{
  "platform": "eBay (US User Agreement)",
  "url": "https://www.ebay.com",
  "checked": "2026-10-27",
  "policies": [
    {
      "topic": "agents_buying",
      "status": "prohibited",
      "conditions": "Section 3 (Using eBay) prohibits automated means including buy-for-me agents, LLM-driven bots and any end-to-end flow that places orders without human review. Read as: an agent may not complete purchases on eBay on its own.",
      "quote": "(including, without limitation buy-for-me agents, LLM-driven bots, ... or any end-to-end flow that attempts to place orders without human review)",
      "source": "https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/user-agreement?id=4259",
      "source_updated": "2026-06-28 (current version effective for prior users); previous amendment effective 2026-02-20"
    },
    {
      "topic": "automation",
      "status": "prohibited",
      "conditions": "Robots, spiders, scrapers, data mining and other automated means are prohibited (Section 3).",
      "quote": "use any robot, spider, scraper, data mining tools, data gathering and extraction tools, or other automated means",
      "source": "https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/user-agreement?id=4259",
      "source_updated": "2026-06-28"
    },
    {
      "topic": "ai_content",
      "status": "allowed_with_conditions",
      "conditions": "Section 7 contemplates listing content created with eBay or third-party tools, including generative AI; the seller remains responsible for listing content.",
      "quote": "including listing content created using tools offered by eBay or third parties such as translation ... generative artificial intelligence tools",
      "source": "https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/user-agreement?id=4259",
      "source_updated": "2026-06-28"
    },
    {
      "topic": "account_rules",
      "status": "allowed_with_conditions",
      "conditions": "Authorized third parties (employees, agents) may access an account under the account holder's arrangements; exact conditions in Section 3 (to read in full).",
      "quote": "If you require that authorized third parties (employees, agents, etc.) have access to your account",
      "source": "https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/user-agreement?id=4259",
      "source_updated": "2026-06-28"
    }
  ],
  "observed": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-27",
      "note": "The User Agreement page is readable by a plain HTTP fetch (WebFetch); it is ~158K characters, so automated readers must page through it."
    }
  ],
  "domains": [
    "ebay.com"
  ],
  "browser_agent": {
    "status": "prohibited",
    "reason": "User Agreement s.3: robots and other automated means, buy-for-me agents and LLM-driven bots prohibited (US terms; other eBay country sites have their own)."
  },
  "ai_posting": {
    "status": "allowed_with_conditions",
    "reason": "AI-assisted listing content contemplated; seller remains responsible."
  },
  "boundaries": [
    {
      "action": "buy",
      "decision": "deny",
      "requires": [],
      "evidence": [],
      "policy_ref": 0,
      "checked": "2026-10-27"
    },
    {
      "action": "automate_browser",
      "decision": "deny",
      "requires": [],
      "evidence": [],
      "policy_ref": 1,
      "checked": "2026-10-27"
    }
  ],
  "legit_route": {
    "summary": "No sanctioned route for browser agents found in eBay's terms read here; automated access is prohibited. Any legitimate agent access would go through eBay's official API or partner programmes, which this atlas has not verified.",
    "steps": [
      "Do not drive the website with a browser agent or scripts.",
      "Check the platform's official developer/API programme and its own terms before building anything.",
      "If no official route covers your use case, treat the action as not allowed."
    ],
    "sources": [
      "https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/user-agreement?id=4259"
    ]
  }
}