How to delete your eBay account
eBay is one of the original online marketplaces, with more than 130 million active buyers. eBay stores your full buying and selling history, watched items, saved searches, feedback (both directions), messaging history with other users, payment methods, and (for sellers) tax forms, payout accounts, and listing performance data. Closing an eBay account is permanent and the username becomes unavailable for re-registration.
Delete your eBay account, step by step
- 1Sign in to ebay.com
- 2Go to ebay.com/help/account/closing-your-account/closing-your-ebay-account and click 'Close my account'
- 3Or navigate: My eBay > Account > Personal Information > Close Account
- 4Pick a reason and click 'Continue'
- 5Confirm via the email eBay sends
- 6eBay reviews and closes the account within ~30 days, contingent on no open orders or disputes
What actually happens when you delete
Gets removed
- ✓Your eBay username, profile, and member-since history
- ✓Buying and selling history, saved searches, and watch list
- ✓Messages with other members visible from your side
- ✓Stored payment methods and shipping addresses
- ✓Feedback profile (visible record of your reputation)
Stays behind
- ✗Feedback you LEFT for others stays on their profiles
- ✗Tax records eBay retains for ~7 years (US/EU/UK)
- ✗Records eBay retains for fraud, anti-money-laundering, and legal compliance
- ✗PayPal or Adyen (eBay's payments processor) records about your transactions
- ✗Cached listings on Google, Worthpoint, and third-party eBay archive sites
Before you delete
eBay won't close your account while there are open orders, unpaid fees, active disputes, returns, or pending payouts. Resolve everything in 'Selling' and 'Purchase history' first. Active listings are ended (unsold items relisted automatically if you have auto-relist on — turn it off). Once closed, the username CANNOT be reused, and your feedback history disappears.
Download your data from eBay first
Most platforms only honor a data-export request while the account is still active. Do this before you delete.
- 1Open eBay's privacy request form via the Help Center (search 'privacy request')
- 2Select 'Access to my personal information' / right of portability
- 3Verify identity via the email eBay sends
- 4Archive is delivered within 30 days as a downloadable file
If deletion fails — or you live in the EU, UK, or California
You have a legal right to request erasure of your personal data under GDPR (EU/UK) and CCPA (California). Use these official channels if the self-service flow doesn't work.
eBay deletion FAQs
Why is eBay refusing to close my account?+
Almost always because there's something unfinished: an open dispute, a pending payout, unresolved feedback, unpaid seller fees, or active listings. Go through My eBay > Sell and My eBay > Bought to resolve every open item, then retry.
Can I get my eBay username back after closing?+
No. eBay specifically prevents reuse of closed-account usernames to stop identity confusion and feedback laundering. If you re-register with the same email, you'll need a different username.
What happens to feedback I left for other eBay sellers?+
Feedback you LEFT remains visible on the recipients' profiles. Feedback you RECEIVED disappears when your profile is removed. The total feedback counts on other accounts won't change.
Will eBay close my PayPal account too?+
No. PayPal is a separate company since the 2015 split. Even though eBay used to use PayPal as its primary payment method, deleting eBay does not affect your PayPal account. You'd close PayPal separately.
Can I close an eBay account I forgot the password to?+
Reset the password first using eBay's recovery flow with your registered email or phone. If both are inaccessible, call eBay Customer Service — you'll be asked to verify identity with ID before they can act.
Will eBay keep my address and tax info after closure?+
Yes, for as long as required by tax authorities (typically 7 years in the US, similar in the EU/UK). This is non-negotiable for sellers who issued 1099-K or VAT-eligible transactions. Personal buying addresses are purged sooner.
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