eBay expects sellers to deliver a consistently high level of buyer satisfaction. 

When a buyer wins an item on eBay, the seller and buyer have entered a contract that both members are expected to honour. A seller's obligations are formal – such as sending the item that was described in the listing – as well as informal – such as providing good service.

Sellers who don't fulfil their obligations may be in breach of their contract and can create an unsatisfactory buyer experience. Buyer experience is reflected in a seller's Feedback (including overall scores and detailed seller ratings), as well as Item Not Received and Item Significantly Not as Described disputes.

If a seller repeatedly creates unsatisfactory buyer experiences they're at risk of violating the Seller Non-Performance policy.

Best practice that helps sellers maximise buyer satisfaction includes:

• Accurately describing the condition, size and quality of their listed items

• Honouring the original terms by accepting payment for an item at the end of a successful sale

• Promptly sending the item with appropriate packaging once payment has been received

• Responding promptly and professionally to buyer questions

• Proactively communicating with the buyer throughout the transaction

• Issuing timely refunds when accepting returns or if there's a delivery problem

Breaches of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

• Listing cancellation

• Limits on account privileges

• Account suspension

• Holds on payments made through PayPal

• Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings

• Selling fee schedule adjustments

• Loss of PowerSeller status

• Decreased visibility in search results

• Referral to law enforcement agencies

For more information see the Seller Non-Performance FAQs

Additional information

What buyers can do if they believe a seller has violated the Seller Non-Performance policy

If a seller has refused to complete a sale and payment hasn't been sent, or has been refunded, report the seller to eBay. Include a copy of the email documenting the seller's refusal to complete the sale with the full message text and complete email headers with your report.

After receiving a report, eBay will consider the circumstances of the alleged offence. If appropriate, eBay will take action against the seller. Due to privacy issues, eBay will be unable to discuss the result of the investigation.

If a buyer has paid for an item but has not received the item or a refund, or believes the item was significantly misrepresented, they should refer to the eBay Item Not Received or Significantly Not as Described process.

Buyers can also use eBay’s Feedback system to leave comments and detailed seller ratings regarding their satisfaction with a transaction.

Note: Eligibility for buyer protection services is determined by the payment method you use and the eBay country site where the item was purchased. You can review how your purchase is protected on the item page. PayPal offers a Buyer Protection program for eligible transactions on eBay.com.au*.

You can only open a dispute through the specific eBay country site where you purchased the item. If you try to open a dispute on an eBay country site other than the site where you purchased the item, you'll be asked to continue your dispute on the appropriate eBay site.

After receiving a report, eBay will consider the circumstances of the alleged offence. Due to privacy issues, eBay will be unable to discuss the result of the investigation.

What sellers can do to immediately improve buyer satisfaction if they're in violation of the Seller Non-Performance policy

• Review Detailed Seller Ratings and Feedback comments for insights on what's causing buyer dissatisfaction.

• Complete all unresolved transactions in a manner that ensures buyer satisfaction.

• Settle any open disputes with buyers. For items paid using PayPal, disputes can be accessed from the Resolution Centre section in your PayPal account. All others can be accessed in the Dispute Console in My eBay.

File Unpaid Item claims for transactions that received no payment.

*PayPal Buyer Protection and PayPal Seller Protection are also subject to the terms and conditions in PayPal's User Agreement, incorporating the Buyer Protection policy and Seller Protection policy which include details on eligibility criteria and the discretionary nature of the policies.