Selling Gift Cards on eBay: Know the Rules

Are you looking for Bruce Willis' photograph circa Moonlighting years? Missing a shot glass from Nebraska to complete your Glass-a-State collection? Guess what? eBay has it. They have everything you want and everything you never knew you needed. So get to shopping!

Some of my best find on eBay are gift cards. I love selling those cards I will never use and getting cards that I need (need being a relative term here). Selling gift cards on eBay can be tricky though. The web site has set policies around gift card sales. I find this both helpful and annoying.

Here is the scoop.
- You can list any gift card on the site as both auction and Buy It Now items.
- The value of the gift card cannot be in excess of $500.
- You are allowed to post only one gift card per week. In other words, if you have two gift cards (regardless of their value), you will need to sell one of them, wait seven days, and post the second card.
- If you use multiple accounts to sell on eBay, you are allowed to post only one gift card for all of your accounts.
- Gift cards cannot be posted as multiple item listings. If you have multiple gift cards from the same merchant and for the same value, you will need to post one card at the time. You cannot indicate more than one gift card in the same listing.

Now that eBay set their rules, here are some tips from me to help you sell your cards. Make sure to include the following information in your listing to help buyers understand what they are bidding on or purchasing:
- Gift card value
- Expiration date, if applicable
- Merchant name and web site (helpful for checking out where you can use the card)
- Restrictions, such as fees if the card remains unused for a while.

This could probably go without mention, but DO NOT include the card number in the listing (not even partial numbers). I've seen this in listings. It confuses me.

My tips are optional, but if you don't follow eBay's protocol, chances are your listing will not be posted for long. I've made a mistake of listing a second gift card without following the seven day restriction, and my listing was removed within an hour. If your listing is removed, your fees will be refunded; however, this is a total hassle because, unless you've saved the listing, you will have to re-submit the whole thing. If your listings are removed a number of times for violating policy, eBay reserves the right to limit your account access, or go as far as canceling your account. If you are a Power Seller, you are risking the loss of your seller status.

Now that you know how to play by the rules, dig through your desk drawers, find those gift cards that you are not going to use (partially used cards are more than welcome!) and post them on eBay. I'm going on the site now to look for some great deals. See you there!