Selling monthly subscriptions.

[electricwindhammer]

I am in the USA. I want to sell monthly subscriptions on eBay to a computer game that I wrote. Can I do this?

[kensgiftshop]

No, can't sell that.

[onefootflipper1]

Ebay doesn't have a way to do subscriptions, you are going to want to talk to Steam, Epic Games or someone like that.

However to be honest, I couldn't imagine a single developer game that would actually sell with a monthly subscription. Subscriber based games tend to be insanely large and have teams developing them constantly.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi @electricwindhammer and welcome. There are rules about selling digital products, see link to the policy below.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/electronically-delivered-items-policy...

[electricwindhammer]

I think that I found something like this listed as Non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@electricwindhammer wrote:

I think that I found something like this listed as Non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

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This might be of interest too.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/products-eligibility-requirements-pol...

[electricwindhammer]

Look at the listing of [ MLB.TV 2025 Season 1-Year Subscription (a $149.99 value) Works on most devices ] by elrozm28 (216) 100%, where it says, "After payment I will send you a custom link that as soon as you sign in the MLB.TV the subscription will link to your MLB.com account." That looks like an electronic subscription payment to me. Am I missing something in their description that makes it not a subscription "payment". If they can do it, then can it be done?

[kensgiftshop]

@electricwindhammer 

I have a feeling some of those listings will be removed.

[funfactorychannel]

No you cannot due to how monthly works. You can sell a hard copy of your game and say it requires a monthly subscription.

Best bet is do it on GOG and Steam. If you used Unity I can help you put it on other platforms. Just ping me.

[electricwindhammer]

I think that if I sell activation codes (some are already sold via eBay for other things) then the game player can then purchase an activation code for 1 month or more months. The code could be one-time use. The player logs into or starts the game, then connects via the game to my online server, then inputs the one-time code and their account is updated on the server for that amount of time. The code could be sent via the user's eBay account or another way. This has already been happening for other items on eBay. Thank you all. If someone else wants to know how to do this, then I have now described a process that may work for you also. This is not an eBay subscription. This is not using eBay as a subscription service. The result is a subscription "via" eBay sales with monthly or longer payments and resulting verification and usage.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

You have been given the proper advice with the links to support it.

You can search for all of the schemes used by other unethical sellers and it will not guarantee that you will remain an Ebay seller.

Ebay is constantly upgrading its automated tools for finding violations which are active on the site, and the violators are banned for life.

[electricwindhammer]

post script: 

Thus, I then do not have to learn and keep up with the various state's sales taxes because eBay has this covered and includes it into the price that eBay charges the user. And, then I also do not have to go through Steam, Epic Games, Microsoft, etc. and I can use my own data servers independent of them.

[electricwindhammer]

tobaccocardyahoo,

So, are you saying that if you do not understand something then it is (according to you) a "scheme"? Or, if you cannot mentally handle the complexity of a legal and ethical and honest sale then it is (according to you) an "unethical sale"? I find your response aggressive and having premeditated intent to be offensive.

People buy codes for old versions of Microsoft operating systems on eBay. eBay has allowed that as electronic transfer for years. People have also purchased old versions of Microsoft operating systems with those numbers on the package sent to the buyer with that number on the package for years. eBay has not restricted and not stopped that. Microsoft is a big and powerful corporation. eBay is a big and powerful corporation. I expect that they both have teams of lawyers attempting to guide those companies strictly within legal and potentially moral lines. Are you so arrogant as to say that eBay, in you personal opinion, is running schemes and using unethical sales practices? Your response does not make sense when compared to eBay practices. I am more likely to trust eBay than to trust you. Please stop posting such anti-eBay statements.

[electricwindhammer]

There is a lot of negativity being thrown at my request for information.

I did a search on eBay for just the single, one, nothing else, just "subscription". I got:

340,000+ results for subscription

Do not fight against what is an eBay practice. Tell me how this is done 340,000+ times via eBay. It is either done or it is not done. This is not dependent upon your anti-eBay practices personal opinion. It is a boolean conditional / yes it is done or no it is not done. eBay lists that it is done. Yes, done. 340,000+ times done. "subscription" = 340,000+ results. How with eBay's approval is this done? Maybe someone at eBay, in their legal department, a real serious intense lawyer, can and will tell me (and us) how this is done 340,000+ times with eBay's approval.

[glorybells]

We do not express opinions here, we share information about eBay policy.  There are likely many hundreds of thousands of listings that are in violation of policy.  The bots only catch the most obvious ones   There can be a variety of ways that they eventually catch up with many of the others.  The result is always the same; a lifetime ban from eBay.  If you don’t care about that consequence, consider another; if you’re not sending a physical item, any and all of your buyers have the ability to open cases for refunds.  You won’t have proof (of a type that eBay will accept), so you’ll be refunding, either voluntarily or involuntarily.