On 24 September 2026 eBay stopped allowing airbags, for every seller. If you have airbags on the shelf and listings that disappeared this week, this is what changed, what you can still list, and what your state says about selling one anywhere else.
What eBay banned
From eBay's announcement: "Effective September 24, 2026, airbags and airbag inflators are not permitted to be listed or sold on eBay by any seller." Steering wheel airbag covers are included. eBay's policy page lists "Airbags and airbag covers, including new, used, deployed, rebuilt, and recalled airbags" as not allowed.
That covers every condition. A clean, undeployed OEM bag out of a low-mile donor is banned the same as a rebuilt one.
The reason given is safety. In April the NHTSA published an investigation into substandard replacement inflators linked to deaths and serious injuries, and at least one faulty inflator was traced to a part bought on eBay.
What you can still list
The parts around the airbag, not the airbag. eBay's policy still allows the airbag control unit, the crash sensor (impact sensor), the diagnostic module and the passenger sensor, but "Only approved sellers may list" them. In the United States, eBay's announcement says their sale "is restricted to sellers who are currently pre-approved".
Neither eBay page says how a seller becomes approved now, or whether new approvals are being given. Check your Seller Hub, or ask eBay, before you list one. Do not assume.
What happened to your live listings
eBay said it would remove any airbag listings still up on the 24th, and that "Relisting these items may result in selling restrictions." So the practical job this week is:
- search your active listings and your drafts for airbag, inflator, SRS and steering wheel cover
- end anything that is still up rather than waiting for eBay to do it
- make sure nothing relists them automatically
Where an airbag can still be sold
Not on Amazon or Facebook Marketplace, which already banned airbag sales. The ARA's statement says "lawful over-the-counter airbag sales will continue in accordance with state laws". So the counter, under your state's rules.
A Shopify storefront is a separate question. As of 26 September 2026, nothing in Shopify's published rules for US stores names airbags. That is not the same as a yes. Ask Shopify before you list one, and your state's rules below apply either way.
What Texas, Florida and California say
This is not legal advice. Your license and the statute decide.
Texas. Transportation Code §547.614 makes it an offence to sell a "counterfeit airbag", one that "does not meet all applicable federal safety regulations" for that make, model and year. See salvage yard software in Texas.
Florida. F.S. §860.146 makes it a second-degree felony to sell, install or reinstall "a fake airbag or junk-filled airbag compartment". See salvage yard software in Florida.
California. Vehicle Code §27317 bans selling or installing a counterfeit or nonfunctional airbag, and nonfunctional includes a unit that was previously deployed. It is a misdemeanour. See salvage yard software in California.
Why the donor VIN matters more now
A recall check needs the VIN of the car the part came off. An airbag from a car you bought, with its VIN on record, is a known part. The same bag with no history is exactly the kind of part this ban exists to keep off the market. The ARA runs a recall programme for recyclers for this reason.
YardTerminal keeps every part you pull tied to its donor VIN. It does not check recalls.
Where YardTerminal sits
The counter is one of YardTerminal's channels, so a part sold there is recorded and its other listings end. YardTerminal does not decide which parts you may sell.
That cuts both ways, and you should know it plainly: YardTerminal does not stop you drafting an eBay listing for an airbag, and nothing in it blocks one that a person approves. The approval step is the check. Do not approve an airbag, an inflator or a steering wheel airbag cover for eBay.