Prohibited items guidelines

To ensure that we maintain a safe marketplace, we do not allow the sale of specific items on OfferUp. Some prohibited items present legal risks or may pose health and safety issues. We've also chosen not to allow items that we feel are inappropriate for our community or that could be considered offensive.

Before posting, please read the guidelines below to ensure that your items are okay to sell on OfferUp. We also recommend that you review the Posting rules for sellers and Community guidelines. If you’re posting a job, we recommend that you review our Prohibited jobs guidelines.

The following items and/or listings are not allowed for sale within the OfferUp marketplace for any reason:

1. Adult & mature content
2. Alcohol, drugs, & tobacco
3. Animals
4. Counterfeit and replica items
5. Cultural items
6. Dangerous items
7. Food items
8. Gift cards
9. Illegal items or encouraging illegal activity
10. Medical & healthcare items
11. Misleading claims
12. Offensive materials
13. Recalls & product warnings
14. Services, advertisements, & intangible items
15. Wildlife & wildlife products

Adult & mature content

OfferUp strives to be an open marketplace, but we understand that not all people want to see explicit content. Items intended for adult use or that contain explicit sexual content are not allowed on OfferUp, such as:

• Adult toys
• Explicit sexual content or nudity
• Fetish items (such as used and unwashed undergarments)
• Pornography
• Sensual lotions or lubricants

Alcohol, drugs, & tobacco

Alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and related products are often subject to regulatory restrictions and are illegal for sale in some cases. Because we can't ensure that users follow these laws and regulations, and we are not in a place to enforce the varying legislation, we don't allow these items for sale, including:

• Alcohol
• Prescription drugs
• Drugs, narcotics, or controlled substances (even those that are legal in some states)
• Items marketed for the purpose of intoxication
• Illegal drugs
• Drug paraphernalia such as bongs, vaporizers, and pipes
• Tobacco and related products, including e-cigarettes, e-juice, vaporizers, mods, hookahs, and hookah accessories
  • Note: Vape batteries are allowed 
• Cannabis and cannabis-derived products (such as CBD)
• Growing or cultivation equipment for cannabis and cannabis-derived products

Animals

Our policy around animals and wildlife products represent OfferUp’s commitment to improving animal welfare in our own communities, and in helping to protect threatened and endangered animals around the world.   

Live animals are never allowed within the OfferUp marketplace, including:

• Cats
• Dogs
• Fish
• Marine mammals
• Reptiles (such as lizards or snakes)
• Horses or ponies
• Hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, or other pets
• Farm animals (such as chickens, goats, pigs, or cows)
• Insects 

Counterfeit or replica items

The sale of bootlegs, counterfeits, fakes, and unauthorized or pirated copies of items is illegal and not allowed on OfferUp, including:

• Counterfeits, fakes, and replicas of brand-name items, including items “inspired” by a brand without permission of the owner (such as clothing, jewelry, handbags, accessories, and shoes)
• Bootlegged or unauthorized recordings
• Pirated copies of any copyrighted materials
• Use of a trademark or other implied affiliation with a brand that is not approved by the holder of the mark

If you suspect that you’ve received a counterfeit item via shipping, see Shipping and counterfeit items.

If you’re an intellectual property rights owner and you believe that content on OfferUp infringes on your rights, see our Intellectual Property Policy.

Cultural items

To build a respectful and diverse marketplace, we may prohibit certain cultural or historical artifacts, objects, or memorabilia.

Examples of things that are not allowed include:

• Items that reflect any group of people, be that people of color, a religious group, individuals with disabilities, or any protected class through offensive or dehumanizing caricatures, including historic, antique, or memorabilia items
• Any item that violates the Indian Arts and Crafts Act by falsely suggesting it is: (1) produced by Native Americans or American Indians; and/or (2) the product of a particular tribe or tribal arts and crafts organization within the United States
• Native American, Alaska Native, American Indian cultural or ceremonial items (such as grave markers, human remains, ceremonial masks, and prayer sticks)

Dangerous items

Items that pose health and safety concerns, that are regulated, or that are illegal are not allowed on OfferUp. These prohibited items include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Firearms—no exceptions—fake, plastic, or model firearms are prohibited  
• Knives primarily used as weapons or for self-defense 
  • Note: Cutlery, kitchen, and multi-tool knives (like Swiss Army knives) are generally permitted
• Mace, pepper spray, bear spray, tasers, and other weapons used to subdue humans or animals
• Batons, billyclubs, brass knuckles, throwing stars, or similar weapons used for striking a person or animal
• Paintball guns, BB guns, guns that fire blanks, airsoft guns, and all related ammunition and accessories
• Sporting or hunting weapons such as bows and arrows, crossbows, archery items, including historical or cultural items such as arrowheads
• Swords, if sharpened or functional 
  • Note: Decorative blunt swords are generally permitted
• Weapon parts and accessories, including any item that attaches to a firearm, ammunition, bullets, clips, arrows, and bolts
• Gun manufacturing mills or production units
• 3D printers, if the listing includes an image of a gun or any text that mentions guns
• Items used to incite violence
• Items deemed to pose significant health or safety risks to others
• New or used airbags sold separately from a vehicle
• Aftermarket defeat devices which defeat motor vehicle emission controls, including but not limited to, DPF Delete Kits and EGR Tube Kits
  
