eBay updated its User Agreement to explicitly prohibit third-party buy-for-me agents and LLM-driven bots from accessing its platform without permission, effective February 20, 2026. This move targets the rise of agentic commerce, where AI tools autonomously browse and purchase products for users. The policy update specifically names AI agents, moving beyond previous general bans on automated scrapers.

The change reflects a broader industry tension as companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Amazon develop their own shopping integrations. eBay's CEO has hinted at exploring similar features, suggesting the ban targets external automation rather than in-house development. By updating its User Agreement, eBay gains a stronger legal basis to enforce these rules compared to honor-system guidelines in its robots.txt file.

While closing the door to unapproved automation, eBay's policy allows access for bots with the company's express permission. This leaves room for future partnerships, such as with OpenAI's Instant Checkout program. The decision underscores the ongoing battle between open web principles and walled gardens as AI agents reshape e-commerce.