eBay Cracks Down on AI ‘Buy-For-Me’ Bots
Artificial Intelligence
eBay
Commerce
AI Agents
User Agreement
Robotic Commerce
OpenAI
8
Control & Adaptation
Media Hype
7/10
Real Impact
8/10
What is the Viqus Verdict?
We evaluate each news story based on its real impact versus its media hype to offer a clear and objective perspective.
AI Analysis:
While the immediate hype surrounding AI shopping tools is high, eBay’s decisive move demonstrates a deeper strategic response, suggesting a commitment to controlling the disruption rather than simply reacting to it. This indicates a long-term effort to adapt to and potentially leverage the technology.
Article Summary
eBay’s recent update to its User Agreement marks a significant shift in its approach to the burgeoning trend of ‘agentic commerce’ – AI-powered tools designed to automate the shopping process. The update, effective February 20, 2026, prohibits users from employing ‘buy-for-me agents,’ LLM-driven bots, or end-to-end flows that attempt to place orders without human oversight. This follows a series of subtle shifts by eBay, including adjustments to its robots.txt file, designed to deter automated scraping. The move comes as several companies, including OpenAI, Google, and Amazon, are already deploying similar tools, offering features like automated product recommendations and direct purchases within chat interfaces. While eBay initially allowed Google's shopping bot access, the new policy aims to regain control over its platform and prevent unauthorized commercial activity. Notably, the company is also reportedly exploring the development of its own AI-powered shopping experiences, further complicating the landscape of agentic commerce.Key Points
- eBay has banned third-party AI agents and chatbots from automatically purchasing products on its platform.
- The policy update reflects the growing trend of ‘agentic commerce,’ driven by tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s shopping bots.
- eBay is simultaneously exploring the development of its own AI-powered shopping tools, suggesting a strategic pivot within the evolving landscape.