• Hazardous materials such as:
  • Dynamite
  • Explosives
  • Fireworks
  • Gunpowder
• Regulated chemicals, poisons, or substances
• Any product knowingly containing methylene chloride
  
• Pesticides, insecticides, rodenticides, and fungicides or any substance regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency as such
  
• Recalled items (see Recalls section below) 

Food items*

The sale of homemade prepared food is subject to regulatory guidelines and often requires a permit. Because we can't enforce these restrictions, prepared food is not allowed.

Examples of food items that we do not allow include:

• Most perishable goods, including: meat, seafood, dairy, and cut fruits or vegetables
• Homemade shelf products (such as jams, jellies, and pickles)
• Homemade meals or baked goods
• Eggs sold outside of the seller's farm
  
  *Due to nationwide shortages, the above list is subject to change.

Food items that we do allow (and which are exceptions) include:

• Whole, uncut fruits and vegetables
• Unopened and packaged commercially sold food goods (canned soup, packages of cookies, etc.) as long as the packaging has not been tampered with and the items are sold before their expiration date 
• Eggs sold directly on the seller's farm to be picked up on-site at the farm

Gift cards

Gift cards and reloadable cards are not allowed for sale on the OfferUp marketplace. The sale of such items presents a high risk of fraud for buyers.

Illegal items or encouraging illegal activity

Any item that is illegal or that OfferUp believes encourages illegal activity is not allowed, including but not limited to, the following:

• Offers to trade for illegal goods
• Offers to trade for items defined as prohibited on OfferUp
• Items with sensitive information (such as IDs, passports, and social security cards)
• Fake or forged documents (such as licenses, IDs, diplomas, and government-issued documents)
• Items received through Government Assistance
• Police badges or security uniforms, as these can be used to impersonate an officer or gain access to secure areas
• Locked phones or devices (such as blacklisted, activation, iCloud, or similar locks)
• Current or temporary vehicle license plates
  • Note: License plates older than 5 years are allowed
• License plate tags
• Cars without titles
• Stolen or found goods
• Catalytic converters
• Rideshare signs 
• TV streaming devices (such as Amazon Fire Stick or Roku)
• Canisters or cylinders of pressurized gas (such as CO2 or nitrous oxide) 

Medical & healthcare items

Due to health and safety, privacy, and regulatory concerns, certain medical and healthcare items are not allowed for sale on OfferUp, including but not limited to, the following:

• Devices, drugs, and medications that require a prescription from a licensed medical practitioner (such as a dentist, doctor, optometrist, or veterinarian)
• Ventilators and other respiratory equipment
• Cannabis and cannabis-derived products (such as CBD)
• Pills, vitamins, and supplements
• Contact lenses
• Used cosmetics, makeup sponges, and applicators
• Needles and items containing needles (such as syringes or tattoo equipment)
• Listings that claim the item can diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent a disease or viruses, including COVID-19 (coronavirus)
• Any listing related to administering vaccinations (including access to, proof of, or a physical item)

Misleading claims

OfferUp does not permit listings which are knowingly misleading or include misinformation. OfferUp will remove a listing if we are informed that it is misleading, or that it contains an endorsement or certification which has been nullified or refuted by a federal agency or organization.  

Some consumer products are regulated by federal agencies or organizations in order to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury or death. While some of these products are allowed on OfferUp, we cannot verify the guarantees or certifications of safety provided by these agencies.

Examples include items that claim they are certified, approved, confirmed, or comply with Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) safety standards or certifications.

Offensive materials

OfferUp is an inclusive community that welcomes people from all backgrounds. To build a respectful marketplace, listings that contain foul language or that promote hatred, violence, or discrimination are not allowed. This includes listings that support hate or discrimination toward others based on age, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation, or items that promote or glorify organizations with such views.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Posts containing racial slurs
• Posts promoting intolerance, discrimination, or violence
• Items that promote, support, or commemorate groups with views of hatred or intolerance (for example Nazi, Neo-Nazi, KKK groups, Proud Boys, QAnon, Antifa, or the Boogaloo movement)
• Items that depict or glorify violence against people or animals
• Items that reflect any group of people, be that people of color, a religious group, individuals with disabilities, or any protected class through offensive or dehumanizing caricatures, including historic, antique, or memorabilia items
• Posts slandering another user, including but not limited to, calling users names, speaking against a user
• Spreading misinformation

Recalls & product warnings

Recalls

Items that are subject to a recall, typically because they are deemed unsafe or defective by federal regulators or manufacturers, are not allowed on OfferUp. 

