The new Seller Dashboard on eBay.com

by Chris Dawson

The new expanded Seller Dashboard is live on eBay.com and I like it! Not only does it supply a lot more detailed information but it acts as a guide to the areas you need to improve in.

The dashboard covers five main areas - Search Standing, Discount Level, PowerSeller Status, Policy compliance and Account Status. For US users it also give an indication of Buyer Satisfaction not available if you log in with a UK account.

Detailed seller ratings now come with three viewing options: 12 month vs eBay 12 month average, 30 day vs eBay 30 day average, and 30 day vs your 12 month average.

Each rating has a hover over which tells you exactly what your rating is and how you’re performing, and if one of your ratings is slipping it’ll be highlighted in red.

Possibly the most useful part of the expanded DSR console is to be able to compare yourself with the eBay Average. You probably already know if your DSRs are slipping against a rolling 12 months, but if you’re above the eBay average you’re likely to be doing well in all areas including being advantaged in search.

Search Standing is calculated from a mix of Buyer Satisfaction and DSRs, if you have raised Search Standing your listings may receive higher placement in search when sorted by Best Match. Importantly there is a note “Even if you already have a raised search standing, continue to improve your detailed seller ratings to increase the visibility of your items.” so raised Search Standing isn’t a given, unless you have the highest DSRs on eBay.

Buyer Satisfation on my account is rated as “Good”, but that section of the Seller Dashboard isn’t available in detail to UK users.

The part of the expanded Seller Dashboard that deals with Seller Discounts will be most familiar to UK users. This was effectively the first part to be introduced to the UK and is currently the only part viewable from the UK site.

PowerSeller status has been included in the Seller Dashboard. Although this information is also available rom logging into the PowerSeller Portal it includes in addition a track of Policy Violations in the last 60 days and whether your account is in good standing.

The final two parts of the Seller Dashboard have already been covered above - Policy Violations indicates if you’re in danger of account restrictions and even if you’re rated as Good, it warns a violation could still result in your listings being removed. Account Status shows any over due amounts and if you’re account is past due, or on hold.

Overall the new Seller Dashboard appears well thought out, comprehensive with the ability to click into each section for much greater detail, and a useful addition to enable sellers to monitor themselves.

Until the expanded dashboard is available in the UK you can log into eBay.com to view it ;-)

Comments

25 Responses to “The new Seller Dashboard on eBay.com”

  1. vzaar Jamie on May 23rd, 2008 11:34 am

    What sellers have been crying out for for years! Visibility of personal performance. Can’t wait for this to roll across the UK.

  2. whirly on May 23rd, 2008 11:45 am

    Looks good, did spot something that maybe a glitch or US and UK look at feedback differently? my feedback % was a lot higher within the dashboard than what shows on UK, worth baring in mind for anyone going to .com to check.

    Be a great tool when it goes live in the UK.

  3. Allotment on May 23rd, 2008 12:44 pm

    Very good. Like the additional detail provided on the “See how eBay calculates your search standing.” page.

  4. Chris on May 23rd, 2008 12:57 pm

    I’ve tried logging on to eBay.com but can’t find it. Is it still only for powersellers?

  5. Chris Dawson on May 23rd, 2008 1:27 pm

    You will find the seller dashboard at http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayIS.....rDashboard but you need to have a seller account to see it I believe, you don’t need a PowerSeller account.

  6. katakitty on May 23rd, 2008 1:37 pm

    Yes I think I like it. Would prefer it in hundreths rather than tenths though.

    Have just checked husbands ID and notice that he has had 1 policy violation on 5th March which has dropped him down the ladder to Poor. So it looks like it misses out fair and goes straight for the jugular and it also looks like they are holding them for longer than 60 days.

  7. Chris on May 23rd, 2008 2:02 pm

    It’s still telling me I’m not eligible to access the dashboard on your link, yet when I click on seller account it show the fees I owe and Paypal link. Could it be because I have only sold 9 items so my DSR stars are not showing yet?

  8. Chris Dawson on May 23rd, 2008 2:04 pm

    It could quite well be that you haven’t reached 10 DSRs :-)

  9. northumbrian on May 23rd, 2008 3:44 pm

    just call me saint north :lol:

  10. Josordoni on May 23rd, 2008 5:11 pm

    How long does it take for Policy Violations (VERO in this instance) to fall off the end ? I presume they are time limited?

  11. Chris Dawson on May 23rd, 2008 5:17 pm

    Your guess is as good as mine Lynne, but I am under the impression 60 days

  12. Josordoni on May 23rd, 2008 5:26 pm

    Like Katakitty’s, these should have fallen out of the calculation by now, but they haven’t. I can’t even check the exact date, since I have long since lost the original email, and the alerts are no longer in my messages.

