What happens to eBay accounts when the owner dies
eBay Inc. has a formal process for transferring accounts after an account holder dies
eBay Customer Service
Deceased member account closure (Deceased member report form)
eBay states that it responds with an update on the account status once it has received and reviewed the documents submitted through the Deceased member report form. For account closure generally, eBay sends a status update to the registered email address and eBay Messages within 24 hours of receiving the request, and it generally takes 14 days to close an account from the date the request is received, though the deceased-member help article notes closure may take up to 60 days if there have been any transactions, payments, claims or disputes in the previous 30 days. Per the Payments Terms of Use, unused amounts retained after closure are returned to the Linked Financial Account within 190 days of account closure, unless the law requires otherwise.
eBay publishes a deceased-member channel: the help article "Reporting the death of an eBay member" (id=5574) and a dedicated Deceased member report form at ocswf.ebay.com/deceased-account-closure. The form requires the reporter's full name, email address and phone number, the relationship to the deceased, the deceased member's full name, date of birth and date of death, and an uploaded official copy of the death certificate; the reporter's eBay ID and the deceased member's phone number, email address and eBay IDs are optional fields, and a comment box takes up to 1,000 characters. The form accepts additional documents in .jpg, .jpeg, .pdf and .png, up to 10 files of 5MB each, under the labels Certificate of Inheritance, Court Order, Testament, the reporter's identification document, and Charity Letter of Authorization. For release of a positive account balance, the help article states that a court order admitting the deceased's will into probate and/or a copy of the court order appointing the executor is required, plus the reporter's own photo identification such as a passport or driver's license with all information displayed. The same documentation is required to close the account, and the ID number, title, place of birth, nationality, date of issue, height, eye color, photo and signature may be hidden as long as the ID card remains recognisable as a valid form of ID. The form itself notes that "Closing the account is not required to resolve recent account activity." The only documented outcome is resolution of account activity and closure, not account transfer or continued operation: the User Agreement's list of things a member will not do includes "transfer your eBay account (including feedback) and user ID to another party without our consent," and eBay documents no path to obtain that consent for an estate. Per the Payments Terms of Use, where the payout entity is eCI, eCA or eCCA, eBay may keep a portion of funds after account closure to cover refunds or Disputes and returns unused amounts to the Linked Financial Account within 190 days of account closure, unless the law requires otherwise.
How to request a transfer
Follow these steps to initiate a transfer of eBay accounts after the account holder's death:
- •Your full name, email address and phone number (with country code), and your eBay ID if you have one
- •Your relationship to the deceased member
- •The deceased member's full name, date of birth and date of death
- •The deceased member's eBay IDs, email address and phone number, if known
- •An uploaded official copy of the death certificate (required)
- •A court order admitting the deceased's will into probate, and/or a copy of the court order appointing the executor of the estate. The form also accepts documents labelled Certificate of Inheritance and Testament
- •Your own photo identification, such as a passport or driver's license, with all information displayed
- •You may hide the ID number, title, place of birth, nationality, date of issue, height, eye color, photo and signature, as long as the ID card remains recognisable as a valid form of ID
- •Files must be .jpg, .jpeg, .pdf or .png, up to 10 documents at a time, 5MB each
Required Documents
- Official copy of the death certificate (required upload on the Deceased member report form)
- Reporter's full name, email address and phone number, and relationship to the deceased member
- Deceased member's full name, date of birth and date of death (and eBay IDs, email and phone if known)
- Court order admitting the deceased's will into probate and/or court order appointing the executor -- required to release a positive balance and to close the account; the form also accepts a Certificate of Inheritance or a Testament
- Reporter's photo identification -- passport or driver's license with all information displayed; ID number, title, place of birth, nationality, date of issue, height, eye color, photo and signature may be hidden as long as the card remains recognisable
- Charity Letter of Authorization, where a charity is the party making the request
Timeline
eBay states that it responds with an update on the account status once it has received and reviewed the documents submitted through the Deceased member report form. For account closure generally, eBay sends a status update to the registered email address and eBay Messages within 24 hours of receiving the request, and it generally takes 14 days to close an account from the date the request is received, though the deceased-member help article notes closure may take up to 60 days if there have been any transactions, payments, claims or disputes in the previous 30 days. Per the Payments Terms of Use, unused amounts retained after closure are returned to the Linked Financial Account within 190 days of account closure, unless the law requires otherwise.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. eBay publishes a help article, "Reporting the death of an eBay member," and a dedicated Deceased member report form at ocswf.ebay.com/deceased-account-closure. The form asks for your contact details and relationship to the deceased, the member's full name, date of birth and date of death, and an uploaded official copy of the death certificate. To release a positive balance or to close the account, eBay also requires a court order admitting the deceased's will into probate and/or a court order appointing the executor, plus your own photo identification. eBay states it responds with an update on the account status once it has reviewed the documents. The documented outcome is resolution of account activity and closure, not transfer.
