Unfair Treatment: 1 Order Counts as 11 Strikes—Impacting My Top Rated Seller Status
Hello eBay Community,
I’m reaching out to share a frustrating experience I’m currently facing as a Top Rated Seller and to highlight an issue with eBay’s automated system that I believe needs to be addressed.
In the past three months, I’ve successfully completed 1,065 transactions with 100% positive feedback. I’ve worked incredibly hard to build my reputation, and my customers have consistently been happy with their purchases. However, I’m now at risk of losing my Top Rated Seller status because of one single order—a situation that feels deeply unfair.
Here’s what happened:
A buyer purchased 11 individual trading cards from my store in a single transaction. The shipment, which is going to a military APO address, has been delayed in transit. Tracking shows the package is still in Chicago, even though I shipped it from Tennessee. It’s well-known that shipments to APO addresses often take longer to arrive, but unfortunately, the buyer didn’t receive their cards within eBay’s expected delivery timeframe.
The buyer opened cases for all 11 cards, and as the buyer was submitting each case in real time, I immediately reached out to provide the tracking number and explain the delay. I assured the buyer that I shipped the items and offered to issue a full refund once the cards were returned to me. The buyer never messaged me back. However, even though the tracking number shows the item is still in transit, eBay stepped in and refunded the buyer automatically.
Now here’s the problem:
Although this was one transaction, eBay’s automated system is treating it as 11 separate cases without seller resolution, one for each trading card. This single order is enough to cost me my Top Rated Seller status, which will significantly impact my sales and potentially jeopardize my entire business.
I contacted eBay support to explain the situation, but I was informed that it’s nearly impossible to have these cases corrected or removed because they’re handled by an automated system. Unfortunately, I’ve been through a similar situation before, so I know this to be true.
A few years ago, I lost my Top Rated Seller status after an eBay customer service agent gave me inaccurate information regarding eBay's policy. I was told I could sell digital codes on eBay and that providing the code through eBay’s messaging system would count as proof of delivery. Relying on this guidance, I sold digital codes, only to find out that the information was wrong. As a result, I lost my Top Rated Seller status—not due to any fault of my own (I called to check and verify before selling the digital codes), but because of misinformation—my sales plummeted for months. It was a devastating experience, and I promised myself I’d never let it happen again.
Now I’m facing a similar situation. Despite doing everything I could to provide excellent service and resolve the issue, I’m being unfairly penalized due to the way eBay’s automated system processes cases. Losing Top Rated Seller status over a single delayed order—especially one that’s beyond my control—feels incredibly unjust.
I’m sharing this here to bring attention to this issue and to encourage eBay to address flaws in the automated system that unfairly penalize sellers.
If anyone in the community has faced a similar situation or has advice on how to escalate this issue, I would greatly appreciate your input.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Sincerely,
holounlimited
weedhopper3
·1 year agoMistake #1 - Actually thinking eBay would help you out with this situation.
Your seller status drops = more fees you pay to eBay. They're not gong to try hard to help you.
arraus
·1 year agoI thought, with proof that you shipped the items via shipper that was chosen/offered at checkout, Sellers were not held accountable for shipping delays caused by shipping carriers.
I've had eBay remove these recently... but the tracking MUST SHOW the shipper delayed the shipment, i.e. extended estimated delivery date. To get these removed from your account metrics, the seller has to:
Right? If all that happened, keep on eBay support. Point this out. Get them removed. Don't give up!
stainlessenginecovers
·1 year agoI always thought that 'ebay envelope' ONLY updated tracking to 'delivered'?? Therefore, it would not show much of anything, and if past the last estimated delivery date, the reason ebay simply 'closes in buyer favor' either automatically or when buyer 'escalates' since that tracking doesn't show much??
timzbiz
·1 year agoThis is one of the many reasons why I no longer sell on ebay.
fern*wood
·1 year agoI'm glad wastingtime posted the policy about the different buyer requirement. Honestly, my faulty memory thought it required more than 4, but apparently not.
OP--were the 11 purchases all from one ID? I feel they must be, because I didn't think we could combine purchases together if different IDs were used.
jg.mason
·1 year agoI'm amazed that 11 cards in one eSE envelope even made from Tennessee to Chicago.
I had an order a while back for eight items and I remember thinking, I hope this doesn't get lost or destroyed on its way to the buyer. All I could see was eight defects and eight negatives, although I'm not sure if they could leave the eight negative feedbacks since it was one order.
