Q: Do unpaid item cases count in the open cases count? This is absolutely not the case. Only buyer-opened cases will count.

Q: The page on Buyer Protection states that "All opened cases are included in this count regardless of how the case is finally resolved." Does this mean the seller is punished prior to the resolution of the case and it stays even if the seller wins the dispute? Where a case is filed and is found in the seller's favor, the case will only be counted in the 'opened cases' requirement, but not the 'seller unresolved cases' metric. However, there are opportunities for a seller to resolve any issues with a transaction prior to a case being filed. For instance, PayPal disputes are not counted as opened cases until they are escalated from a dispute to a case. This will give the seller an opportunity to resolve the issue quickly, before the case is filed and counted from a seller performance perspective. On eBay when a buyer attempts to file a claim, we have several eligibility checks in place to ensure the claim is valid. One of those is whether or not the buyer has contacted the seller. If the buyer indicates that they have not contacted the seller then the buyer will be provided the seller's contact information and instructed to contact the seller before proceeding with a claim. This is the seller's opportunity to work directly with the buyer to resolve the issue, without the need for a case to be filed. Ultimately, we encourage our sellers to strive to deliver issue-free transactions. Where there may be problems, our goal is to promote open communication between both buyer and seller before the opening of a case.

Q: The only thing I want clarified is why eBay uses 'opinion' rather than verifiable metrics to judge sellers. Shipping time is verifiable. Delivery time is verifiable. Shipping cost is verifiable. Numbers of SNAD and INRs filed against a seller are verifiable. Instead, eBay uses what a buyer 'feels' about shipping costs, length of transit, etc. eBay allows buyers to hold a good seller's reputation in his hand. (If by reputation you know I mean your n_ts). Sellers are NOT against improved performance. Sellers ARE against being intimidated and denied a voice. We agree with you that we should be using more verifiable metrics in our standards. Our issue is having enough verifiable data to base a standards program on... Here's where we are on specific metrics you called out: - Shipping time verification: less than a third of our seller upload tracking info to eBay - Delivery time verification: same as above - we need tracking info - Shipping cost verification: eBay has no info on sellers who use third party checkout - SNAD and INR claims: yes, we have this and integrating into our standards If we made tracking info mandatory and eliminated third party check out, yes, we could move to less subjective standards. Would love to hear sellers' reaction to doing so...

Is eBay gonna display # NPBA stikes on Buyer's feedback? I get people who don't pay all the time. No more than any other eBay seller. I would say 5%. The point is the it looks like eBay doesn't punish buyers. we do suspend member accounts when buyers accumulate a certain number of unpaid item records. The actual criteria for buyer suspension are confidential; just wanted to let you all know that it is in place. We can also let you know that we're reviewing those criteria at the moment.