Selling restriction due to Service Metrics – looking for advice from other sellers

[bratuck-0]

Hello everyone,

I’ve been selling on eBay since 2018, with 100% positive feedback and nearly 4,000 active listings. Recently, my account was restricted from selling due to my Item Not Received (INR) metric showing 3% (3 cases out of my last 100 transactions).

Here’s the situation:

• Two of those INR cases were opened by mistake and later closed by the buyers themselves after confirming that the items had been delivered. One of these buyers even left positive feedback.

• The third case involved a lost international shipment to Croatia. I immediately issued a full refund and apologised to the buyer, who understood the situation.

All cases were resolved quickly and amicably, without eBay’s intervention, and no buyers were left dissatisfied. I also contacted eBay about each case to explain the situation, but the system still counted them in my Service Metrics.

The restriction is now preventing me from listing or selling, although my funds are “released” in the account — yet I can’t withdraw them. eBay also expects me to fulfil any outstanding orders, which I always do.

I understand that Service Metrics are designed to protect buyers, but in international shipping it’s not unusual for occasional delays or lost parcels to occur. In my view, the current system doesn’t always reflect actual buyer satisfaction.

I’d like to hear from other sellers:

• Have you faced similar restrictions due to Service Metrics?

• How did you manage to get the restriction lifted (if at all)?

• Is there any effective escalation path beyond standard Customer Service, which often only replies with templates?

If things continue this way, I worry that eBay will lose many experienced and reliable sellers — and that’s not good for buyers or the marketplace as a whole.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and any advice you can share.

[12345jamesstamps]

'item not received'...usually if the seller refunds the buyer when case is open there should be no problem.

'without eBay's intervention'...I wonder if you gave the refunds late and did appeals.

Any 'out of stock' have you done?...that's the 'kiss of death'...just a few would do it.

Feedbacks really have no affect on solving any problems with this.

[slati_2013]

You are in Europe. The BBE policy being enforced has affected other sellers in Europe for the same reason.  Based on what other sellers from Europe post here, the ban is permanent. 

[tobaccocardyahoo]

You are located outside the US and are subject to the Bad Buyer Experience Rate

https://export.ebay.com/en/fees-regulations-policies/ebay-policies/bber/

This standard is tighter than US sellers face and unlikely to be remedied if a mistake was made. The added customer service risks of international shipping make this necessary.

You can visit your Seller Dashboard to check your account performance which will be refreshed every Wednesday.

[ittybitnot]

 but the system still counted them in my Service Metrics.

@bratuck-0   

Sellers in the US are not judged by the same standards as those under the BBE mandate.  You can get an overview here, that includes a link to the INR issue as well.  Here in the US, and I imagine where you are the "service metrics" dings count SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY HAPPENED.  It doesn't matter if they were posted by the buyer in error, or how you managed to resolve the situation (or not), they remain in the total simply because they occured.  

For example, INR seems to be a problem for many under the BBE rules due to longer shipping times that would naturally be expected.  If a buyer simply wants an update from you on the status/location of their package, AND they don't bother to ask and file an INR instead it is counted in this metric.   Read this, and see what can be done.  

https://export.ebay.com/en/fees-regulations-policies/ebay-policies/bber/

[mo-662935]

Ebay is randomize creat this reason

[bratuck-0]

Hi everyone,

First of all, thank you for your comments and advice.
I just want to clarify a few things about my situation:

• No “out of stock” cases — not a single transaction was cancelled for this reason.

• Every INR case was resolved directly with the buyer before any eBay intervention.

  • Two cases were opened by mistake and closed by the buyers themselves after confirming delivery.

  • One case involved a lost international shipment, refunded immediately with buyer’s understanding.

• All buyers were satisfied — one even left positive feedback after closing their case.

I fully agree that eBay is a great platform and I have been selling here for years with only positive feedback. However, selling — especially internationally — always involves some risk of delays, lost parcels, or returns. This is part of real commerce, and no seller or buyer can be perfect in 100% of transactions.

My concern is that the Service Metrics / BBE system automatically counts all opened cases as negative, even if they were resolved quickly and to the buyer’s satisfaction.
If this is the case, why is there no proper appeal process to review such situations?

