Defect audit
Every defect in the current window listed with its cause, its appealability and its evaluation date.
eBay defect removal & account health
eBay defect removal: get the rate down and keep it down
eBay defect removal where an appeal is possible, case handling that stops new defects, and a monthly routine built around the 20th-of-month evaluation.
Free audit, real numbersWe say which defects cannot be appealedNo contract
Seller standards, eBayAbove Standard
Transaction defect rateTop Rated 0.5% / Above Standard 2%
0.4%
Cases closed without resolutionLimit 0.3%
0.1%
Late shipment rateTop Rated limit 3%
1.4%
Tracking uploaded on timeWithin handling time
99%
Illustrative example, not client data
Evaluated on the 20th
Rolling 3 or 12 month window
Rolling 3 or 12 month window
Below Standard costs 6%
7% after four months
7% after four months
If you sell on eBay, you know these
How accounts end up Below Standard
Out-of-stock cancellations
Stock that sold elsewhere, a supplier that failed, a listing that was never de-listed. Every one is a seller-side cancellation and a defect.
Cases closed without resolution
A buyer escalates, nobody responds inside the window, and eBay closes it against the account. The most expensive defect type there is.
Late shipment
Tracking uploaded after the handling time, carrier scans missing, weekend dispatch mismatches. It does not count toward Above Standard, but more than 5 late shipments (or 3%) costs Top Rated status.
One bad month, twelve months of consequences
Accounts with fewer than 400 transactions in three months are evaluated over a rolling year, so a bad fortnight sits in the numbers long after the cause is fixed.
The fee penalty compounding
Six percent added to every final value fee while the account is Below Standard, on top of the revenue lost to lower placement.
Nobody watching the date
The evaluation falls on the 20th. Sellers find out they were downgraded when the fees arrive.
What we do
Appeal what can be appealed, prevent the rest
Account health is two jobs that get confused with each other. The first is removing defects that should not be there: events outside your control, buyers acting against policy, cases an agent closed in error. The second is making sure next month's numbers are clean, which is operations, not appeals. We do both, and we are direct about which of your defects belong in which pile.
eBay defect removal only works when both jobs run together, so every engagement includes the operations routine as well as the appeals.
- Full defect audit against the current evaluation window
- Appeals filed with evidence, one case at a time
- Case and return handling so new defects stop
- Dispatch and tracking routine matched to your handling time
- Monthly report before the 20th, not after
What the service covers
Everything that feeds the seller standards
Defect appeals
Evidence-backed appeals for the defects that qualify, tracked to outcome.
Case management
Returns, item-not-received and payment disputes answered inside the window, every time.
Cancellation control
Stock sync and listing hygiene so out-of-stock cancellations stop happening.
Dispatch and tracking
Handling time set to what you can actually meet, with tracking uploaded and scanned on time.
Feedback handling
Revision requests where the buyer will revise, removal requests where policy allows.
Feedback serviceStandards monitoring
Weekly reading of the dashboard against the thresholds, with the projected evaluation result.
Fee impact tracking
What the Below Standard penalty is costing while it lasts, so the priority is obvious.
Recovery plan
The realistic path back above standard given your window and volume.
What's included
What eBay defect removal covers
The defects we challenge, and the account health work that stops new ones.
Defects we challenge
- Transaction defect removal
- Cancellations and closed cases that count as defects, appealed where eBay rules allow removal.
- Late shipment defect removal
- Late shipment marks disputed where tracking shows the item was sent inside your handling time.
- Cases closed without seller resolution
- Cases eBay had to step in on, appealed with evidence, and seller resolution defects removed where the case was decided wrongly.
Recovery and monitoring
- eBay defect rate reduction
- The cancellations, cases and late dispatches behind the defect rate fixed at source, so the rate falls as old defects leave the evaluation window.
- eBay seller level recovery
- A plan from Below Standard back to Above Standard, and to Top Rated where the account qualifies, dated against the next monthly evaluation.
