How seller levels work
Your seller level is assessed on the 20th of each month based on your sales history, and the quality of service you provide to your buyers.
Based on how you're rated, you'll be assigned one of the following seller levels:
- Top Rated – You're one of the best sellers on eBay, providing an exceptional quality of customer service, as well as meeting minimum sales requirements for Top Rated Seller level. You're also eligible for Top Rated Plus listing benefits
- Above Standard – You're meeting our minimum standard for sellers, and looking after your customers well
- Below Standard – You're not meeting one or more of our minimum requirements for customer service quality
We take seller performance standards seriously, so falling below standard may result in your listings being ranked lower in our search results. It can also lead to partial or even complete restriction of your sales activities.
Tip
Take a look at your Seller Dashboard - opens in new window or tab to check your current and projected level. If you're Top Rated, you'll find which of your listings are automatically eligible for Top Rated Plus benefits, or which you can change to gain those benefits. If you're Below Standard, you'll find information on how you can improve.
About service quality and sales requirements
Your seller performance level is calculated by looking at your transaction defect rate, late shipment rate, and cases closed without seller resolution. An additional Top Rated minimum requirement is included for your tracking uploaded and validated rate.
Transaction defect rates and cases closed without seller resolution
One of the key seller performance measures is your transaction defect rate. A defect is added to your account if:
- You cancel a buyer's purchase because you no longer have the item in stock or you chose not to send it
- An item not received or not as described request from a buyer is closed without seller resolution
See below for Top Rated Seller requirements.
To avoid letting down buyers and receiving a defect due to an item being out of stock:
- Closely manage your inventory – If your stock levels change, end your listing or update the quantity as soon as possible
- Check our restock advice – Go to the Growth tab in Seller Hub - opens in new window or tab to see which listings are running low
- Enable our out-of-stock feature - opens in new window or tab – If you use multi-quantity, Good 'Til Cancelled listings, this feature automatically hides listings when the stock quantity falls to zero
Preventing buyer requests from being escalated
To avoid these cases:
- Describe your item accurately. Use pictures and include specifics in your listing, so your buyers know exactly what to expect
- Use tracking when possible, and follow our best practices for avoiding issues with buyers
- Respond promptly to the buyer's request to prevent eBay needing to step in
- Provide clear return and payment policies in your listing
If we're asked to step in and help with an eBay Money Back Guarantee case, you can resolve the issue for the buyer by issuing a refund or accepting a return so the request is not concluded as the seller's fault.
If you're found to be responsible for the issue, this will result in what we call a "case closed without seller resolution". We count these in your transaction defect rate, and also as a percentage of your transactions closed without you resolving them.
Late shipment rates
To provide your buyers with a great service, it's important to make sure you send your items on time. Late shipment rates are determined by the percentage of transactions that you either sent after the handling time stated in your listing, or were not delivered by your estimated delivery date.
We'll consider a shipment as late when one of these things happens:
- Tracking shows the item was delivered after the estimated delivery date
- There's no acceptance scan within your handling time
- The buyer lets us know that the item was delivered after the estimated delivery date
If more than 10% of your transactions are classified as late shipments, we may limit some of the shipping options available to you to make sure buyers have the right expectations on delivery times.
Becoming a Top Rated Seller
Becoming a Top Rated Seller indicates that you consistently deliver outstanding customer service, and also makes you eligible to receive a prominent eBay Premium Service badge on qualifying listings.
To become a Top Rated Seller, you'll need to:
- Have an eBay account that's been active for at least 90 days
- Have at least 100 transactions and $1,000 in sales during the last 12 months with US buyers
- Comply with eBay's selling practices policy
- Meet the requirements for transaction defect rate, cases closed without seller resolution and late shipment rate. You'll find the requirements in the table below
If you've met these performance standards requirements on eBay.com, we'll automatically upgrade you to the Top Rated Seller status at your next evaluation.
