New policy requires "buy for me" AI tools and chatbots to obtain permission before accessing the platform.

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eBay updated its User Agreement to explicitly ban third-party AI agents and chatbots from making purchases without permission, effective February 20, 2026. The policy targets "agentic commerce" tools that browse and buy products autonomously, reflecting the rapid emergence of AI shopping assistants like ChatGPT's Instant Checkout feature. The update expands previous prohibitions on automated tools to specifically address LLM-driven bots and end-to-end purchasing flows that bypass human review.

eBay bans illicit automated shopping amid rapid rise of AI agents

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