Hope you get it fixed.
fbusoni
·1 year ago@holounlimited
I'd like to echo the advice from @gurlcat about contacting Facebook, and why you should do so immediately if not sooner. I have contacted them a few times in the past the they are responsive and excellent and can cut through the automated red tape very quickly.
The automated system cannot make judgments, and that is what you need right now.
Two other thought come to mind as I read this thread:
--eSE is I believe tracked within eBay, but NOT within USPS. When you use eSE, you are gambling that the buyer is not obsessive about knowing where his item is at any given moment. Without the ability to track where his item is, I can see how someone who is the least bit anxious about receiving his purchase will reflexively spring into action at one minute past the estimated delivery date and file an INR.
--Your rationale for using eSE is one I would reconsider. Over the many years I have sold here, I have found that the cheaper an item is, the greater the likelihood of attracting money-grubbers and cheapskates. Such individuals have a greater than average penchant for being extremely problematic, not to put too fine a point on it. In my experience on eBay, those are not the sort of buyers you want, under any circumstances, as selling to them is often like opening a can of worms.
Personally, I will immediately add to my blocked buyer list anyone who messages me to ask for a discount of any kind. I think that in the last 10 years I have made one exception, and that was because of the manner in which the buyer comported herself in her message to me.
Please keep us posted, I am confident that a message to eBay on FB will get this addressed for you.
ladyindecadence
·1 year agoI believe that when a buyer opens an item not received case that you have 3 business days to deal with the situation before the buyer can ask ebay to step in. So if the item does not get any new tracking scans within the 3 business days you are expected to refund and file a claim with the carrier.
In the event that the item is moving and does get a new tracking scan with in the initial 3 days you can call ebay and they will put the case on hold for 10 days to allow the package time to be delivered. If there are no new scans you will be expected to issue a full refund.
So as long as a package shows movement within 3 days ebay will put the case on hold this applies to domestic shipments. For international shipments they require a tracking scan with in at least 7 days to place a case on hold.
For the defects you do have 30 days to appeal them. However the only way you could win is if your package gets a delivered scan within that 30 days. If the package does get delivered you then appeal the cases based on this new evidence of delivery and that ebay refunded the buyer prematurely on a package that was in transit and just delayed. In this case ebays policy is to decide the appeal in your favor (because you now have evidence of delivery) and remove the defects and issue a courtesy refund to you.
714ricki
·1 year agoIf you sell 11 separate items from 11 different ebay item numbers, then ebay is going to treat each item as its own individual transaction. Regardless, if the buyer just paid in one lump sum. As unfair as it sounds, eBay has every right to treat each item as its own unique transaction.
You never know where our military personnel are in the world at any given time. Hence, delivery delays to APO/FPO are quite normal. For all you know they were shipped out on a submarine or sent to some remote area around the world where internet connection isn't available or they have more important things to worry about.
From a shipping perspective, did you include a US Customs Form? That could also be a reason for the delay if the Customs form wasn't included with the envelope.
✌ï¸ðŸ˜ŽðŸ™
bashort
·1 year agoThen why does ebay have the following policy.
"You'll only be evaluated as Below Standard if your transaction defects are associated with more than 4 different buyers."
This is typical ebay, make a policy then totally ignore it because they either do not care or I think more likely lack the technical ability to code it properly, this is not the only place where ebay has clear policy that they just do not follow.
fashunu4eeuh
·1 year ago@gurlcat Is correct. If the package was delayed past the expected delivery date and the buyer opened Money Back Guarantee (Item Not Received) cases., you were required to refund, and when eBay had to step in to do that after the buyer escalated the cases, defects occurred. The defects originated from a failure to follow eBay policy. Not the 11 cases vs one order etc. A refund would have prevented the defects from happening and your Top Rated would not now be affected. Here is the policy:
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210
holounlimited
OP1 year agoThank you for your response. I understand the point you’re making and appreciate the clarification regarding eBay’s Money Back Guarantee (Item Not Received) policy. However, I’d like to provide some context for why this situation unfolded the way it did and why I believe the system still treated this unfairly.
The buyer made their purchase on December 14, 2024, and I shipped the order on December 16, 2024, using eBay’s Standard Envelope service. The tracking information was automatically uploaded at the time of shipment and clearly showed that the package was delayed in transit, with the message: “Running behind, original estimate was Wed, Dec 18 - Mon, Dec 23.â€
The buyer opened the cases on December 25, 2024, just two days after the delivery estimate and on Christmas Day, a time when postal delays are common. On the same day, I emailed the buyer for the third time, providing the tracking number again and including a screenshot of the tracking status showing the package was delayed. I explained the situation, apologized, and asked for patience while the package continued in transit. Unfortunately, the buyer did not respond and escalated the cases instead.
