Rebecca Garland
Rebecca Garland
Business and Education Expert

Many people have made buying and selling on eBay.com a profitable business model. But not everything works perfectly all of the time. With so many sellers trying to compete for buyers, and so many buyers trying to find the best price on the items they are looking for, eBay's customer service stays busy. Of course, that is assuming that customers can figure out the best way to contact eBay when a problem emerges.

eBay.com is a website with millions of users. Not all of those users are satisfied, and when something goes wrong, they want to be sure they can contact eBay customer support. Unfortunately, looking at the sheer volume of eBay complaints online on sites like PissedConsumer, GlassDoor, and the BBB, contacting the company isn’t as simple as many customers would like.

eBay Questions and Answers

Number of eBay reviews – 29.9K

eBay rating* – 1.8⭐⭐

eBay claimed losses – $16.8M

Successful calls – 7%/270K

Resolved issues – 193

Whether you’re buying or selling on eBay, Inc, the company has customer service support for potential issues.

How Does eBay Work?

When eBay.com was first introduced, it was strictly an online auction. Very soon, however, the business model expanded, and eBay.com became not just an auction site, but also a prolific platform for buying and selling.

Sellers bring new or previously used merchandise ranging from figurines to RVs and vehicles and set a price or set up an auction. Buyers use the eBay search feature to look for the specific item they want and either bid or pay for the item like any other retail site. The seller then ships the item to the buyer.

There are quite a few moving parts in a transaction, and that is why so many customers look for eBay support. Unfortunately, like any website that brings buyers and sellers together, some are unethical. Many eBay complaints include issues with the buying and selling process. But many other negative eBay reviews have concerns about the platform or account issues. Still, others have questions about simply how to handle eBay returns.

eBay's customer service fields complaints about purchased items that never arrive and payment issues. The most prominent articles in the eBay help section are about payment issues and hacked accounts. These are common issues customers complain about when they contact eBay.

eBay help section

What Are eBay Pros and Cons?

Overall, PissedConsumer users find more disadvantages in eBay than advantages. The most common issues concern difficulties contacting eBay customer service and getting refunds, faulty delivery, and fraudulent sellers. 

Some reviewers say that there are too many cons to enumerate. Still, the pros, such as affordable prices, great variety of choices, and convenience, are persuasive enough for consumers to shop on eBay.com.

Pros

  • Good prices
  • Variety of products
  • Convenient to use

Cons

  • Poor customer service
  • Not reliable shipping
  • Refund issues
  • Fake sellers

How to Contact eBay Customer Support by Phone?

The eBay customer service phone number is not readily available on the company’s website. If you dig through the help section in search of the eBay phone number, you’ll eventually find options to chat with the company or have the company call you. The website does post the expected wait time for both of those options on the contact eBay page.

While the company offers to call you, many eBay reviews express frustration with trying to contact the company on their own terms. Customers want to call eBay directly. While it might not be heavily publicized on the website, there is an eBay customer service phone number available for customers to use. You can reach the eBay resolution center by calling (866) 961-9253 for general customer service, (866) 348-9519 for hacked accounts, or (866) 643-1607 to report fraud.

Reaching eBay.com customer service by phone can be tricky, as one customer discovered. In his review (#2928911), the frustrated customer explained that his credit card was used fraudulently. Yet despite calling the various eBay phone numbers, the poster has not been able to reach a live representative, even a month later.

I have called several numbers found on the internet and NONE has been a good contact number. There is NEVER a LIVE agent available to speak with me.

How to Contact eBay Customer Service via Email

eBay's customer service does not list a general email address on the company’s website. If you dig a bit through the automated help chat feature, you can find an eBay email for specific purposes. A fraudulent eBay email, for example, can be sent to spoof@ebay.com and the company will record the message.

For a more general complaint, however, the automatic help chat feature redirects you to the eBay customer service number and give you the option to have the company call you. If you choose the relevant issue from the eBay support menu, you may see an option to email the company for specific issues. Otherwise, you will find the most eBay help by chatting with an agent, having the company call you, or calling the company directly.

One eBay.com user explained his issues with limited communication options in a video review. In his eBay complaint, the user explained that he had decades of positive feedback on the website, but had his account banned for life after a customer complained to the company rather than him.

Additionally, when he tried to contact eBay.com about the issue, he finally got some answers after “chatting with 2 customer support reps (who both hung up on me) who both said I am banned and they cannot disclose why due to eBay policy.” Despite positive ratings on all of his orders, the user was cut off from the service and no email was ever sent.

How to Contact eBay Customer Service via Community and Social Networks?

eBay support does have an online presence on social networks. While you always have the option of using the eBay customer service number, you can also contact the company through Twitter or Facebook. To contact eBay help via Twitter, ask questions using the @askebay handle.

There are many eBay complaints and questions available on the company’s Facebook page (@ebay) as well. Through the eBay Facebook page, you have the option to post on the company’s wall or contact the company through messenger. Some customers leave their thoughts and complaints in eBay reviews by tagging the company or commenting under their posts.

eBay comments on Facebook

How to Contact eBay Resolution Center?

The eBay resolution center may be your best option to sort out issues specifically between buyers and sellers. Inside the eBay resolution center, you’ll find resources specifically for buyers and sellers regarding transactions. In the resolution center, eBay customer support provides information and acts as a sort of mediation service when issues do arise.

eBay resolution center page

If you have an eBay complaint, you might start by finding the specific purchase in your account through the eBay.com resolution service. The links provided will take you to your bought and sold items where you can see unpaid invoices or items shipped.

