• by Laurie Sullivan , 4 hours ago

Earlier this week, eBay updated its user agreement to ban third-party AI agents -- specifically the type that buys for consumers using agentic commerce techniques that include new attribution model implemented this month.

The company updated its user agreement this week to create a closed-loop ecosystem where only approved agents can operate

The ban prohibits "buy-for-me" agents driven by large language models (LLMs) that attempt to place orders without human review. This blocks rival bots from companies like Amazon, Anthropic, Google and Perplexity.

The policy does allow for bots with prior permission such as OpenAI. In early 2025, eBay became a launch partner of OpenAI’s “Operator,” an AI agent that is permitted to interact directly with users wanting to make purchases from eBay listings.

eBay Chief AI Officer Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov wrote in a LinkedIn post at the time that the collaboration introduces a “new paradigm of discovery and shopping online.” It was written in January 2025.

One year later the move toward blocking third-party agents follows Amazon’s test of its agentic agent, Buy For Me, which displays items from direct merchant websites for sale through the Amazon app. Amazon has been on a hiring spree, looking for experts in agentic commerce and hiring them away from companies like Google and Meta Platforms, a source told MediaPost.

The updated terms will go into effect on February 20, 2026.

The previous version of the agreement had a general ban on robots, spiders, scrapers, and automated data-gathering tools but did not mention AI agents or LLMs.

The ban targets bots that can search for items, negotiate prices, and complete transactions, often bypassing traditional user interactions.

The idea is to prevent instances where bots could outpace with purchasing compared with human buyers or engage in manipulative practices such as scalping.

Agentic agents are not only changing how consumers buy products, but also how marketers and sellers attribute sales.

In late 2025, eBay also introduced a new "any-click" attribution model that it implemented earlier this month.

If any user clicks a promoted listing, a 30-day window is triggered; if any other buyer subsequently purchases that item organically, the seller is still charged an ad fee.

By blocking third-party agents, eBay prevents external tools from auditing these types of claims, making it more difficult for media buyers to verify whether an ad drove a specific sale.