eBay bans illicit automated shopping rapid rise of AI agents

Ars Technica
Ars Technica 5d
eBay has banned illicit automated shopping activity as AI-powered shopping agents become more common. The move comes as tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT shopping features and Instant Checkout make it easier for software agents to browse recommendations and complete purchases.
eBay bans illicit automated shopping rapid rise of AI agents
A What happened
The Ars Technica the growing use of “agentic commerce,” a broad set of tools that can automate parts of online shopping. It notes that these tools already exist and are being used, even if the term sounds like marketing jargon. In response, eBay has implemented a ban on illicit automated shopping, targeting automation that violates its rules. points to OpenAI’s additions to ChatGPT Search in April 2025 that enabled shopping-related browsing of product recommendations, followed by a September launch of Instant Checkout that allows users to purchase items, illustrating how quickly AI agents are gaining capabilities that can affect e-commerce platforms.

Why it matters

  • AI shopping agents are already in active use: frames “agentic commerce” as a real, current phenomenon rather than a future concept, with multiple tool types already being used.

  • Platform rules are adapting to automation: eBay’s ban signals that marketplaces are updating policies to address automated purchasing behavior that they consider illicit.

  • Rapid feature rollouts are accelerating agentic commerce: OpenAI’s 2025 sequence of shopping features and Instant Checkout shows how quickly AI systems are gaining end-to-end shopping capabilities.

Topics

Technology & Innovation Artificial Intelligence World & Politics Policy & Regulation Business & Markets Retail & E-commerce

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