Reviewing your metrics regularly and taking steps to improve your seller performance can have benefits across your business.
Use the buttons below to review your performance metrics:
Seller standards dashboard - opens in new window or tab Service metrics dashboard - opens in new window or tab
Tip
Some service metrics may not be shown in your dashboard if you haven't had enough transactions.
Why seller performance matters
Buyers should have a great experience on eBay, every time. If an order is canceled unexpectedly or an issue isn't resolved, it can significantly affect that person's trust in the seller, and make them less likely to come back to eBay. And although most sellers are great at sorting out problems with orders, avoiding situations where the buyer doesn't receive the item they were expecting is even better.
For these reasons, we have some minimum expectations for all sellers on eBay, and we monitor each seller's level of service relative to others with a similar selling profile. The performance metrics we provide are intended to encourage good selling practices which establish buyer confidence in you and in eBay.
How seller evaluations work
On the 20th of each month, we look back at the past 3 months or 12 months, depending on how many transactions you had, and calculate your performance on the areas detailed below.
Based on these, you're assigned a seller level which indicates your individual performance, and a service metrics rating which indicates how well you're preventing buyer issues, compared to sellers with similar sales activity.
About seller levels
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Seller level
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What it means
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How it affects your account
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Top Rated
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You're meeting higher standards, as well as some other requirements.
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Other eBay members see "Top Rated" on your feedback profile.
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Above Standard
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You're meeting or exceeding our minimum standards.
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You can carry on selling on eBay as normal.
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Below Standard
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You're not meeting one or more of the minimum performance requirements for sellers.
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We may place limitations on your selling activity – including higher final value fees – until your performance improves.
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For full details of how we calculate your seller level and our requirements for sellers, see our Seller standards policy.
About service metrics ratings
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Rating
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What it means
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How it affects your account
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Low
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You're performing better than most of your peers in making sure that buyers receive their orders promptly, and in setting and meeting buyers' expectations about your items.
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You can carry on selling on eBay as normal.
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Average
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You're performing as well as your peers, but you may have opportunities to reduce preventable requests.
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You can carry on selling, but you should consider taking some time to review your metrics in depth.
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High
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You're not performing as well as your peers in ensuring your buyers received their orders as expected.
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Focus on minimizing 'Not as described' returns and 'Item not received' reports as soon as possible – this will help to reduce your percentage rates at the next evaluation.
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Very High
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Your rates of 'Item not received' reports or 'Item not as described' returns are significantly worse than those of your peers.
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We may place limitations on your selling activity – including extending delivery dates or charging higher final value fees – until your performance improves.
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For full details of how we calculate your service metrics and peer benchmark, see our Service metrics policy.
Tip
If you sell in multiple categories and/or offer international shipping, you may have multiple 'Item not received' and 'Item not as described' ratings, because we compare those transactions with different peer groups.
Monitor your performance
We have two different seller dashboards to showcase your performance criteria and help you identify areas where you can improve.
How to improve your performance
We encourage all sellers to take time to review their performance metrics in detail and see what they need to focus on. Making changes to the way you do things on eBay can help reduce time spent handling buyer queries and resolving issues. In addition, it can lead to more sales and overall smoother running of your business.
Accurate and complete listings can reduce 'Item not as described' returns
Taking the time to improve your listings may also help increase listing visibility, boost sales and reduce the number of questions you receive from buyers. Get more tips on creating a listing.
Tip
If you sell a lot, use the categories in your service metrics dashboard to help you prioritize which listings to review. It's also a good idea to check the listings of your best-selling products regularly, since they make up a high proportion of your sales.
Streamlining shipping can reduce late shipments and 'Item not received' reports
Online shoppers want quick and reliable delivery, so it's important to set the right expectations and fulfill accordingly. Updating your shipping options may also help make your listings more competitive and reduce questions from buyers, and using tracking can help protect you in an eBay Money Back Guarantee case or payment dispute.
Keep stock levels updated on eBay to avoid order cancellations
Set up Time Away to avoid late shipments and 'Item not received' requests
Taking time off from your business doesn't have to affect your seller performance. Whether you're planning a break or managing an unexpected disruption, you can set up Time Away to avoid disappointing buyers.
Tip
Make sure you fulfill any orders and respond to any buyer requests for items sold before your time away start date.
Be ready to handle returns
Offering returns helps buyers feel confident when shopping online. And making it easy for a buyer to return something is great customer service that will keep them coming back to eBay. Even if you choose not to offer returns, under eBay Money Back Guarantee, the buyer can still return an item if it doesn't match the listing. Learn more about setting up your return policy.
Resolve buyer issues promptly to avoid 'cases closed without seller resolution'
Even when you work hard to get it right for your buyers, not every order will go smoothly. The service you provide when something goes wrong can significantly affect the buyer's willingness to shop on eBay again. Responding promptly to buyers and resolving their concerns may also help avoid negative feedback. Learn more about handling buyer issues.
