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.
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