eBay documents no route for it. The User Agreement lists, among the things a member agrees not to do, transferring an eBay account (including feedback) and user ID to another party without eBay's consent, and eBay publishes no process for obtaining that consent on behalf of an estate. Accumulated feedback and seller standing do not move to a new account.
To release a positive balance to the estate, eBay requires a court order admitting the deceased's will into probate and/or a court order appointing the executor, plus the requestor's photo identification, submitted through the Deceased member report form. Per the Payments Terms of Use, where the payout entity is eCI, eCA or eCCA, eBay may keep a portion of funds after account closure to cover refunds or Disputes and returns unused amounts to the Linked Financial Account within 190 days of account closure, unless the law requires otherwise. eBay may also require a reserve on funds. The terms state that in certain circumstances eBay may permit payouts to a Linked Financial Account owned or controlled by a legal representative, so raise the destination account before closure.
eBay sends a status update to the registered email address and eBay Messages within 24 hours of receiving a closure request, and it generally takes 14 days to close an account from the date the request is received, or up to 60 days if there have been transactions, payments, claims or disputes in the previous 30 days. eBay asks that fees be paid, available funds be at zero, subscriptions be cancelled and no pending transactions remain before closure, so open orders have to be fulfilled, cancelled or refunded first. The Deceased member report form notes that closing the account is not required in order to resolve recent account activity.
Those are physical cards held in PSA's custody, not an eBay balance. Cards sent to the PSA Vault are authenticated by PSA, stored and insured, and appear in the member's Collection under My eBay > PSA Vault. eBay's help page directs withdrawal questions to PSA, so an estate holding a vaulted collection deals with PSA about getting the cards released or sold, and uses the eBay Collection listing to inventory what is there. eBay also notes that items previously submitted to the eBay vault by direct submission remain visible on the account for record keeping.
The Gift Cards terms state that as a security feature the Gift Card, including any remaining balance associated with it, is non-transferable after the Gift Card has been used once on the eBay website or app, and that the Gift Card is not refundable or redeemable for cash except to the extent required by law. Gift Cards do not expire and carry no inactivity or service fees. The terms contain no death or estate provision, so a balance already redeemed into a closed account has no documented route out. An unredeemed card that was never applied to an account is usable by whoever holds the card details.
No. eBay Inc. completed its acquisition of Depop on July 30, 2026, and states that Depop operates as a complementary business retaining its distinct brand, platform, customer experience and culture. Depop is still operated by Depop Limited and runs its own deceased-user route through the Depop Help Centre, separate from eBay's Deceased member report form. An estate holding both should file with each platform and keep a record of each request. eBay accounts on different country sites are also handled separately: the United Kingdom closure form is at ocswf.ebay.co.uk/deceased-account-closure and the German one at ocswf.ebay.de/deceased-account-closure.
Once transferred, accounts are subject to the program's standard terms. Having the deceased account holder's details documented in advance makes the transfer process significantly easier for the family.
Sources
Data sourced from eBay Inc. primary sources (13 pages reviewed). How we research.
eBay Customer Service
Deceased member account closure (Deceased member report form)
eBay states that it responds with an update on the account status once it has received and reviewed the documents submitted through the Deceased member report form. For account closure generally, eBay sends a status update to the registered email address and eBay Messages within 24 hours of receiving the request, and it generally takes 14 days to close an account from the date the request is received, though the deceased-member help article notes closure may take up to 60 days if there have been any transactions, payments, claims or disputes in the previous 30 days. Per the Payments Terms of Use, unused amounts retained after closure are returned to the Linked Financial Account within 190 days of account closure, unless the law requires otherwise.
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