BBE Seller Rating?
Greetings to all eBay Community members, I have been an eBay seller since 2012. Right now I am facing a problem for which I see no solution, because every communication with eBay Seller Support only leads to more uncertainty about the future of my store. In August, shipments from the EU to the USA were suspended due to the new customs tariffs. Shipping was restored only at the end of October. Foreseeing that this situation would cause problems, I contacted our store’s eBay account manager on 25.08.2025. The communication took place via WhatsApp to the number provided by the eBay account manager. Her reply on 26.08.2025 was: “Hello good day. eBay has sent a message regarding the US tariff update, and we advise you to speak with your shipping partner to confirm any changes in shipping costs, and to continue communicating with your buyer to keep them informed about this change. If you want to exclude your item to us you can remove your listing in us site and can list your item to other sites on eBay. eBay Account Manager Janine.” The only solution offered was to delete my listings on eBay.com — what kind of joke is this from eBay? When I asked if it is possible to temporarily disable shipping to the USA, I received no answer. There was no other explanation or guidance on how to proceed. As we all know, on eBay.com sellers cannot disable the USA as a shipping destination. Therefore, buyers in the USA were able to purchase items from EU sellers, even though shipping was physically impossible. I also could not find any option to place a banner or notice to warn USA buyers that delivery to the USA was suspended. For every USA buyer who purchased an item, I manually sent an explanation that the order must be cancelled because delivery was impossible. About 50% of buyers understood and some even repurchased the item later when shipping resumed. The other 50% marked these cancellations as defects. As a result, my BBE is currently 25.1%. I have no other violations or issues that would justify shutting down my store, but I fully understand that with this percentage my store will likely be closed within the next month. Already now, even though I have not received an official notification of store restriction or closure, eBay has clearly applied a hidden limitation on my account — after receiving the BBE warning, my store traffic dropped by 80%, and of course so did sales. One eBay representative told me that I “should not have selected ‘out of stock’,” which is completely untrue — I know that this option must not be used. I always selected “buyer asked to cancel order.” I repeatedly looked for information in eBay’s internal seller forums, and several sellers reported the same issue: there was absolutely no guidance available on how to properly handle this situation. This is what the Seller Protection Program states: “We remove defects and/or late shipments when things happen that are outside of your control, such as severe weather or carrier disruptions.” This information is published by eBay itself. And this situation was completely outside my control — shipping to the USA was entirely suspended and only resumed at the end of October. Here is the official information, publicly available to everyone. I wasn’t allowed to add the link here, so I attached a photo where the official postal information can be seen. Why eBay chooses to ignore this, or pretend not to know, I do not understand. Please find included the links with all the relevant references, including information from the Latvian Post website. I am highly knowledgeable in my field, my customers appreciate us, and we strive to be the best in our industry. But I am not an IT specialist or a lawyer, and I cannot be expected to know the correct legal or administrative procedures in such a situation. eBay should have provided clear guidance on how to act so that sellers could avoid exactly the problem I am now facing. I would like to hear the opinion or advice of other EU sellers, because all communication with eBay so far has led to no useful solution. All replies I receive sound something like: “It’s your fault.” Thank you for understanding, and I wish you all a successful day.Save time when managing return requests by setting up your return policy
Handling some returns automatically not only saves you time, it’s also great customer service: the buyer gets their return request sorted right away. Here’s how to set your returns rules: Go to your Returns preferences. Under Send a refund, you can choose to let buyers keep the item and automatically refund them if the refund amount is less than a certain amount. Simply enter the amount you’re comfortable with. Choose the return reasons when this rule will apply. Under Approve a return, you can choose to automatically approve a return if the total refund cost is less than a certain amount. Enter an amount you’re comfortable with. Choose the return reasons when this rule will apply. Changes to your return rules will automatically apply to all future return requests but won’t apply to returns already in progress. Learn more about Handling and Automating Returns. Regards, eBay INCBT TeamDid you know that accepting returns can help improve sales?
Think yourself as a buyer – what are the factors that influence you to make a purchase? Factors that influence most buyers include: Is the item priced too high or too low? Does the item meet your requirements? Are the photographs of the item clear and detailed? Does the listing have multiple variations and/or quantities? What feedback have other sellers given the item? Does the seller offer multiple shipping options? Does the seller provide free shipping? Does the seller accept returns, if the item has a defect? Why should you be offering Returns? Gain Buyer Confidence: Offering returns boosts buyer's confidence in you and the products listed by you. Encourage repeat buyers: By providing a return policy sellers take a big step towards developing buyer loyalty. A good returns experience can give you an increased repeat business. Drive online traffic: The eBay search algorithm actively boosts the search results ranking of listings with 30 or 60 days returns policies. Improve your sales: Global buyers are experienced online shoppers. A 30-days returns policy is the standard "best practice" that many buyers expect from trustworthy sellers. Global buyers are experienced online shoppers. A 30-days returns policy is the standard "best practice" that many buyers expect from trustworthy sellers. If returns are not offered, buyers tend to doubt a seller’s intentions and/or the product quality. By not offering returns you might lose an advantage compared to your competitors. Put simply, buyers need to know if they can trust you. Note: Sellers that offered offering 60-days free returns on their listings have seen conversion lifts of up to 25%* (*Conversion lift seen based on Q3 2017 data. Individual results may vary. eBay does not guarantee that each seller will experience the same lift or any lift at all. "Free returns" refers to when the seller pays return shipping no matter the reason for return, with no restocking fee.) So, if you are not offering returns, then no matter how good your listing or product is, you will simply loose the chance of appearing in the search results of certain buyers. Regards, eBay INCBT TeamEssential tips for providing your buyers great customer service
One of the most effective ways to ensure that your customers keep coming back is to give them a satisfactory buying experience. Here are some tips to get you started. Let buyers know when their purchase will arrive: Being informed about the status of their order is one of the most important aspects of a buyers’ online shopping experience. Informed buyers are also less likely to make an “item not received” claim. Keep your buyers happy by: Setting accurate handling times. The handling time you set for each listing is a commitment to buyers to get orders to your shipping carrier on time. It’s important to stick to your handling time and to set handling times you know you can make. You may wish to adjust your handling time during busy seasons or popular promotions. Uploading tracking information. You are required to upload integrated tracking in the structured data field before the estimated delivery date has passed in order to appeal an “item not received” claim. eBay will not protect you from a claim if you send the tracking number to the buyer via email. Without tracking information, eBay can’t protect you because we won’t be able to confirm your item was delivered. eBay labels uploads tracking automatically. Some shipping services don’t add or integrate tracking at all, and manually uploading tracking can lead to errors. Offer a generous returns policy Shoppers are more likely to buy an item when they’re confident that it can be returned if necessary. That’s why offering a generous return policy makes good business sense. Create clear and accurate listings Write a clear description and include well-shot photos, that way your buyers have a good idea about what they’re ordering. If your buyer knows what to expect from their order, they’re less likely to be dissatisfied when they receive it. Avoid unpaid items If you don’t already, you should require immediate payment for both fixed-price and auction-style listings with a Buy It Now option. Resolving payments immediately helps to avoid possible disputes with your buyer down the road. Manage your buyers’ requests and disputes You can view your buyers’ refunds, returns, “Item not received” and “Item not as described” requests, and payment disputes in the Orders tab on Seller Hub or in My eBay. Keeping on top of these requests and disputes helps keep your buyers satisfied, increasing the chances that they’ll become return customers. Want to learn more on product listing, shipping & payments, marketing & promotions and how to manage seller performance – then visit out seller center : https://sellglobal.ebay.in/seller-center/ Regards, eBay INCBT Team