Tip
To change your lookback period for performance requirements from 12 months to 3 months, you need at least 400 transactions in the last 90 days.
Number of defect rates that affect your rating
Transaction defect rate
Transactions with one or more of the defects listed below.
| Requirements | All Sellers | eBay Top Rated Sellers |
| Maximum percentage of transactions with defects | 2% | 0.5% |
| Maximum number of unique buyers affected before seller status is impacted | 4 | 3 |
Cases closed without seller resolution
Cases where eBay or PayPal was asked to review the case and the seller was found responsible. (Applies after account has exceeded maximum number of cases).
| Requirements | All Sellers | eBay Top Rated Sellers |
| Maximum percentage of cases closed by eBay without seller resolution | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Minimum number of unique transactions for requirement to activate | 2 | 2 |
Late shipment rate
Transactions where you didn't send the item within your handling time or the item was delivered after the estimated delivery date.
| Requirements | All Sellers | eBay Top Rated Sellers |
| Maximum percentage of transactions sent late | 7% | 3% |
| Minimum number of unique transactions for requirement to activate | 8 | 6 |
| Lookback period |
12 months. Or 3 months if you've had 400 transactions in the last 3 months |
|
Find out more about our Seller performance policy.
Top Rated Plus requirements and benefits
As a Top Rated Seller, you can qualify for exclusive benefits if you offer both of the following premium services in your listings:
- Same or 1-business-day handling, and
- A 30-day or longer return period with money-back option
You can choose to offer the above services in some or all of your listings. For listings that include those services, you'll receive the following benefits:
- The Top Rated Plus seal will be displayed prominently in search results and in the listing description
- A 10% discount will be applied to final value fees (this applies to the final item price only, not to shipping costs)
However, in the following situations, the Top Rated Plus requirements are different, but you'll still qualify for the benefits.
- When you use a freight shipping service, you must accept returns, but you're not required to offer same or 1-business-day handling
- When you list items in the following categories, you must offer same or 1-business-day handling, but you don't have to accept returns
- Bullion > Gold
- Bullion > Platinum & Palladium
- Bullion > Silver
- Business & Industrial
- Gift Cards & Coupons
- Home & Garden > Food & Beverages
- Pet Supplies > Bird Supplies > Food & Treats
- Pet Supplies > Cat Supplies > Cat Food
- Pet Supplies > Dog Supplies > Dog Food
- Pet Supplies > Fish & Aquariums > Coral & Live Rock
- Pet Supplies > Fish & Aquariums > Food
- Pet Supplies > Fish & Aquariums > Live Fish
- Pet Supplies > Fish & Aquariums > Live Invertebrates
- Pet Supplies > Fish & Aquariums > Live Plants
- Pet Supplies > Small Animal Supplies > Food
- Sporting Goods > Fishing > Baits, Lures & Flies > Live Bait
- Tickets & Experiences
- Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living > Plants, Seeds & Bulbs > Plants & Seedlings
The Top Rated Plus benefits don't apply to:
- Items listed in the Real Estate and Specialty Services categories
- Items with local pickup only
How seller ratings fall Below Standard
Your seller rating can fall Below Standard if your transaction defect rate is above 2% or your cases closed without seller resolution is above 0.3%.
If your ratings are above either of these percentages, you've fallen Below Standard, and we may apply limits or restrictions on your account. If this happens, we'll send you an email to let you know.
Detailed seller ratings
For additional insight into a seller's performance, buyers can also view your detailed seller rating. This is a breakdown of how you've been rated by your buyers in the following areas:
- Item description – How accurately was the item described?
- Communication – Did you communicate well with your buyer?
- Shipping time – How quickly did you send the item?
- Shipping and handling charges – Were the costs reasonable?
You can view your detailed seller ratings by selecting the number (your feedback score) next to your username. On the feedback profile page, you'll find stars next to the four different areas, with 1 star being the lowest rating and 5 stars being the highest.