I acknowledge that eBay’s policy states sellers are required to refund buyers in these situations, but in this case, I believed it was reasonable to wait for the package to arrive, given the known delays with military APO addresses and the holidays. I had no intent to disregard eBay’s policy; rather, I was trying to handle the situation fairly for both the buyer and myself.
That said, this situation has highlighted a major flaw in eBay’s system. This flawed system makes it so that a Top Rated Seller can do everything right for years, as I have, and then make one single mistake on one order and lose their Top Rated Seller status. I made one single mistake, and now I’m losing my Top Rated Seller status. What message does this send to future potential eBay sellers?
If I had known this when I first started selling trading cards on eBay, I would have never tried to achieve Top Rated Seller status. And without achieving that status, I wouldn’t have had enough sales to build a successful business (trust me, I know the difference—sales plummet when you’re not Top Rated). If I had known how fragile the system was, I would have never started an eBay business in the first place.
Now, after spending years dedicating myself to building my store to make shopping easier for my customers—especially for trading cards, since variation listings are capped at 250 items—I’m losing my Top Rated Seller status over one mistake. This won’t just harm my sales for the next three months; it will also harm my reputation. Loyal customers who have trusted me will now see that I don’t have a Top Rated Seller badge and may assume I no longer provide premium service.
What eBay is essentially teaching sellers—especially trading card sellers—is that if you make one mistake, your business can be destroyed. That’s an absolutely terrifying reality. For me, it’s making me seriously consider moving my business to another platform where my years of hard work and dedication won’t be undone by one situation like this.
While I understand that a refund might have prevented the defects, the system’s handling of multi-item orders compounds the issue unnecessarily. I hope eBay reconsiders how these situations are processed in the future to ensure fairness for sellers and to encourage—not discourage—businesses to grow on their platform.
Thank you for taking the time to respond and share the policy link. It’s helpful to review and learn from this experience, but it’s also deeply disheartening to see how quickly a thriving business can be harmed by a system this unforgiving.
sin-n-dex
·1 year agoIt's good to be aware that there's one defect for each item sold (although I don't know how they can do it when it's all the same transaction).
Why your way of resolving this was especially not good, is because if you had refunded the customer you could have filed an ESE claim and gotten the cost of those items. I always refund on an ESE when a buyer files an INR because I know I can get my money back from filing a claim. That's the whole point of ESE, it's insured. There isn't always a scan to show delivery, but eBay wants us to refund customers promptly with ESE and file a claim.
C.
bdmh-enterprises
·1 year agoCame here to say exactly this. ESE insurance is top notch! If the ESE has ANY scan AND the buyer files an INR AND you refund in response you WILL be reimbursed. I've been refunded within the hour the few times I've used it.
I do agree that getting multiple shipping defects for orders sent as a single shipment is absolute nonsense!!
slati_2013
·1 year agoI hope you have at least tried to intercept the shipment to have the cards returned to you. If not, do it now.
bonanza125
·1 year ago"I immediately reached out to provide the tracking number and explain the delay."
Did you provide this information in the case against you or in a message to the buyer?
holounlimited
OP1 year agoI can confirm that I entered the tracking number for all 11 cases individually to ensure there was no possibility of missing even one. I double-checked everything multiple times to be absolutely certain, as I tend to be meticulous about these things. Despite my diligence, the cases were still decided in favor of the buyer.
Not only did I re-enter the tracking numbers into each case on eBay (which I’ve verified multiple times), but I also reached out to the buyer directly to keep them informed. This all happened in real time—I was actively monitoring the situation as it unfolded. In fact, I even waited for the buyer to open the last few cases so I could immediately update the tracking information as they were submitted.
richard1rst
·1 year agoWell, when you say ", I immediately reached out to provide the tracking number and explain the delay. " did you mean that you sent the tracking number to the buyer? BUT did you enter the tracking number in the case reports opened on eBay?.
Sending the number to the buyer may have seemed like the right thing to do. BUT since you apparently did NOT enter the tracking number in the case itself THAT was your error. If you had entered the number IN THE CASES you would have been protected. But as far as eBay is concerned since you did not respond to the cases ON EBAY it appears that you ignored the complaint. THAT is why you were given 11 defects.
holounlimited
OP1 year agoI can confirm that I entered the tracking number for all 11 cases individually to ensure there was no possibility of missing even one. I double-checked everything multiple times to be absolutely certain, as I tend to be meticulous about these things. Despite my diligence, the cases were still decided in favor of the buyer.