When you drill down into specific transactions, you are presented with options for how to contact or call eBay. In some cases, you may find options for an eBay email. You may be able to cancel transactions or send additional messages to sellers as well.

The options inside the eBay.com resolution center will be specific to the type of transaction you’re concerned about. In many cases, you may get more targeted support working through the resolution center than by calling a generic eBay phone number.

eBay, Inc has become a powerful force in buying and selling online. Customers can find just about anything they might be searching for through eBay.com, which makes an eBay gift card a great gift for most. The site has grown from a simple auction website to a massive selling platform for just about every industry in the world. While some customers run into trouble with eBay's customer service, for many others, the platform may be the only place they can find what they are looking for.

*The company ratings on the PissedConsumer website are calculated using a mathematical algorithm that evaluates the information in the company’s profile. The algorithm parameters are: users’ rating, the number of resolved issues, the number of company responses and more. The PissedConsumer algorithm is also subject to change in the future.

Legal disclaimers:

  1. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide any legal, medical, accounting, investment or any other professional advice as individual cases may vary and should be discussed with a corresponding expert and/or an attorney.
  2. All or some image copyright belongs to the original owner(s). No copyright infringement intended.

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David Mullen #11785
My ebay has been restricted think has been hacked
Anonymous #12544
Mine the same
Rosalyne Johnstone #11871
Can't get hold of a human eBay given wrong address to seller I bought boots for my brother for his wedding they have been sent to Kent I live in Leeds yet a few days later I bought some things else an came to right address
MARK HAMP #11908
Policy my foot !Why can't we buy anything !!What's the block on my accountCan't anyone tell me .This is the worst ruddy service we've come accross.Britain puts millions of obstacles in the way of company incomes.Please remove the block on my account
Cynthia Elkhoriby #12103
I requested a refund back in 02/2023. A Case ID was opened up and Ebay, agreed with Seller. Seller stated I did not get the merchandize back in time to get a refund (Which was not true, plus I had to return the item back to seller with my own money). Ok fine but where is my jacket that I sent back!!!!! since I cannot get my money back!! Cynthia!
david W mayer #12136
I need help in getting information about a case I have with a seller named Wilson Consignment. I was sold a "fake" Elon Musk Tesla hat for over $1100 and want my money back. My appeal case # is #.....50....it has been going on for approximately 3 weeks now with no resolution and no response from EBAY!!!! Please help. I have been a loyal member of EBAY for over 23 years!!! David
Jasper thomason #12167
I purchased an Acupuncture Body Model Medical Dummy Porcelain Order total:US $103.23(Auto-paid)Order number:....11. It arrived broken. It was poorly packed 1/4 inch Styrofoam around the porcelain model. The box was an old crumpled box. Not sure why the seller did not pack it better using bubble wrap and a better box. Please get me a refund or replacement.
Ruth McGill #12198
$200.00 card purchased and it was used in a scam
Russell Eskow #12306
I have been trying to list a couple of items on eBay selling. They are not posted. I have a buyer that wants to pay the price and the shipping through eBay and he can't find the items that I had posted under selling. I've been a customer for number of years with a eBay and this is the first time, I have ever had a problem like this. You can call me at and I would like to speak to someone to find out why my items are not listed.
Chris Sinclair #12351
I am locked out of eBay, the correct username and password but can't get verification code because eBay has added my old phone number into my account. I tried to get it to resolve but no direct contact with a human as ridiculous.
Joseph ODell #12405
I am a seller and the buyer is trying to rip me off and I need to talk to someone asap!
Joey ODELL #12406
I need to talk with someone at ebay asap call me asap
gail borneman #12490
265860786923 - item number I purchased - when received paid an electrician to install. However - the bolt/nut to secure light was missing. I contacted seller several times - he said to go buy one. How can I do that when the light has been installed? He should have checked the light to make sure all items were there. Since he did not - I only feel it fair that he send me what was missing from the package. I can not afford to pay the man to come back take it down and go buy the missing part unless the seller wants to cover the electricians charge of $250 per hour.
DONALD RAY HAFLEY #12505
BOUGHT GRAB BARS ASK TO RETURN HE SAID OK HOME OFFICE IN DENVER CO. WONT LET ME SEND THERE WANTS ME TO SEND TIELAD 40800 ACROSS OCEAN WANT EBAY TO HELP DONT KNOW HOW TRO DO THAT.PLEASE HELP DON HAFLEY
AHCENE Hamma #12509
I have problem to log in because I change my phone number
Oladunni O Bamgboye #12519
I placed an order which I ought to have received since 10th of Nov; but yet to be delivered.Pls help to resolve this issue.Thanks.
Anonymous #12530
I won't be using ebay again I'm convinced there setting up fake sites themselves and are cleaning up 100%profit!!! Anybody on here want proof just ask! I will be soon exposing them to the world soon TV PRESS
shaheen #12535
hi I need a JD bag and footasylum
Anonymous #12543
I have a block on my account changed password still won't let me sign in I use ebay a lot and usually like it I need it un blocking ASAP please I have seller that need paying and I have other bids on going already lose a few bid cos carnt get in to my account what's going sort please
Caroline Elizabeth Kendall #12674
I have ordered myself a pair of dr martins but I’ve been waiting a couple months for them to come I’ve contacted the seller several times I don’t get no response I just want to cancel them & refund
dennis armstrong #12689
I have a problem with e bay as a seller. I sold an item and posted it Royal Mail Tracked 24 and it shows on Royal mail website item was delivered,buyer sats they did not receive item and have opened a case on ebay. This has resulted in a hold being put on my funds and a/c. Any help please?