Check Your Seller Dashboard

Sometimes even dilligent sellers have trouble determining just how well their customer service practices are working out on eBay. How well are you doing relative to other sellers? How does eBay feel about the job you're doing, and are you likely to encounter enforcement problems on eBay in the near future as the result of things you have or haven't done?

To answer these questions, eBay has created a seller dashboard tool, available to all sesllers, that can help you to evaluate your recent eBay performance and identify areas that need improvement.

Accessing Seller Dashboard

Your seller dashboard can be accessed through your My eBay area. To view your seller dashboard, follow these steps:

1. Visit your My eBay page by clicking on the "My eBay" link at the top of nearly any page on the eBay website. (You may be asked to log in before proceeding.)
   
   
2. If you are using the new (yellow) My eBay view, click on the "Account" tab across the top of your My eBay page. If you are using the old (blue) My eBay view, scroll down and click on "My Account" at the lower-left side of your My eBay summary page.
   
   
3. Scroll down until you see the "Seller Dashboard Summary" and click on "Go to your dashboard" to display your seller dashboard.

Note that if you have trouble navigating to your seller dashboard using My eBay, you can always simply enter the URL http://www.ebay.com/sellerdashboard into your web browser window to go directly to your dashboard.

Seller Dashboard Summary

At the upper left of your seller dashboard you'll see the Seller Dashboard Summary, which clearly and simply shows your current status as an eBay seller vis-a-vis eBay's policies. The items in the summary are:

• Search standing. Your search standing determines how early your item will be displayed in eBay's "best match" search results when users search for items of the kind you're selling. "Raised" indicates eBay is actively promoting your items ahead of others; "Standard" indicates that your item is appearing in its natural position in search results; "Lowered" indicates that eBay is actively underpromoting your items becuase of poor customer service and/or policy compliance.
  
  
• PowerSeller discount. If you participate in the PowerSeller program, indicates whether or not you're receiving a discount on your seller fees as a result of good seller performance, and if so, what the percentage of the discount is. Click on the small icon on to the left of the discount box to see details on what you'll need to accomplish to increase your discount.
  
  
• PowerSeller status. If you participate in the PowerSeller program, indicates the level and standing of your PowerSeller status.
  
  
• Policy compliance. Summarizes eBay's perception of your policy compliance to date—the degree to which you have a long-term history of following eBay's rules. All sellers should stive for a "good" rating, rather than a "fair" or "poor" rating here, as anything below "good" places you in line for potential account restrictions of various kinds. Note, too, that even with a "good" rating, you can still be punished or suspended immediately for relevant offenses.
  
  
• Buyer satisfaction. Summarizes the level of satisfaction that buyers have reported to eBay after buying from you based on your feedback, some aspects of compliance, history of disputes, and other relevant metrics.
  
  
• Account status. Details your current seller account status, showing any fees that you currently owe. Click on the icon to the left of the account status box to see your seller account and pay any fees that are outstanding.

you can click on any of the boxes in your Seller Dashboard Summary to see more information about how the item in question is calculated and how you can improve your standing in the area in question.

Seller Performance Numbers

The Seller Performance Numbers box shows a summary of your current detailed seller ratings (if you have received 10 or more such ratings) along with details on your low ratings (1 and 2 star scores). You can summarize the results as a moving average over either the past 90 days or the past 12 months by using the handy drop-down list at the top of the box.

Each of the standard detailed ratings metrics is included in the graph:

• Item was as described
  
  
• Communication was good
  
  
• Shipping time was reasonable
  
  
• Shipping and handling charges were appropriate

Below the detailed seller ratings listings is a count of the number of disputes (buyer protection cases) that have been opened against you as a seller, followed by the number of cases for which you were not able to provide a resolution.

Summaries and Explanations

Below your Seller Dashboard Summary and Seller Performance Numbers is a box summarizing your lifetime of transactions on eBay—the total number of transactions (since late 2001, which is as old as eBay's current data appears to be) and their total value in dollars.

Below this is a summary of your current status as a seller, and details on how to increase your status for better search standings, fees discounts, and other perks that accrue to the most accomplished or productive eBay sellers.

Use Your Dashboard Regularly!

As a seller, you should be sure to refer to your seller dashboard often to ensure that your selling activity stands in good stead with eBay and that your recent customer service and compliance performance is helping, rather than hurting, the final values of in your sales.