    Is the Poor policy compliance notice visible to buyers do you know?

  13. katakitty on May 23rd, 2008 5:32 pm

    I have just been into his account (gone fishin today) and like you there is no info left in his messages. It is a copyright violation, that’s all I can find.

    Further into the dashboard it does come up with:

    Maximum policy violations within the last 60 days (as of 05/20/08) and it gives the number for the PS level and the number he has which is 0 but he is still rated as Poor and under threat.

  14. Josordoni on May 23rd, 2008 5:40 pm

    Maybe it is just dodgy coding for a too early release… I can’t remember the last time a new eBay thingamajig came out without SOMETHING wrong with it..:(

  15. Chris Dawson on May 23rd, 2008 5:47 pm

    As far as I’m aware the only time a buyers knows about policy breaches is when an auction they’re involved with is removed from the site

  16. Josordoni on May 23rd, 2008 5:52 pm

    I’ve been searching through the help pages too, and can’t seem to find anything that says how many Policy Violations or whatever will cause you to lose PS status or listing privileges.

    Anyone know where to find it?

  17. Chris Dawson on May 23rd, 2008 5:53 pm

    More info from the US on the Buyer Satisfaction rating… It’s based on DSR scores, negative and neutral feedback received, and Buyer Protection claims filed against you by buyers. The score is calculated from a mix of all criteria used.

  18. Chris Dawson on May 23rd, 2008 5:55 pm

    katakitty - DSR scores displayed in 1/100th increments should be live on eBay.com from next week :D

  19. Josordoni on May 23rd, 2008 5:55 pm

    As far as I’m aware the only time a buyers knows about policy breaches is when an auction they’re involved with is removed from the site

    thanks Chris

  20. katakitty on May 23rd, 2008 5:59 pm

    Seller Dashboard (.com), Policy compliance - enter See More, enter Powerseller status and that comes up with the info.

  21. Josordoni on May 23rd, 2008 6:00 pm

    I really like this bit: I just clicked on the Powerseller Check your status button and found a really useful bit of kit showing what I need to achieve to keep status, or go up or down. Excellent, and the first time this has been available in a form I actually understand.

    All in all, I think this will be a really useful tool to have in the UK as well as on the US site.

  22. Josordoni on May 23rd, 2008 6:05 pm

    thanks Katakitty - must have not looked down far enough when I looked before.

    Now that bit is showing that I have 0 violations, so I think as I said before, the Poor button is a bit of Poor coding !!!

    I wish eBay had its own DSRs and a Dashboard to boot…

  23. Chris Dawson on May 23rd, 2008 6:08 pm

    It’s really well worth taking twenty minutes to click into all the sections and explore. There really is a ton of useful metrics which give a great overview as to the health of your status and standing on eBay :-)

  24. katakitty on May 23rd, 2008 6:10 pm

    Well as much as it pains me to say it, as I am on a downer with eBay this week, I think this is a fantastic tool particularly when it goes to hundreths (thanks Chris).

  25. karl on May 30th, 2008 12:28 am

    Im totally enranged about all of these seller changes, for a start why is it that ebay can tell me about a free gallery feature but couldnt tell me about all these changes to seller accounts before they came into being.

    It wasnt enough for them to tell the media as i didnt find out untill i tried to leave negative feedback for a fraudster.

    Furthermore i have noticed a massive decline in my sales since the changes, i am a powerseller with over 3000 positives but since ebay turned all my neutrals into negatives effectively i dont get any business and today ive been having auctions end at 99p when the models retail at £15 in the 1000’s of brick and mortar stores that sell them.They usually sell for £10+ and i am paying far more than 99p for the things.

    Ebay are ruining there own market, paving the way for an ebay where only powersellers can make sales and only the biggest powersellers are able to survive.This means less competition for buyers and far higher prices.

    I also am furious about ebay raising and lowering peoples search status also as it is totally unfair.If you get bad ebayers who dont pay and they leave you negatives then you have you show up less in searches.How the hell is that fair ?

    I will be reducing my sales though ebay and just using it to advertise my website as ebay have opened me up to being defrauded via paypal, they have reduced my search standing due to them turning neutrals into negatives effectively and i’m tired of ebay thinking they’re the be all and end all.They just seem to want to treat sellers like garbage now.

    Ebay should of thought of the term “if it aint broke dont fix it”

    Ebay got to be a big business off of the back of the rules they HAD in place.What about the sellers that got negative feedback due to buyers not paying ?

    Ebays way of thinking is totally flawed nowadays and i have no faith in them at all.

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