eBay business policies explained: payment, postage and returns

What are eBay business policies?

A business policy is a saved set of terms you attach to listings instead of typing them into each one. If you have 200 listings using the same postage policy and your courier puts its prices up, you change one policy rather than 200 listings.

How to opt in and create a business policy

Opt-in is global, but each eBay site needs its own policies. If you also list on ebay.com or ebay.de, you create policies there separately.

The eBay app lets you view and choose existing policies when you list. To create or edit one, you need a web browser.

1. Opt in to business policies from the business policies page in the Account section of My eBay.
2. From the Create policy dropdown, choose a policy type.
3. Give the policy a descriptive name and a short description.
4. Add the details and select Save.
5. Choose the policy when you create a listing or revise an existing one.

Watch out You can't delete a policy that active or scheduled listings use; assign them a different policy first. If you opt out, your live listings keep their terms, but future changes must be made listing by listing, and opting back in means creating new policies.

Payment policy: how buyers pay

eBay runs checkout and payments itself. It offers buyers credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal automatically, so you don't choose those. In some categories you can also accept cheques, postal orders or payment on collection, including cash. eBay's seller protections don't cover offline payments made outside eBay.

The main choice in a payment policy is immediate payment. With it switched on, a Buy It Now item stays available until a buyer completes checkout, so the first person to pay gets it. On auctions it only applies to the Buy It Now option and stops applying once someone bids.

• Your account must be in good standing.
• The Buy It Now price must be no more than £60,000.
• You must state postage costs or offer free postage.
• You must show all costs, including taxes, so the buyer knows the total.

Postage policy: dispatch time and delivery services

eBay defines handling time, also called dispatch time, as the time it takes you to hand the item to the delivery service after the buyer has paid. It's part of the estimated delivery date buyers see, along with the services you offer and your past delivery performance.

eBay recommends a dispatch time of no more than 1 working day, and says shorter is better if you can reliably meet it. A 1-day handling time runs to the end of the next working day, not 24 hours. Your working days are Monday to Friday by default, and you can change them in your postage settings. If you offer same-day dispatch, eBay suggests a cut-off time no earlier than 2pm.

eBay's postage help says that to protect yourself against item not received claims, you need to use a carrier that is integrated with eBay, so tracking is recorded. If you dropship, your dispatch time must include your supplier's processing time.

Tip Make one postage policy per parcel size, such as large letter, small parcel and medium parcel, and name each one clearly. Then picking the right one takes seconds.

Returns policy: what UK business sellers must offer

eBay's business seller policy says business sellers must have a returns policy, tell buyers they have 14 days to withdraw from the purchase under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, and accept faulty items within 30 days for a full refund under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Business sellers can't charge restocking fees.

GOV.UK adds that when a buyer cancels a distance sale, you must refund them within 14 days of getting the item back, including standard delivery costs if they paid for them.

Your policy sets the return window and who pays return postage for change-of-mind returns: you can offer free returns or have the buyer pay. For not-as-described returns, eBay says you pay the return postage. eBay encourages longer windows such as 30 or 60 days.

Some categories have their own rules. From 8 June 2026, eBay requires business sellers with eligible Parts and Accessories listings to offer at least 30-day free returns for change-of-mind returns. Eligible means new, Buy It Now, over £10 excluding postage, with the item and buyer both in the UK.

Watch out No returns accepted doesn't stop not-as-described returns. eBay says the buyer can still return an item that doesn't match the listing under the eBay Money Back Guarantee.

How many business policies do you need?

Fewer than you think. Most sellers can start with one payment policy, one returns policy, and a postage policy for each parcel size they send. Add more only when a group of listings genuinely needs different terms, such as bulky items that need a courier.

Before you save a change, remember it goes out to every listing that uses that policy. Check the postage cost or return terms are right for all of them.