Bitcoin Forum

This listing has been removed because you have listed a Bitcoin. We do not allow them to be given as bonus items either. Bitcoins are only available in the virtual setting and therefore there is no product to ship to the winning bidder. We have this policy because as the seller, if a Buyer Protection claim is ever filed against you, you would not have proof of shipment and would not be able to appeal the case. Please do not list any additional items that will be electronically sent to the buyer.

Because there are so many listings on our site, we can't immediately catch all listings that violate our policies. So it's possible that there may be listings similar to yours that are currently on the site. If you come across any other Bitcoins on our site, we encourage you to file a report so we can review it. To report a listing, go to the listing and click the "Report item" link.


We don't let sellers list virtual products such as online game characters, accounts, currency, codes that can be redeemed for in-game items, or related software. This helps protect the people who originally created the products and own the rights to reproduce and sell them.

With Bitcoin transfers, you *do* have proof of shipment, namely the transaction record on Block Explorer

I see dozens of bitcoin listings now on Ebay...they don't seem to be too consistent in their crackdown.

They could easily say that's not the address the supplied you and chat logs/emails aren't reliable proof, since text is quite easily altered with some programs, Notepad for example.

That is a good point.  But I have an answer to it.

Right now, sellers provide their PayPal address for receiving payment through the eBay site, so the seller cannot repudiate what payment address he provided to the buyer, and thereby deny receiving payment.

Similarly, if eBay wanted to facilitate Bitcoin sales (instead of banning them), it would be easy for them to just provide a text box in which the buyer can input their address for receiving the Bitcoin transfer.  

That way, the buyer cannot repudiate what address he said he wanted to receive his coins at.  The block chain (together with an ID digitally signed by the Bitcoin seller) should do the rest.

That should be entirely as good as the buyer's signature on a FedEx delivery receipt.

Hello all, I recently tried to include a Bitcoin as a "bonus item" on eBay (attached to the sale of a penny), and they deleted my listing with the following explanation:


Of course, this stated justification for their policy is wrong on two points:  
(1) With Bitcoin transfers, you *do* have proof of shipment, namely the transaction record on Block Explorer, and
(2) Bitcoins are not copyrighted and there is no such thing as "the people who originally created the products and own the rights to reproduce and sell them."

Unfortunately, eBay does not provide any easy way to contact them to contest their policies.  Anyone know how I can give them a piece of my mind?  I suppose I will bitch on Twitter...

Bitcoins are only available in the virtual setting and therefore there is no product to ship to the winning bidder

"Please do not list any additional items that will be electronically sent to the buyer."

Guys.  Stop listing the Bitcoin in the auction.

Sell a damn USB stick that "Has gone unchecked and unclean, I do not know the files, if any, on the stick"

Link to your auction through a locked off forum that eBay cannot see themselves without registering, all threads pointing to eBay can list the actual contents of the USB stick.  To the next level, let's put porn and other things on those USB sticks too.  See how many 'dirty' usb sticks you can sell on eBay.

Why would this be any different than the people who sell unlocked/unopened safes for large amounts of cash based on the fact that no one knows what is inside?

That leaves you vulnerable to fraud. The buyer says he didn't like the item or it wasn't as described and he sent it back. He keeps your bitcoins.

The alternative is a system where we cannot sell Bitcoin through eBay at all, I don't like that system lol

Fair enough.

If only there was some secure currency that could be easily and quickly traded over the Internet that wasn't subject to regulation by governments or companies like PayPal -- we could use it to easily buy and sell Bitcoins.

If only there was some secure currency that could be easily and quickly traded over the Internet that wasn't subject to regulation by governments or companies like PayPal -- we could use it to easily buy and sell Bitcoins.

All right, later on today, if I get bored enough, totally making a Parody site that allows you to buy and sell Bitcoins using Bitcoins as the form of currency lol

Can you put up a listing selling a USB stick with a wallet.dat file, with a link pointing to a blockexplorer.com adress showing how many bitcoin are currently in that address? eBay likely won't find it if there is no mention of Bitcoin, and those in the know will know what they are buying and how much is in there.