topic Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!! in Member To Member Support

EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

madhousenutstick — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:47:49 GMT

All I wanted was to purchase a new pair of scissors on eBay, simple enough or so you would think but NO !!!😮

Found what would be the perfect pair of scissors that would fit the bill, put them in the basket and went to the checkout to purchase them...

Only to be presented by a ridiculous and absurd page from eBay telling me that I need to "confirm my age" by giving them "Credit Card" details !!! 🤔

As I don't own or use a credit card then I couldn't even get past this flawed and ridiculous page as it DOESN'T give you any other options whatsoever to even try and verify your age !!! 😳

Not sure who at eBay came up with such an incompetent concept and decided to discriminate against everyone who doesn't own a "Credit card" but whomever is responsible clearly doesn't live in the real world.

Spent almost an hour on the phone trying to resolve this issue with eBay but with no luck and only to be told that is eBays policy on "bladed items" and there's nothing they can do about it.

I get that here in the UK it's "government policy" to have some form of "age check" to be made when purchasing a "bladed item" but I also get that DOESN'T mean that for some unfathomable reason which eBay has decided that only people with a "Credit Card" can purchase such an item.

Seriously eBay, why on earth are you discriminating against everyone who doesn't own or use a "Credit Card" and preventing people from purchasing what is after all a simple common everyday item ?

Get your act together eBay and at least give EVERYONE the chance to verify their age and NOT just those who use a credit card. 😡

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

jckl1957 — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:53:14 GMT

There is no point in complaining about this.

Ebay require you to prove your age at the point of sale when you buy your item. The only way Ebay allow you to do this is by paying with a credit card because in the UK you have to be over 18 to have one.

I bought craft scissors several years ago from a specialist company. They required photo ID so I had to upload an image of my driving license. (Obviously, not everybody has photo ID either.)

So, the seller had my name, address, DoB and photo. I would rather have been asked to pay with a credit card.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

tobiasd4 — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:58:13 GMT

There are other ways to prove age on other sites,

But ebay choose CC as it is easy to use.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

madhousenutstick — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:46:31 GMT

There's every reason to complain about this (even the people I spoke to at eBey said so themselves).

"Age Verification" may well be law here in the UK but eBay discriminating against EVERYONE who doesn't own or use a credit card ISN'T part of that law/ legal requirement.

I don't own ANY credit cards and never will do, nor do I have any "photo ID" or even own or use a mobile phone and all I wanted to do was purchase a pair of scissors but I can't do that on eBay because of eBays OWN discriminatory single option of ONLY allowing people with a "credit card' to purchase certain items.

Thats the trouble with most people in this modern day world is that they incorrectly think and assume that everyone else is just like them and therefore they must also have a "credit card" just like they do.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

madhousenutstick — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:12:31 GMT

What part of the clearly stated fact where I said I DON'T own or use a credit card makes that process "easy" for a potential customer to try and make a simple purchase that eBay deliberately wont allow them to do ???

I have of course taken my custom elsewhere but the point is I shouldn't have to.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

tobiasd4 — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:05:57 GMT

This is an ebay member forum, we don't make the policy.

EBAY SITE = EBAY RULES.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

red_magpie — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:28:39 GMT

There's every reason to complain about this

jck11957 didn't say there was no reason to complain. They said there is no point in complaining.

It isn't unfathomable why eBay has decided that only people with a credit card can purchase bladed items. It's because users have to be aged over 18 to hold a credit card, making card purchases self-verifying.

There is no pont in complaining because although there are other ways of verifying age, this is the one that suits eBay. And eBay does what suits eBay. eBay doesn't have any meaningful complaints procedure anyway. There is no point in submitting a suggestion either, as eBay's stated policy on suggestions from users is that they don't accept suggestions from users.

If it makes you feel any better, you could write to eBay's head office at the address in the user agreement. If you do, please let us now how, if at all, they reply.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

papso22 — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:28:52 GMT

They obviously meant it's easy for ebay, it's clearly not easy, or even possible, for buyers without a credit card.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

madhousenutstick — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 22:09:52 GMT

I NEVER said that people here "make the policy" so why on earth you decided to respond with that makes zero sense !!!

What part of me submitting "feedback" to the very part of eBay's so called "community FEEDBACK section" has clearly passed you by ? 🙄

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

papso22 — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 22:24:33 GMT

What 'community feedback section'?

That's not what this board is.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

madhousenutstick — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 22:25:06 GMT

I assure you it is unfathomable and absurd whether you agree with me or not. There are other ways eBay could confirm someones age and there are no laws in the UK that state that any MUST own/ have a "credit card" to be able to verify their age.

Rest assured this IS the only option given online to eBay "feedback" to eBay (as it clearly states on my post which is labelled "FeedBack" and if as you claim eBay doesn't respond to "suggestions from users" or that they have no "meaningful complaints procedure" then time will tell on that I suppose.

