eBay Explicitly Bans AI "Buy for Me" Agents in User Agreement Update

Re:eBay Explicitly Bans AI "Buy for Me" Agents in User Agree... by cm2187 on Thursday January 22, 2026 @03:21AM (#46716558)

But if that someone isn't rational it is better to not give him the time to react to your highest bid.

Also some sellers seem to use some fake accounts to bid high on their own item, revealing your max bid, then cancel their bid, then bid right under your max bid to maximise their sell price. Happened to me twice, and now no longer setting my max bid in advance since.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:eBay Explicitly Bans AI "Buy for Me" Agents in User Agree... by neilfrndes on Thursday January 22, 2026 @03:25AM (#46716591)

I thought eBay doesn't allow you to cancel a bid you placed.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:eBay Explicitly Bans AI "Buy for Me" Agents in User Agree... by cm2187 on Thursday January 22, 2026 @03:31AM (#46716626)

It does. You can argue you bid a wrong amount by mistake. It's necessary because mistakes do happen, and it even happened to me to retract a mistake once (was bidding on two items simultaneously in two tabs and mixed them up). But it gets abused.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:eBay Explicitly Bans AI "Buy for Me" Agents in User Agree... by ycombinatrix on Thursday January 22, 2026 @04:47AM (#46717115)

What were you buying?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:eBay Explicitly Bans AI "Buy for Me" Agents in User Agree... by cm2187 on Thursday January 22, 2026 @05:27AM (#46717417)

Mostly electronics, SSDs, motherboards, etc.

[ Parent | on HN ]