the right to do so might violate laws and the intellectual property rights of others, such as copyrights, design rights or trademarks. Examples of reproductions of artworks include:
- Posters
- Replica paintings
- Artworks from an editioned release, such as prints, sculptures or vinyl toys
- Replica paintings may be sold only if the original work is no longer protected by intellectual property rights. You must clearly state in the listing title and description that the painting is a replica.
- You may include the artist's name in the listing only when the artwork was created by the artist, or is a reproduction of the artist's work. You may not include the artist's name in the listing for an artwork created "in the style" of an artist.
- If you're selling art that has been altered, repaired, or has had conservation treatments, your listing description should provide details of exactly what work was done.
eBay supports the recognition of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, and sellers must not list, sell or promote materials, products or services which use Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property in an unauthorised way. For more information, please see Arts Law Centre of Australia - opens in new window or tab.
When buying or selling indigenous art, we encourage you to review the Indigenous Art Code - opens in new window or tab to learn more about ethical trading practices.
You can learn more about intellectual property rights in our Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) policy.
Knowingly participating in any way in the advertisement or sale of any work of art using any deceptive practices is not allowed – including, but not limited to, false or misleading claims of the item's scarcity, value, provenance, condition or investment potential.
Activity on eBay is required to follow this policy, the eBay User Agreement and all applicable laws, as well as respect the rights of third parties. If it doesn't, eBay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the eBay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: Removing the listing or other content, issuing a warning, restricting activity or account suspension.
Tip
Visit Seller Help - opens in new window or tab to find details of any policy issues with your account or listings, and get the information you need to quickly resolve them.
Why does eBay have this policy?
We want buyers on eBay to be able to make informed decisions when shopping for art so that they can purchase with confidence.