Not only did I re-enter the tracking numbers into each case on eBay (which I’ve verified multiple times), but I also reached out to the buyer directly to keep them informed. This all happened in real time—I was actively monitoring the situation as it unfolded. In fact, I even waited for the buyer to open the last few cases so I could immediately update the tracking information as they were submitted.
I took every step I could to handle the situation properly, but despite these efforts, the cases still counted against me.
luckythewinner
·1 year agoDespite my diligence, the cases were still decided in favor of the buyer.
There is nothing in eBay policy that states that "diligence" waives the need for Delivery Confirmation or recent movement in an INR. You did not have either, as far as I can tell.
I took every step I could to handle the situation properly, but despite these efforts, the cases still counted against me.
The only way to properly handle an INR is for the seller to make sure the case is resolved the case before it closes. That is one step you could have taken, but chose not to.
That aside ...
I have no idea why that counted as 11 instead of 1, unless you are mistaken about what is required for multiple purchases to be considered as a single transaction. I do not have enough experience in that area to comment further.
gurlcat
·1 year agoI don't understand why the tracking number wasn't already there before the estimated delivery date had passed. Why not upload it the day you shipped???
holounlimited
OP1 year agoThank you for your comment. To clarify, I use eBay’s Standard Envelope service to ship trading cards. When I print the shipping label through eBay, the system automatically attaches the tracking number to the order. This means the tracking number was already linked to the buyer’s order well before the estimated delivery date had passed.
In addition to this, I always send an email to each of my buyers with their tracking number at the time I print the label, ensuring they have direct access to track their shipment. In this particular case, the tracking number was already attached to the order, and the buyer received an email with the tracking information when I printed the label.
When I noticed the buyer opening cases in real time, I immediately emailed them again to provide the tracking number for the third time, with a screenshot of the tracking progress, and informed them that the shipment was delayed in transit and currently located in Chicago. I explained that I had no control over the postal delays.
Unfortunately, the buyer never responded to my messages and continued opening cases for each card without addressing the information I provided. Despite my proactive communication and the tracking number being readily available on eBay, the cases were still decided in the buyer’s favor.
I took every possible step to ensure the buyer had access to the tracking information and that they were aware of the delay, but it seems that wasn’t enough in this situation.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoIf the buyer ordered 11 cards from separate listings, that is 11 transactions even if they are combined in one shipment.
It might may you rethink listing items for $1.24 with free shipping. Even if you are paying the below standard surcharge for 3 months because of this it will probably cost you more than you made taking a risk for so little profit.
holounlimited
OP1 year agoI appreciate your perspective, but I’d like to clarify my strategy and explain why I’ve chosen to sell cards at $1.24, even at no profit—or in some cases, at a small loss. My goal is to attract buyers with competitive prices, encourage combined orders, and build long-term relationships with repeat customers. By offering low-cost individual cards, I create opportunities to secure larger combined orders, which is where I make my profit. It’s a strategy that has worked well for me, as evidenced by my 100% positive feedback and a loyal customer base.
I understand that eBay views each of the 11 cards as separate transactions, but I believe this approach is unfair when it comes to trading cards. Unlike other product categories, trading cards often involve buyers purchasing multiple individual items to complete a set or collection. My store is designed to cater to these collectors—I’ve spent years researching and building a store that lists every individual card from each Pokémon card set, organized by category, to make it easy for buyers to find exactly what they need. Unfortunately, eBay’s system doesn’t fully account for the nuances of this category.
The frustration comes from realizing that my effort to create a well-organized and buyer-friendly store has inadvertently made it easier for a single buyer to jeopardize my Top Rated Seller status. Variation listings, which could prevent this issue, are capped at 250, while many Pokémon card sets include far more than 250 cards. Listing them individually seemed like the best solution for both my buyers and my store, but now I’m left questioning whether the effort was worth it.
This situation has left me feeling disheartened. I’ve dedicated years of work to building my store, providing excellent service, and maintaining 100% positive feedback, only to have my Top Rated Seller status threatened by a single delayed shipment. At this point, I can’t help but wonder—what’s the point in striving to be a Top Rated Seller if something so small can undo all of my hard work?
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoThis is not a novel strategy, and many sellers who have had the same strategy have decided to abandon it after experiences like yours. Not necessarily the first time they experience it.
Any seller who has low priced items, and relied on untracked shipping or ESE has a high risk strategy.
There are alternative strategies to build a loyal customer base, like rare products at higher prices and profits.