- eBay seller performance recovery and account health improvement
- Defects, cases, late shipment and tracking upload improved together, because each one feeds the seller level.
- eBay service metrics support
- Item not received and item not as described rates compared with similar sellers, and the listings or carriers behind a high rate fixed.
- eBay performance monitoring
- The seller dashboard checked weekly and a report before each evaluation date, not after it.
How the work runs
Audit → Triage → Appeals → Operations → Monitoring
-
01
Audit
Every defect, case and late shipment in the window, with its cause.
-
02
Triage
Appealable, not appealable, preventable. You see the list before anything is filed.
-
03
Appeals
Evidence assembled per defect, submitted individually, tracked to a decision.
-
04
Operations
Cases, returns, dispatch and stock handled so new defects stop arriving.
-
05
Monitoring
Weekly numbers and a projection for the next evaluation on the 20th.
Ready to see what we would fix first?
A free audit of your account, or a 30-minute call. We reply within 24 hours.
- 6% added to final value fees, 7% after four months
- Reduced search placement while below standard
- Some selling features restricted until the next evaluation
Why it matters
Account health is a pricing problem before it is a metrics problem
Under eBay's seller performance policy, a Below Standard account pays an extra 6% on every final value fee, and 7% once it has been below standard for four consecutive months. On a store turning over $30,000 a month that penalty is larger than most sellers' entire marketing budget, and it applies while search placement is also reduced. The metric is not a badge. It is a line item.
Have a problem now?
Related seller problems
Defect rate too high
What counts, what the thresholds are, and how to get back above standard.
See the solutionNegative feedback
What eBay will remove, and what to do with the rest.
See the solutionAccount suspended after performance problems
When defects escalate to a suspension, the remedy changes.
See the solutionFAQ
Questions sellers ask before they get in touch
What counts as a transaction defect on eBay?
Two events: the seller cancels an order unexpectedly (typically because the item is out of stock), or the buyer reports an issue and the seller does not resolve it, which is a case closed without seller resolution. Only one defect can count per transaction. Negative feedback on its own is not a transaction defect, although it affects buyers.
What are the thresholds?
On eBay.com, Above Standard requires a transaction defect rate of no more than 2% and no more than 2 cases closed without seller resolution (or 0.3% of transactions). Top Rated tightens the defect rate to 0.5%, from no more than 3 different buyers, and adds a late shipment limit of no more than 5 late shipments (or 3%). Evaluation runs on the 20th of each month over the past 3 months if the account had more than 400 transactions in that period, or over the past 12 months if it had fewer.
Can a defect actually be removed?
Some can. Defects caused by events outside your control, by a buyer acting against policy, or by a case a reviewing agent closed in error can be appealed with evidence. Many cannot, and pretending otherwise wastes the month. We tell you which of yours fall into which group before we start.
What does Below Standard actually cost?
Below Standard sellers pay an additional 6% on final value fees, rising to 7% after four consecutive months below standard, and lose search visibility and some selling features until the next evaluation returns the account above standard.
How long does it take to get back above standard?
The metrics are rolling, so the answer depends on your volume and how much of the window is already behind you. Accounts with more than 400 transactions in three months are evaluated over that three-month window and recover faster; smaller accounts are evaluated over 12 months, so one bad month lingers longer. We model your window at the audit so you know the realistic evaluation date.
Do you handle the cases as well?
Yes, that is the part that stops new defects. Case management, return handling and buyer messaging run alongside the removals, which is the difference between a rate that dips and a rate that stays down.
eBay services
Often run alongside
Guides
Read before you decide
Free audit
Get your free eBay account health audit
Send your store link. We read the seller dashboard, list the defects in the current window and tell you which of them can realistically be appealed.
Part of Slayva’s eBay seller services: recovery, account health, management and growth, run by one team.
Below Standard, or heading there?
A free audit tells you what the current window holds, what can be appealed, and what the penalty is costing while it lasts.
Free audit24-hour responseHonest about what cannot be appealed