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When eBay first switched everyone over to the managed payments system they left a bunch of unhappy sellers and unanswered questions.
Who could have seen that coming?
Gone are the days of selling on eBay with PayPal. Instead, eBay has opted for the Dutch company Adyen to process all of their payments. In theory, this meant lower costs and more control for eBay sellers.
However, my eBay fees have done nothing but increase in the last couple of years.
So what other united effects have there been?
Many sellers were shocked to find out that the mainstays of their store were no longer allowed on eBay. Under Adyen, payments for items like precious metal bullion, coins, tickets, and more could no longer be processed.
To make matters worse, there has been very little response from eBay regarding these categories. There are still items from “restricted” categories for sale on eBay but many sellers report that they are no longer able (or willing) to list their own items there.
So, to that end, let’s take a look at the items that you can no longer sell on eBay (or that no one can tell if they’re allowed or not) and where we recommend selling them instead.
Items You Can’t Sell On eBay
Under eBay’s Managed Payments sellers can no longer list or sell:
- Adult-only items (including movies and video games)
- Auction services
- Bullion (including stamped gold & silver)
- Coins & paper money
- Gift cards & coupons
- Lodging, timeshares, vacation packages, and car rentals
- Memberships for campground and RV parks
- Motor vehicles
- Smoking cessation products including nicotine patches and gum
- Tickets for travel, events, or experiences
- Wine
Now, many of these items can still be listed on eBay. Somehow.
But my argument would be this: even if you can list your items on eBay for a while longer, why would you continue putting effort into a platform that could snuff out your business at a moment’s notice?
You’ll be far better off diversifying before being forced to do so a couple of months or years from now. There are dozens of alternatives to eBay where you can start listing if you rely on the money from your sales.
So let’s address a few of the hardest-hit categories and give you somewhere else to go and make money.
Where To Sell Gold & Silver Bullion
Selling gold and silver bullion is currently still allowed on eBay. There are many payment options for sellers that allow you to still list your items.
However, if you’re looking for other platforms they are few and far between. Most want to buy from you wholesale and resell your bullion.
However, there are a few options:
- Local coin shops. Many local coin shops will allow you to sell your item on commission. While this may take a bit out of your profits, we look at it just like paying our eBay fees. It’s a cost of business.
- Selling to a dealer. A specialty bullion dealer such as JM Bullion will give you a much better price than generic pawn shops and will be much more pleasant to deal with.
Where To Sell Coins & Paper Money
Coin sellers were some of the most confused when they were told their items could no longer be sold on eBay. However, many people decided to continue selling until eBay removed their listings…and they’re still selling.
So is it allowed to sell coins and paper money on eBay?
As of 2022, selling coins and paper money is still allowed on eBay. Even sellers on the managed payments system can continue to list and sell coins and paper money.
However, I think that coin sellers (and everyone else) would be wise to diversify.
So where should you sell your coins? Well, there are three places that fit the bill:
- coinsforsale.com – A selling platform for you to sell your coins. This is the only dedicated coin platform I know of that has any meaningful traffic.
- Ampex – Ampex functions like a pawn shop and buys your coins to resell. However, they are professional and pay fir prices if you’re looking to move a bunch of inventory.
- Mercari – While Mercari doesn’t have quite the number of buyers as eBay, it’s super easy to crosspost onto and you should be able to pick up a couple of extra sales.
Where To Sell Tickets
Let’s be honest, eBay was never a great place to sell tickets. However will the rise of many ticket-selling platforms almost nobody goes to eBay to buy tickets.
There are dozens of different ticket-selling platforms that offer varying fees and audience sizes but the top three that I recommend are:
Just be aware that, while reselling is legal, there are some specific rules regarding ticket scalping so be sure you know what you’re doing before flipping tickets.
Motor Vehicles
Where To Sell Motor Vehicles
The best place to sell your car is highly dependent on the type of car that you have. However, there are generally three decent options.
- Locally. Selling on local platforms such as KSL or Craiglist will give you the most bang for your buck if you’re selling an everyday car. This way you avoid the fees, scams, and possibly transport costs you find on eBay.
- Auction house. If you have a unique or desirable car, send it to the auction. It will get more traction than it would on eBay as a more affluent crowd is likely to show up.
- Trade-In. If you don’t care that much about squeezing every penny out of your car, trading it in is a good option, especially in the current economy. Many dealerships are looking to pay top dollar for your car whether you buy there or not.
While it’s not profitable, you can always choose to donate your car or, do what I did, and just throw your hands up and keep driving it.
Where To Sell Gift Cards & Coupons
Even with managed payments, selling coupons and gift cards on eBay is still allowed.
However, this business model has been frowned upon by eBay in the past and you would be wise to move your listings onto a platform such as ListPerfectly so you don’t lose them if eBay decides to remove them.
You would then be free to list on another platform such as Mercari or FB Marketplace.
Why Doesn’t eBay Allow Coin & Bullion Sales?
Well, they do. It’s Adyen doesn’t want to process the payments. And there’s a good reason for it.
Long story short, eBay’s number one priority is its shareholders. They will back their sellers only as long as it’s beneficial to the long-term success of the company.
When eBay moved to a new payment processor, Adyen had policies in effect involving the processing of payments for certain items. In other words, they refuse to process payment for items like coins and bullion.
Disallowing several categories may have screwed over many sellers but it was a risk mitigation move for the corporation that is eBay.
Personally, I can identify two scenarios that made allowing the selling of coins, bullion, and paper money too risky to continue.
Both of them involve common eBay scams.
The first is simple: money laundering. Money laundering on eBay is evident if you look at a couple of the most expensive items sold on the platform. Bullion and coins are high-value items and are commonly used in money laundering. By no longer allowing the sales, eBay is protecting itself from charges or affiliation.
It sucks but they obviously did a cost/risk analysis and sellers lost.
The other method involves good ol’ fraud.
Let’s say you sell a $1,500 gold coin on eBay. After receiving the item the buyer files a dispute with their bank, saying they didn’t make the charge. eBay/Adyen couldn’t provide adequate proof that the buyer did, in fact, place the order.
The seller ends up keeping the item while eBay/Adyen refunds the bank/buyer $1500.
eBay is out $1500 and the fraudulent buyer walks away much richer.
While fraud and scams abound on other types of items as well, they were particularly rife on high-dollar items.
I have personally been scammed on high-dollar items on eBay and, if they were the mainstay of my business, I would probably migrate to a platform that offered a bit more protection to their buyers anyway.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, losing the chance to sell on eBay is a blow to most businesses. But it’s not a death blow.
With the number of other platforms available, most sellers are able to pick up and carry on with their business.
I wish you all the best in finding the best platform to sell your items that aren’t allowed on eBay!
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