Any seller who posts here pointing to their 100% FB is a seller who does not understand that it is not a measure of seller performance. Not used that way by Ebay and should not be used by buyers. It can disappear just like your top ranked seller level with a streak of bad luck.
I have followers to my store who I have done business with on multiple sites for the decades. Interestingly, I have not sold under the same identity on multiple sites. They are my customers because of the match of my merchandise to their needs. I have minimum prices I will list at, and the sellers who sell the most common and least valuable products are quickly outgrown by serious collectors.
The guys who buy your cheap stuff are probably not the guys who buy your good stuff.
Your dollar listings cost Ebay as much or more overhead than other pricier listings, the only thing which costs Ebay more is having payments processed. ESE was created as a gift to sellers of cheap stuff, don't expect another gift for 5 to 10 years, if ever. I am sure Ebay did not predict the hidden costs to them of ESE.
gurlcat
·1 year agoClearly that's how the software handled it, but I agree with the OP that it's absolutely unfair, even if they should have had the tracking uploaded from the start. Now, if the seller had shipped 11 fakes and then refused to refund or something like that, I could see it counting as 11 bad transactions. But because this was a failure regarding shipping, and these were combined into one shipment, the seller only failed one time.
Also eBay seems to consider a buyer as having only one bad experience when they try to leave a stack of negative feedbacks for a multi-item purchase.
holounlimited
OP1 year agoThank you for understanding my perspective—it’s reassuring to know that others can see how unfair this situation is. I completely agree with your point: if this had been a case of shipping fake items or refusing a refund, it would make sense to count each transaction separately as a failure. However, that’s not what happened here.
This was a single shipment with a delay caused by the postal service, something entirely out of my control. I followed all the necessary steps, including using eBay’s Standard Envelope service, which automatically uploads the tracking number to the order when I print the label. I also went above and beyond by emailing the buyer their tracking information multiple times and keeping them informed. Despite my efforts, the system treated it as 11 separate failures because of the way eBay processes cases for individual items.
Your observation about eBay treating multi-item negative feedback as one bad experience is exactly why this feels inconsistent. It’s frustrating to know that while eBay seems to group negative feedback for buyers, they don’t apply the same logic when it comes to cases like this. I truly believe eBay should reconsider how these situations are handled, especially in categories like trading cards, where buyers often combine multiple low-cost items into a single order.
Thank you again for your thoughtful comment. It’s a tough situation, but hearing support like this helps.
carlmarxx
·1 year agoYou don't offer Combined shipping request option in the cart ,had you set it up then you would have 1 strike instead of 11 individual item strike as the other poster said .
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoEbay has always only counted one negative over a time period from one buyer, I think it is a month, but it display all negatives as separate transactions.
FB is useless and not used to rate sellers by other than people with crystal balls and naive Ebayers.
Whenever we see a thread about seller performance where the original post points out their 100% positive FB, we know they cased the problem they are being punished for, whether they admit it or not, whether they provide all of the proof or not. That is because they fail to understand how sellers are rated.
gurlcat
·1 year agoOne of the only times I ever left a negative for a seller was such an extreme case that I negged him for all 3 items I had bought. LOL because he did so many awful things and the comment character limit was very short, I wrote everything as one comment divided by 3 parts, posting them in reverse order so they would read as a congruent statement, top-to-bottom. It felt like a glorious accomplishment, but the next day only one of the 3 remained. -I don't know if he had to request removal or if it was automated, but I recall seeing similar statements here (from buyers and sellers) about limitations on how many negatives, and negative comments, could be posted by a buyer for a multi-item order.
chariot_badges
·1 year agoYou also may want to rethink shipping to APO/FPO addresses.
If eBay doesn't want you to ... why would you do it?*
* Don't go by their words, go by their actions. eBay is obviously anti-military.
Too bad. They deserve better.
NO to APO/FPO addresses.
714ricki
·1 year agoAlways support the troops & don't be afraid to ship to an APO/FPO address. ðŸ™âœŒï¸ðŸ˜Ž
gurlcat
·1 year agoWait, you're the same person who said on page 1:
If that is true, that sounds like a pretty good reason to be afraid. No Delivered scan or delayed Delivered scan = potential disaster for the seller.
sin-n-dex
·1 year agoI stopped shipping to APO Addresses when eBay printed a label for me on their platform without a customs form, it got sent back, and Chit Chats charged me $7 to get it back to me. I figure if eBay can't be bothered putting the right label on the package, then I won't ship there, period.
C.
carlmarxx
·1 year agoI use to have lot of U.S. military buyers from 2001-2009 . funny thing is Canadian Military buyers made up for loss of U.S. military buyers. .