11 Tips to Maintain your eBay Seller Rating

When you’re selling on eBay customer feedback is key to your success. 

Buyers can leave a general rating for their transaction with you, either positive, neutral or negative, and they can also leave Detailed Seller Ratings. It’s important for your eBay business to keep your seller rating high, as a continued low rating can eventually lead to you being prevented from selling on eBay.

Detailed Seller Ratings give buyers the opportunity to leave detailed feedback about their experience with you as an eBay seller. The four areas that buyers are able to rate are: 

• Accurate description of the item
  
• Communications
  
• Shipping time
  
• Shipping and handling charges

While the Detailed Seller Rating is useful for buyers to determine how reliable a seller is, for the seller it can cause a lot of stress and worry about maintaining a high rating. A low seller rating can affect your seller performance, and where your listing appears. Follow these tips to keep your high eBay seller rating: 

1. Describe your products accurately

Write the description for your product with enough detail that the customer wouldn't need photographs to know exactly what they are buying. Write the description clearly using bullet points or short paragraphs so that the buyer can easily understand what the product is and the condition that it's in.

2. Don't hide faults

Be honest and upfront about any faults, defects or marks. If you try to mislead, or brush over any faults, the buyer is likely to be disappointed when they receive the product and leave negative feedback or return the item.

3. Take your own product pictures

Don't use stock photos, especially when you are selling used items. Take photos from all angles, and take specific pictures of any marks or damage that you have mentioned in the description.

4. Offer free postage

You automatically receive a 5-star rating for posting and packaging charges if a buyer uses your free postage option, so it's a simple way of improving and maintaining your eBay seller rating.

5. Communicate with your buyers

Make it clear in your listings how buyers can get in touch with you and how quickly they can expect you to respond. Respond to any emails and phone calls from your buyers promptly. If you find you are often being asked the same question, consider including the answers in your listings to reduce the number of enquiries you have to deal with. 

6. Pack your items well

Avoid any damage to the items you send by parceling them securely. Spending a bit of money on bubble wrap and boxes could save you money in the long term if you can avoid returns and complaints, and will help you maintain a high seller rating on eBay.

7. Dispatch items quickly

You can receive an automatic 5-star rating if you offer one day handling, enter tracking information within a day, and the item is received within three days. However, if you can't fulfill a one day or same day turn around, then it's better to offer a realistic handling time so that customers aren't disappointed and you can maintain a high seller rating. 

8. Add tracking information to eBay

If you add the tracking information for each parcel in eBay then buyers can view the status of their items and it will reduce the number of questions about delivery. 

9. Point out delays

If there's any reason that the customer might not get the item within a few days of buying it, for example if it's a presale or you're unable to post on certain days, then make this clear in the item description. If you lower the buyer's expectations then they won't be disappointed with your transaction, and if you are able to send it out quicker you'll impress them.

10. Make the customer happy

The most important part of maintaining your eBay seller rating is keeping the buyer happy. However difficult a customer may be, be calm and patient when you interact with them. Do whatever you want to keep them happy; keep in touch, apologise, and offer a refund if you need to. You don't want to give them any cause to leave a poor Detailed Seller Rating, and you want to avoid them raising any issues with eBay. 

11. Automatic 5-star ratings

If you want to aim high with your eBay seller ratings then you can receive an automatic 5-star rating in three of the four Detailed Seller Rating areas:

• Postage and packaging: if you offer free postage and packaging and the buyer has chosen that option.
• Communication: there has to have been no communication between you and the buyer from 14 days before the transactions up until the point that they leave feedback.
  
• Dispatch time: you will need to specify either same or one working day handing, and upload tracking information within one working day of receiving payment. The tracking must then show that the parcel was delivered within three working days.