Unfortunately, support responses so far have been entirely template-based, without addressing the specifics of my case. I think that is unfair — there should be a way for good sellers to have genuine reviews of these metrics, especially when buyers themselves confirm there was no issue in the end.

[jonathanbrightlight]

There is no appeal process because eBay does not wish to entertain appeals. If they reach the point of removing your listings and suspending your account, they will not review your account further.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

My concern is that the Service Metrics / BBE system automatically counts all opened cases as negative, even if they were resolved quickly and to the buyer’s satisfaction.

It does indeed, and it is intentional. It is an objective measure of whether the buyer has received appropriate service, and whether you successfully remedy it or not, they have not received what is required.

There are already large number of Ebay buyers who will not buy from international sellers, and international sellers who are attempting to hide their location.

The US Ebay buyer is the intended beneficiary of this policy but it also benefits international sellers who meet the requirements of service.

[kensgiftshop]

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@bratuck-0 wrote:

 I also contacted eBay about each case to explain the situation, but the system still counted them in my Service Metrics.

---

From what I understand, even if it's a mistake, they still count against you.

They are cracking down on International sellers and the BBE policy is hard to get around.

They might lose a few good sellers, but there is always new ones joining to take their place.

[mam98031]

@bratuck-0 

Since you are an international seller, we really can't help you here.  You need to work with Ebay directly to resolve your issues.  I understand they are serious and you need help.  I respect that.  We just can't do that here.

On each Ebay page there is a link to contact Customer Service at the top of the page and again at the bottom of the page.

I would suggest that you contact Ebay for Business on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for the better trained CSRs.

Here are your options for contacting Ebay Customer Service. Please be aware that for social media CS, you send them a Private Message and briefly explain what your problem or issue is. Feel free to leave your Name, address, phone number and/or your email address in this message. It is private and secure and it may help to speed up the response for you.

https://twitter.com/askebay

https://www.facebook.com/ebay

https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/

Your options will be on the left. If you use the link below you can only get to the Automated Assistant or Chat box type AGENT in the box and hit enter. You will then get more options. Not all options are available 24/7. It will depend on staffing available. So sometimes you can request a call back and sometimes you can't. Sometimes you have the Chat option available and other times it won't me. If it is important to you to use one of those options, just try back later.

If you use a cell phone or other mobile device, you may need to turn off your Spam filter so that Ebay can call you.

If you are a seller outside of the US or Canada, you will need to use the Chat Option.

https://www.ebay.com/help/eua?id=5275&mkevt=1&mkpid

https://www.ebay.com/help/home

[bratuck-0]

I appreciate all the suggestions here. I want to clarify that I am already contacting eBay Customer Service through all official channels, including chat, email, and social media. Unfortunately, every time I receive only template replies that do not address the specifics of my case.

eBay introduced Service Metrics with the intention of improving the marketplace, but the current system has serious flaws:

• It counts all opened INR cases as negative, even if they were resolved quickly and amicably, without eBay intervention.

• There is no mechanism to remove wrongly counted cases from the metrics, even when they clearly do not reflect a bad buyer experience.

• For international sellers, occasional delays or lost parcels are a reality — this should not automatically lead to permanent selling restrictions.

I believe this approach is unfair to sellers who maintain high standards and provide excellent customer service. Support agents respond only with the same scripts and avoid looking into the actual facts of the case.

Can anyone share how to reach eBay management or Executive Escalations directly, so that a real person can review my account and make a fair decision?

[mam98031]

But sadly we can't help you here either.  I really am sorry.

[bratuck-0]

I understand, but I find it very strange that eBay introduces automated Service Metrics systems which can make mistakes — yet there is no proper way to appeal or remove clearly incorrect defects.

If the system is fully automated, there should be a manual review process for cases where sellers can prove that the metrics do not reflect an actual problem. Without that, even long-standing sellers with excellent records can be permanently restricted for situations completely outside their control.

This is especially critical for international sellers, where delivery times and tracking updates can vary greatly, and occasional issues are often beyond the seller’s control.

[sparklingdiam]

having the same situation as yours still finding the way to get out these situation