eBay Account Hacked? What to Do About Listings and Purchases

If your eBay account was hacked, go to eBay by typing its address yourself, reset your password and turn on two-step verification, then contact eBay through the Help and Contact section of its official site to report the account as compromised. Check for listings, purchases, messages and payout changes you didn’t make, and tell eBay about each one. If a linked PayPal account, bank or card was touched, contact those providers as well.

A hacked eBay account is a money problem and a reputation problem at the same time. Attackers use trusted accounts to list items that don’t exist, buy things with your saved payment details, or message buyers to take payment off the platform. Acting quickly limits the damage to your wallet and to your feedback.

Signs your eBay account was hacked

• You can’t sign in, or eBay tells you your password or email address has been changed.
• Listings you didn’t create, often expensive electronics at prices that look too good, or items unlike anything you sell.
• Purchases or bids you didn’t make, sometimes shipped to an address you don’t know.
• Messages sent from your account to buyers or sellers, especially ones asking to pay by another method or to continue the conversation elsewhere.
• A changed payout bank account, shipping address, phone number or payment method.
• Buyers contacting you about items you never listed, or new negative feedback about orders you know nothing about.

Emails claiming your eBay account is suspended or needs verifying are a common phishing trick. Check the Messages section inside your eBay account instead. Genuine eBay notices generally appear there as well.

If you can still sign in: do this first

1. Change your password to a long, unique one. If you used the same password anywhere else, change it there too, starting with your email.
2. Secure your email account. Whoever controls the email on your eBay account can reset the password again. If the email was also compromised, fix that first; our email account hacked guide covers it.
3. Turn on two-step verification in eBay’s sign-in and security settings, using the strongest option eBay offers you, such as an authenticator app or passkey.
4. Check your personal information. Review your email address, phone number, registered address and shipping addresses. Remove anything that isn’t yours.
5. Check payment and payout details. Look at saved cards and, if you sell, the bank account eBay pays you into. A changed payout account is a serious warning sign.

Contact eBay through its official site

eBay’s Help and Contact section on its own website is the route for reporting a compromised account. Start there, not from a phone number in a search result or an email you received.

• Explain that your account was accessed without permission and when you noticed.
• List each listing, order, message or setting change you didn’t make, with item numbers where you have them.
• Ask eBay to review the fraudulent activity, including any feedback left on orders you didn’t make.
• Keep a note of every case number and conversation.

If eBay has restricted or suspended your account because of the attacker’s activity, follow the steps in the notice from eBay’s own messages or help pages. Explain clearly that the activity wasn’t yours. Restrictions after a takeover are common and often lifted once the account is secured, though how long that takes varies.

Listings and purchases made in your name

Fake listings

End any listing you didn’t create as soon as you see it, and report it to eBay. If buyers have already paid for something you never listed, don’t ship anything and don’t try to settle it privately. Tell eBay, which handles refunds through its own processes. A short, calm message to any buyer who contacts you helps:

Hi, my eBay account was accessed without my permission and this item was listed by someone else. I’ve reported it to eBay. Please don’t send payment outside eBay, and contact eBay about a refund through your purchase history. Sorry for the trouble.

Purchases you didn’t make

Cancel unshipped orders where you can, and report every unauthorized purchase to eBay. Check the card, bank or PayPal account that paid for them, and contact that provider about the charges. If items were shipped to an unfamiliar address, include that address in your report to eBay.

Linked PayPal and bank accounts

If your PayPal account is linked, check it for payments or changes you didn’t make. Our guide to a hacked PayPal account covers securing it. If your bank details or card were exposed, call your bank using the number on the back of your card.

Protect your feedback and seller standing

For sellers, feedback is the reputation. Negative feedback from buyers who were caught up in a fake listing can linger if nobody flags it.

• Ask eBay to review feedback connected to fraudulent listings or orders. eBay’s feedback policies allow removal in certain situations, and activity from a compromised account is the kind of case to raise.
• Reply professionally to any public feedback that stays, explaining briefly that the account was compromised and the listing wasn’t yours.
• Check your seller performance and any defects recorded against you during the takeover, and raise them with eBay.
• If you sell on other platforms, check those accounts too. Attackers who get one password often try it elsewhere.

If you run an online store and the takeover spilled into reviews or complaints on other sites, our page on ecommerce reputation management explains how we approach it.

If personal information was exposed

An eBay account holds your name, addresses, phone number and purchase history. If you think the attacker also saw other personal details, or if you notice new accounts or credit you didn’t open, follow our guide on what to do if your identity is stolen. A free credit freeze with the three major bureaus is a sensible step if financial details were involved.

A worked example

This scenario is illustrative, not a real client. Rosa sells vintage clothing part-time on eBay. One morning she finds four new listings for gaming consoles on her account, and two buyers have already messaged asking about shipping.

1. She changes her eBay password, then checks her email account and finds a forwarding rule she didn’t create. She removes it and changes that password too.
2. She turns on two-step verification and finds her payout bank account has been changed. She restores her own details.
3. She ends the four listings and contacts eBay through Help and Contact, listing each item number and the payout change.
4. She sends the two buyers a short note telling them not to pay outside eBay and to contact eBay about refunds.
5. A week later, one buyer leaves negative feedback. She asks eBay to review it as part of her compromised-account case and posts a brief, factual reply in the meantime.

Common mistakes

• Clicking the link in a “suspended account” email. That’s often how the hack happened. Go to eBay directly.
• Fixing eBay but not the email account. The attacker can reset your password again from an inbox they still control.
• Shipping items or refunding buyers privately. Let eBay handle orders created by the attacker.
• Ignoring payout details. A changed bank account can quietly divert your earnings.
• Paying a recovery service. These are almost always scams. See our guide to recovery scams.

If you decide to close the account once it’s secure, our guide on how to delete an eBay account covers what to settle first. For other hacked accounts, our my account was hacked guide sets out the universal first steps.

How to keep your eBay account safe from now on

• Use a unique password stored in a password manager, and never reuse your email password on eBay.
• Keep two-step verification on, with a passkey or authenticator app where eBay offers one.
• Sign in only by typing eBay’s address or using its official app, never through links in emails or texts.
• Keep conversations and payments on eBay. Messages urging you to move to another app or pay another way are a common scam pattern, whether you’re buying or selling.
• Check your payout and security settings now and then, especially after a sign-in alert or a password reset you didn’t expect.

Frequently asked questions

How do I contact eBay if my account was hacked?

Type eBay’s address into your browser and use the Help and Contact section of the official site. Don’t use phone numbers from search ads or emails, which are a common route for scams.

Will I have to pay for items someone bought on my hacked eBay account?

Report every unauthorized purchase to eBay and to whoever provided the payment method, such as your bank or PayPal. They handle unauthorized transactions through their own processes, and reporting quickly helps.

Can eBay remove feedback from when my account was hacked?

eBay’s feedback policies allow removal in certain situations. Ask eBay to review feedback tied to listings or orders the attacker created as part of your compromised-account report.

Why did eBay restrict my account after it was hacked?

eBay may restrict accounts showing unusual activity to protect buyers. Secure the account, then follow the steps in eBay’s notice and explain that the activity wasn’t yours.