Flip Life
Selling on eBay means entering a contract, and eBay sets one age for every member: 18. There is no younger tier, so under 18 you can't hold an eBay account of your own.
Say you're 15, with a closet of outgrown sneakers and a parent who's willing to help. You can't list them yourself. You can still do most of the work, as long as the adult is the seller and you never log in as them. Here is what eBay's own pages allow, where some guides go further than eBay does, and how to use the years before 18.
What does eBay say about the age to sell?
Two eBay pages set the rule, and they agree. Here they are word for word.
| Where | What it says | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Underage user policy | "You must be at least 18 years old to be an eBay member." | October 5, 2026 |
| User Agreement, section 3, Using eBay | You will not "use our Services if you are not able to form legally binding contracts (for example, if you are under 18 years old)." | October 5, 2026 |
The policy page gives the reason in one line: "Because listings on eBay involve entering into a contract, we require all our members to be aged 18 years or older." It adds that "In most countries, you must be at least 18 years old to enter into a contract."
The User Agreement we read took effect on June 28, 2026, for members who had agreed to an earlier version. And since the rule is about being a member at all, buying works the same way. The age to buy on eBay is also 18.
Can you sell on eBay under 18, at 16 or at 13?
No. On an eBay account of your own, the answer is the same at 17, 16 or 13, because eBay's Underage user policy sets one age for everyone. There is no 13-and-up account and no 16-and-up account.
What happens if someone under 18 signs up anyway? eBay's policy page says any member who thinks another member is under 18 can report them. It then lists what eBay may do, "as an example only": "Removing the listing or other content, issuing a warning, restricting activity or account suspension."
The page doesn't say how, or whether, eBay checks age when someone signs up, and we won't guess. One thing needs no guessing: don't put a false birth date on an account. eBay's Misrepresentation of identity policy says members "are required to accurately represent their identity when using eBay."
Can a parent sell on eBay for a teenager?
Yes, if the parent is the seller. An adult can open an eBay account in their own name, list the items and answer for every sale. What we could not find in eBay's pages is any rule that lets a teenager run that account.
What some guides say
Some reselling guides online say a teen can sell on a parent's account, and one of the ones we read says eBay allows it with supervision. We read eBay's Underage user policy in full on October 5, 2026, and didn't find that. The policy says nothing about an adult supervising a minor.
What eBay's pages do say
Three lines decide it, and all three come from eBay.
- eBay's User Agreement says you will not "share your log in credentials with any third parties."
- The same section says you will not "transfer your eBay account (including feedback) and user ID to another party without our consent."
- For helpers, the User Agreement points to eBay's Multi-User Account Access program, and that link lands on Team Access, where each helper works from their own eBay account. eBay's Team Access page says "People who are invited to join a team need to have an eBay account."
Put the last one next to the age rule and you get our reading: someone under 18 can't hold an eBay account, so they can't join a seller's team either. eBay doesn't say that in one sentence. We joined two of its pages to get there.
What is plainly fine
The adult is the eBay member and does the listing and selling in their own name. The teenager helps off the site. Picture a Saturday at the kitchen table: the teen has found the stock, and now cleans each piece, photographs it and packs the boxes, while the adult posts the listings and deals with the buyers. Nobody logs in as anybody else.
This isn't legal advice. For the tax side, start at the IRS Gig economy tax center.
How does eBay's age rule compare with Mercari's?
Mercari puts in writing the parent route that eBay leaves unwritten, down to whose details go on the account.
| eBay | Mercari | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age to hold an account | 18 | 18, or the age of majority in your state |
| Under 13 | Not allowed | Not permitted |
| Ages 13 to 17 | No tier written | Only through an account owned by and registered to a parent or guardian, under their direct supervision |
| Payment, payout, ID and tax details | No under-18 route, so not covered | Must belong to the parent or guardian who owns the account |
| At 18 | Open your own account | An account a minor of 13 or older ran, if shut down, may be eligible to reopen once they verify their identity and accept Mercari's terms |
Sources: eBay's Underage user policy and Mercari's Minors help page, both checked October 5, 2026. Every app sets its own age rules, so read each one's terms before anyone signs up.
What can a teenager do now to get ready to sell on eBay?
Most of reselling happens before anything is listed. That half is yours to learn now.
- Find it. Learn which brands and items are worth picking up, and which to leave on the shelf.
- Photograph it. Plain background, good light, every angle, every flaw.
- Pack it. A box that fits, padding, tape on every seam.
- Price it. Look at what similar items sold for, not what people are asking.
To play through the whole loop, start to finish, try Flip Life: Reseller Simulator. You start with $300 and a garage, hunt thrift stores and estate sales, photograph and list your finds, take offers and ship the orders. It's family-friendly, with no gore and no swearing, and the Flip Life FAQ covers the rest.
Then, at 18, open your own eBay account. You'll already know the work, so the account is the last step instead of the first. More sourcing, pricing and shipping tips are on the Flip Life blog.