eBay Account Types and Selling Limits

Before you can start selling on eBay, you first need to set up an account.  There are two types of account: Private and business

Private seller account

To sign up for an eBay account, all you need is your email address. Before the account can be used for buying and selling, this email must be verified.

As well as using an email to register, an account can be created using an Apple, Facebook or Google account.

Business seller account

If you plan to sell casually, like selling items you no longer want, a personal account is the best option. If you are going to sell in volume, it is best to open a business account.

Individual accounts can be converted into business account from within My eBay.  This is a one-way process that cannot be reversed. Benefits of business accounts are as follows

  • Higher selling limits.  eBay places listing limits on new sellers. For business sellers these are higher
  • Different fee structure.  There are different fee schedules for business and private sellers

Furthermore, it is against eBay’s rules to masquarade as a private seller if you are a registered business. They state the business account should be used under the following circumstances:

  • Sell items that you have bought to resell
  • Make items yourself and sell them, intending to make a profit
  • Are a trading assistant
  • Buy items for your business

Setting up a business account on eBay is easy and requires the following information:

  • Legal Business Name
  • Registered business address
  • Registration number (if registered)
  • Tax information (if registered)
  • Landline telephone
  • Payment details for fees

Choosing a username

Choose your eBay username carefully, as it is part of your brand.  Ensure that it is:

  • Easy to remember
  • Easy to spell
  • Reflects your brand

Your username can only be changed every 30 days. Your usernames can include letters, numbers and some symbols. Usernames have to be at least six characters long. You’re not able to use spaces, or these symbols: @, &, ‘, (, ), <, or >.

Selling Limits

To ‘help business grow in a manageable way’, eBay sets seller limits which grow as the account matures.  An account’s seller limit is accessed from the overview tab of the Seller Hub.

Reviews are reviewed automatically by eBay every month.  Alternatively, a seller can request a limits increase manually from the selling limits page. 

If you have more than one seller account, you may also be able to raise your limits by linking to your other, more established seller account. If the accounts can be connected, you will see that option when selecting Request higher selling limits in the Monthly selling limits section of My eBay’s All Selling view.

Multiple account policy

eBay is much less strict on multiple accounts than Amazon.  It is generally fine to have more than one eBay account, with the following caveats:

  • Multiple accounts should not be used to get around sell limits or other policies
  • Duplicate listings of the same product are not allowed.  This is true for the same account and multiple accounts owned by the same business.

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