If you’re looking to close an eBay account completely, you’ll first need to be 100% sure of your decision. You won’t be able to re-open your account once it is closed. If you are experiencing problems with your account, it might be worth getting in touch with eBay. There could be a less radical solution for your problem than deactivating it.
However, if you do decide to close an eBay account, it is relatively simple, but there are a few things to watch out for.
Things to check before you close your eBay account
- Firstly if you have processed any transactions within the last 30 days, eBay will keep your account open for 60 days from receiving your request so any outstanding sales or purchases can be completed.
- You will then need to make sure that all your fees are paid and your account balance is zero. If it is not, you can either make a one-time payment to clear all outstanding payments, or request a refund when there is still money left on your account.
- And should your account be currently below eBay’s minimum standards, you won’t be able to close it until it is in line with the standards. The same is true if your account has been suspended or restricted. You will need to resolve those issues first.
- If all of the above is cleared, you can then send a request to close your account. You can find this by going to My eBay > Account > Close My Account.
The process of closing your account
Sign in to your account, and navigate to the area where you submit your request, there are a few questions to fill out. These shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes.
The first question is a simple checkbox where you choose the most relevant reason for your account closure.
No matter which option you pick on the first question, eBay will show a second question which will attempt to solve whatever problem it thinks you’re having. This is the point to turn back if you’re not completely sure – you can put your account on hold, instead of removing it, by removing your automatic payment method and cancelling your selling tool subscriptions. If you definitely want to delete your account, you can continue to the third step.
If you proceed, the third step confirms your cancellation request. Just tick the box to confirm you’ve read the Terms and Conditions and there you have it. Your request will be sent to eBay to be processed, and you will receive email updates on the status of your account.
How to cancel your eBay seller account or shop
Should you want to keep your account solely for purchasing but don’t want to sell anymore, you can close just the seller account. To do so, you need to remove your payment information. On your seller account page, select the All payment methods option and click the Remove button.
Again, clear all outstanding payments and bids before closing the seller account. Also, make sure you cancel any subscriptions as otherwise you may still be invoiced for these.
To close your Shop:
- Go to your My Ebay account
- In the Selling tab, select Subscriptions
- Find the eBay Shop in the list and click Unsubscribe
Once you have unsubscribed, all your shop inventory listings will end.
The next steps
When you’ve submitted the request for cancellation, you’ll receive a confirmation email within 24 hours from eBay to tell you that they’ve received it. The current waiting period is 30 days, so it will generally take that amount of time from the day eBay has received your request.
During this period, you won’t be able to bid, make purchases, list items, or change your contact information, but you’ll still have access to your account information.
Within this period, you can also contact eBay to reverse your decision and re-open your account. After those 30 days are over, however, the closing is final. Then you would have to create a new account with a new user ID etc.
After your account is closed, you’ll no longer be able to use the user ID or email address associated with your closed account to access any part of eBay that requires an account. In addition, your Feedback profile will no longer be available to other members. Also, be aware that even after you have deleted your account, eBay will keep certain personal data from your profile according to their Privacy Policy.