By UK Law, online sites such as eBay do have to have "Age Verification" for certain items but that "Age Verification" MUST be done in a fair and reasonable manner to cover different methods of "Age Verification" to be presented to the "customer" and eBay only allowing "Age Verification" by "Credit Card" is NOT "fair and reasonable and in fact is discriminatory to every person who doesn't own or use a "Credit Card".

I shall wait and see what the "promised" response to my phone call with eBay reveals about this but if it's not satisfactory then I shall simply take it further via my MP/ MSP and ask them to look into eBay NOT abiding by the UK laws regarding online "Age Verification".

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

madhousenutstick — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 22:33:22 GMT

Do tell me in that case... WHY was I told by one of the people on the phone that this is where I should submit my feedback to eBay ?

Doesn't matter what the "board" is called, THIS EXACTLY where I was told to submit my feedback to eBay only to discover that all I am getting is nonsensical and useless responses from people like you.

If you have nothing to say that actually helps the situation I posted about then please stop responding to my posts. Thank you.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

papso22 — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 22:42:53 GMT

You were given the wrong information by ebay. You can see from the board heading that this is where members ask other members (mentors), for help on ebay matters.

Ebay staff very rarely look at the boards, including this one, it is definitely not the place to give feedback to ebay.

The responses you have been given on here were an accurate explanation of Ebay's policy. You don't have to like it, or agree, but you do need to abide by community posting rules, which do not allow rudeness.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

jckl1957 — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:14:09 GMT

You have posted here:

Member To Member Support

The place for eBay buyers and sellers to ask Community Mentors questions about buying and selling on eBay.

There are other sections of the forum but they are all for members to post questions and join in discussions to help other members. Nobody from Ebay will read your posts. If you want to give feedback to Ebay, you will have to contact Ebay.

There are a number of posts similar to yours and a lot of members are unhappy that they can't buy bladed items on Ebay without a credit card.

It's good to get an issue 'off your chest'.

However, your post and complaints won't be read by Ebay and won't change anything.

Of course you don't have to get a credit card, but you will have to buy your scissors somewhere else.

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

madhousenutstick — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:48:40 GMT

If I was "given the wrong information by eBay" then that is NOT my fault.

I am merely here as I was advised to do on the phone by the head of the "listings department" to give my "feedback" and "hopefully receive a solution or ideas" by someone who had/ has experienced the same or similar issue.

So THAT is exactly what I am doing as was suggested to me by one of the heads of a department at eBay.

As for your own replies which I have quite clearly asked you no to make as they are mostly irrelevant and useless including your latest bizarre nonsense about "rudeness", which if you have consider anything I have said to be "rude" to you then that is unfortunately for you nothing more than a false assumption you have made caused in full by your very own words posted here, which to me have been nothing more than utterly useless. That is NOT me being "rude" that is just a simple statement and point of view by me based on your own mostly irrelevant words you have posted.

So once again I ask you , please stop replying to my posts if you have nothing of relevance & usefulness to this subject and also, NO not every response here have been as you falsely claim "were an accurate explanation of EBays policy".

Re: EBays Ridiculous Restrictions While Trying To Purchase SCISSORS !!!

madhousenutstick — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 12:09:19 GMT

I do know where I've posted thank you and as I've clearly explained THIS IS EXACTLY where I was advised by an ACTUAL eBay employee on the phone to post, I did question them about that but they insisted this was the best place to offer "feedback" and to try and receive a "solution" to the issue from someone who had previously been in the same situation and had manage to get round it.

While I suspected myself that this wouldn't be the "best place to submit "feedback" or get a useful response to my issue, I have as was instructed to do nonetheless went ahead and followed that advice, to which while the response has been fruitless I can at least tell eBay when they call me back on Monday with their update on my query that i have indeed tried doing as they suggested.

I have already ordered the scissors I need quite easily form another site/ seller and didn't have to have a "Credit card" to do so.

Even though that solves this current issue for me personally it still doesn't "solve" the sheer absurdity of eBays useless policy of ONLY allowing "Age Verification" to be made by "Credit Card Holders Only".

A policy which has I've also mentioned goes against the UK own Laws regarding "Age Verification" where online sites/ sellers MUST "give reasonable and VARIED CHOICES/ OPTIONS" for their "Age Verification" processes as the Law states they MUST do.

That is what I am currently now doing and depending on eBays response when they call me again on Monday will decide if the issue is resolved or not and whether or not I shall need to contact my MP/ MSP to take this up and have the appropriate "bodies" look into this issue where clearly against current UK legislation regarding online "Age Verification" that eBay's limitation of supplying that "Age verification" via "Credit Cards" only doesn't meet the standards the Law has set.