How To Delete Purchase History on eBay

Depending on the situation you are in, you might want to delete your purchase history on eBay. For example, holidays might be near and you would like to surprise your family with interesting gifts. If you are all using the same computer, they might find out what you have been looking for through your purchase history. And just like that, your surprise would be ruined.

This article will show you what you can do to mask your actions on eBay and provide some other useful eBay tips and tricks.

Hiding Your Purchase History on eBay

Notice how the subtitle says “hide” instead of “delete.” That’s because eBay doesn’t allow its users to actually delete their purchase history.

eBay uses every account’s purchase history for tracking purposes. By “tracking,” we mean storing cookies on your computer and remembering what you have been searching for. Based on the items that you have been searching for the most, eBay will know what ads to show to you.

In other words, by knowing what you want to buy, eBay knows how to customize their ads and show you only those you could be interested in. This is done by the majority of today’s popular websites, and not just eBay.

Although you can’t really delete your purchase history on eBay, you can hide it. The following steps will allow you to do it;

1. Log in to your eBay account.
2. Navigate to your Purchase History. You will be able to find information about the items that you have purchased within the last three years.
3. Locate the item that you want to remove from your purchase history list.
4. Select More Actions on the item that you have found. This option is located on the right side of that item’s section box. A dropdown menu will open after you have clicked on this option.
   
5. Choose Hide Item.
   

Once you have clicked ‘Hide Item,’ you will notice that the specific item has disappeared. What you should be aware of is the fact that you can only hide items that you’ve bought in the last 60 days.

In case you have hidden an item by mistake, all that you have to do is click on Undo and the item will reappear on the list. The Undo button is located in the upper-right section of the page.

To fully mask your eBay purchase history, make sure to filter the purchase list. You can do this by clicking on the button next to the See Orders From label. That will open a dropdown menu from which you will be able to choose the year that you want to start the list from.

You will only have the past three years available to choose from, but that will be more than enough to mask your purchase history from the current year.

How to Unhide the Hidden Items

The Undo button won’t return all of the items that you have hidden. However, there is a very simple way that can allow you to see even the hidden items. This is also the downside of hiding an item as it can be easily unhidden.

All that you have to do to view your full purchase list is check the radio button that says ‘Hidden,’ located on the Orders page. That will display both the items that you have hidden and the ones that you’ve left in your history.

To hide your items again, simply click on the Not Hidden radio button.

Canceling Your Order

If you’ve ordered an item by mistake or just decided you don’t want it after all, there is an option that allows you to cancel your order. Of course, you won’t be able to cancel your order just like that as the seller has to approve it first.

If your cancelation request gets approved, the item will be removed from your purchase list.

In case you want to cancel an order that you have made within the past hour, you have to do the following:

1. Navigate to the Purchase History page.
2. Locate the order that you wish to cancel.
3. Select More Actions for the located order.
4. Click on the Cancel This Order option.
5. To finish, click Submit.

In case you have placed your order more than an hour ago, here’s what you have to do:

1. Navigate to the Purchase History page.
2. Locate the order that you want to cancel.
3. Select More Actions.
4. Select Contact Seller.
5. Explain why you want to cancel your order in the appropriate field.
6. Click Send.

In both cases, you will receive an email that says whether or not your request has been approved.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Ebay keep my order history?

If the above mentioned methods aren’t good enough for your intentions, we’ve got good news for you! Ebay only keeps your order history for this year and the two previous calendar years.

This means that it will automatically be deleted in roughly three years max. So, if there’s something that really needs to vanish from your history completely, you can wait it out.

Can I close my Ebay account to delete the order history?

Yes! But, there are a few things you should know first. If you haven’t ordered anything in thirty days, your account is ready for closure, but it will take 30 days to officially delete everything.

If you’ve made a purchase in the past thirty days, you’ll have to wait for the closure period to open. Then, you’ll have to wait another thirty days for your account to close.

If this is the route you’d like to take click on the ‘Hi, [Name]’ link at the top of the page and click ‘Account Settings.’ Scroll down and click ‘Close Account.’ Then, follow the prompts to close your account.

No Deleting History on eBay

Although you can’t delete items from your order list on eBay, you can at least hide them. This should be enough to keep your special present a surprise. However, if the person you’ve bought the item in question for has an inquisitive mind, they can still easily see the hidden order with a simple click on a radio button.

What are your experiences with eBay? Have you ever had problems canceling an order or participated in an unpleasant exchange with a seller? Share your positive and not-so-positive eBay stories in the comments below.