The following is a non-exhaustive list of some of the items that have been recalled and removed from the OfferUp marketplace: 

• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 cell phones
• Fisher-Price Rock n’ Play infant sleepers
• Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Rock n' Glide soothers
• Fisher-Price 2-in-1 Soothe n' Play glider
• Drop-side cribs
• Three-wheel all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)
• Boppy newborn loungers
• Crib bumpers for infant beds (non-padded mesh crib liners are allowed)
  
• Momaid infant loungers
• Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Troublesome Truck & Crates
• Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Troublesome Truck & Paint

For a more comprehensive list of recalled consumer products, visit the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. 

You should avoid selling or buying any recalled item or product. If you end up selling or buying a recalled item, contact the manufacturer as they may offer a refund, replacement, or voucher in exchange for surrendering the recalled item.

Product warnings

Some items may not be subject to a formal recall, but due to certain safety issues presented by the item, a safety warning or notice is issued by the manufacturer to alert consumers to those issues. Buyers and sellers should be mindful of items subject to safety warnings.

When manufacturers issue product warnings and bring them to our attention, we'll include that information here. 

 Product warnings currently in place:

• • Fisher-Price Infant-to-Toddler Rockers and Newborn-to-Toddler Rockers 

Services, advertisements, & intangible Items

OfferUp is intended for the sale of individual, tangible items. Items must exist for pick up/drop off and be available for immediate sale.

Examples of things that are not allowed include:

• Services for intangible items, such as: dog walking, babysitting, window tinting, towing, moving, and IT support 
• Advertisements
  • Listings that only advertise a business, promotion, or sale 
  • Listings advertising a job, instead of an item for sale (employers can post jobs in the dedicated jobs feed, but not in the for sale feed. To learn more, see Posting a job)
    
  • Sellers who don’t respond to buyers’ messages and/or who use the platform to advertise but do not participate in purposeful interaction
  • Listings that contain a phone number or email address in the title, description, or in an image (exceptions for certain verified sellers)
  • Links to or information about flea markets, yard sales, and garage sales
  • URLs, links, or redirects to other websites
  • Rentals and timeshares
  • Multi-level marketing schemes and related promotional materials
  • Lost pet ads
  • Wanted ads
• Solicitations
• Digital account transfers, digital goods, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
• Invites, referral codes, or discount codes for apps or websites
• Items planned for future purchase from another retailer, wholesaler, distributor, or manufacturer
• Items of unknown contents (such as mystery boxes or grab bags)
• Items where the image/photo does not match the listing's title or description
• eBooks (such as a code, link, or PDF of a book)

Wildlife & wildlife products

Wildlife products that are sourced illegally or are being traded in contravention of any law are prohibited on OfferUp.

Examples of prohibited wildlife and their products include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Bears (such as Asiatic Black Bear, Giant Panda, Sloth Bear, and Sun Bear)
• Birds (such as African Grey Parrot, Falcon, Eagle, Helmeted Hornbill, and some other Parrots)
• Cetaceans (such as Dolphins, Porpoises, and Whales)
• Corals (such as Elkhorn and Staghorn)
• Elephants
• Marine Turtles 
• Otters (such as European River Otter, Giant Otter, and California Sea Otter)
• Pangolins (All)
• Primates (such as Bonobo, Chimpanzee, Gorilla, Monkey, and Orangutan)
• Reptiles and Amphibians (such as Ploughshare Tortoise, Iranian Spotted Newt, and Indian Rock Python)
• Rhinoceros
• Sharks, Sawfishes, Manta & Devil Rays (such as Great White Shark, Basking Shark, Whale Shark, and Smalltooth Sawfish)
• Tibetan Antelope (also known as Chiru and shawls known as Shahtoosh)
• Wild Cats (such as Cheetah, Jaguar, Leopard, Lion, Ocelot, and Tiger)
• Any items made from ivory, bone, skin, tortoise shell, or other parts of the above mentioned wildlife
• Taxidermy of the above mentioned wildlife
• Boots made from exotic animal hide 

Maintaining a safe marketplace

Our teams are working hard to ensure the safety of our marketplace and enforcement of our policies. We do our best to review posted content to ensure that transactions for buyers, sellers, job seekers, and employers are ethical, safe, and protected.

While we understand that our work here is never done, here are the steps we take to try to keep our marketplace safe:

• We remove listings and take action on accounts that violate our policies.
• We work with law enforcement to do our part in supporting their investigations.
• We’re continuously updating our product features to create a more trustworthy marketplace experience.

Help keep our community strong

As a member of the OfferUp community, you can help us build a safer, stronger marketplace by reporting suspicious or offensive content. For more information, see How to report a listing.

For additional restrictions on behavior such as profanity and harassment, see our Community guidelines.