How Sellers Can Recover from Below Standard Status on eBay

Many sellers are still not educated on the eBay Defect System. This system is based on percentages. If a seller receives too many defects as a percentage of total ratings, the account will be moved into "below standard" status. Keep in mind that defects are not the same as feedback comments from buyers. Defects occur in the following situations:

Seller canceled transactions due to loss, damage, or any other reason (does not include buyer canceled transactions)

Opened cases for items not as described

Return requests for items not as described

Low detailed seller ratings for shipping time

Requests for items not received

If a seller drops into below standard status, this is serious business. The account can be closed and the seller is prohibited from selling on eBay. There are ways to recover from below standard rating, and it takes commitment and aggressive action on the seller's part.

First, study your defects and determine if any can be removed. Call eBay and discuss. Many defects can be removed based on looking at buyer communications and other circumstances.

1. List the maximum number of items allowed. Let eBay see you are serious about getting back into good standing and you are actually doing the work.

2. Take low offers if necessary to get sales. It's a numbers game. You have to get sales to pull yourself out of the hole. eBay search rewards active stores - Cassini likes stores with sales and gives them a boost in search.

3. Think about the overall health of your account rather than how much money you are making right now. Without an ebay account you will make zero dollars in the future. Understand the concept of delayed gratification - rewards will come later.

4. Offer free shipping on as many items as makes sense. The buyer cannot rate a seller on shipping if free shipping is offered. This takes one of the ratings off the table completely.

5.Refrain from communications with buyers unless they ask a question, because if you don't have communications with buyers, they cannot rate the seller in that area, and that is also an automatic 5 stars.

6. Be patient, it will take time. Have patience and keep working on it. Have faith in the process and keep going. Lots of people have recovered from this.

7. Most importantly, learn the system. Check your Seller Dashboard daily (all sellers should be doing this already) and immediately address any defects that occur. Call eBay and appeal the situation. Sometimes it takes multiple calls to reach a customer service rep who is aggressive enough to resolve the situation.

Bottom line - sellers are responsible for the health of their accounts. Monitor your dashboard closely and often. Don't wait until it is too late and your account has been suspended.

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4 Reasons Good eBay Descriptions are Important

If you are like most eBay sellers, you  want your items to sell on eBay, and you don't want returns or problems after the transaction, right? You want buyers to easily find your listings, right? And most of all, you want to achieve and keep Top Rated Seller status, right?

Spending a few extra minutes on your description will help attract more customers, reduce returns, and serve a a good insurance policy against INAD (Item Not As Described) cases.

1. eBay recommends 200 words about the product in the description area. This helps buyers find your items through search.  Even though you have information in the item specifics area (where you check the boxes), you still need to write it out in the description area so the search engine can find it. Keep text about policies, returns, and your personal rules to a minimum - the search engine is looking for words about the product. Here are tips from eBay for Basic SEO on your eBay listings.

2.  Measurements are very important on anything you sell on eBay including clothing, household items, collectibles, baby items, toys - everything. It is especially difficult to buy clothing (for children or adults) online without knowing the measurements. Buyers will compare a clothing item to one they have that fits properly. If a seller does not have measurements on the item, the buyer may not ask for them and may just move on to the next seller. Buyers don’t like to wait for answers, so try to provide everything possible up front. The extra few minutes you spend measuring an item can help you get a sale.

3. If a buyer opens an INAD case, the more information you have in the description area, the better. I have had INADs removed when the buyer claimed the item wasn’t described correctly, and called eBay Customer Service to show them that the information was in the listing but the buyer didn’t read it. Having enough of the right information in your description not only informs the customer but it protects your account.Remember, too many cases or returns for INAD affects your defect rating and eventually, your account.

4. It is just good customer service. You are a buyer, too, right? Remember the only thing between you and your potential customer is a computer screen. The buyer can't touch, hold, or examine the product like they could in a brick and mortar store. Your only tools are photos and words. You have the power to describe the product in great detail so your customer understands exactly what they are getting.

For more helpful tips like this, sign up for a store critique. I'll give you an in-depth review of your store, in writing, along with 30 days of email support for any other questions you might have after the review is done.

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