Watch those DSR's

New seller standards: minimum 4.3 on all DSRs

What are the minimum DSR requirements to list on eBay?
Starting November 3, 2008, sellers will be expected to have a minimum of 4.3 over the past 30 days in all four detailed seller ratings (DSRs): item as described, communication, shipping time, and shipping and handling charges. Sellers with less than 10 DSRs over the past 30 days will be evaluated on their DSRs over the last 12 months.

Is this new Seller Standards policy likely to impact a large number of sellers?
No. The vast majority of sellers on eBay, about 96%, have DSRs at or above 4.3. The main purpose of this new policy is to protect the interests and reputation of that large majority from the impact of the few sellers whose customer satisfaction levels are below a reasonable standard.

What happens to sellers who do not meet the DSR requirements by November 3, 2008?
Sellers with a DSR below 4.1 will be blocked from listing on eBay.com. Sellers with a DSR below 4.3 but higher than 4.1 may have their listings further demoted in search results.

What does it mean to be "blocked" from selling? Is this the same as suspension? How long will a seller be blocked?
Sellers will not be allowed to list, but will not be suspended. Sellers will continue to be blocked from listing as long as their DSRs are not at least 4.1. Blocked sellers may list items again once their DSRs meet or exceed the threshold. Blocked sellers can accomplish this in the following ways:

* Complete current transactions successfully and receive high DSRs
* If 12-month DSRs are above the minimum standard, wait for low DSRs over the last 30 days to roll off until the 30-day DSRs are above the threshold or a full 30-days have passed
* If 12-month DSRs are below the threshold, wait until low DSRs to roll off

Will existing listings of sellers falling below 4.1 DSRs be removed from the site?
No, existing listings will not be removed but sellers will be blocked from new listings and from relisting, and Good 'til Cancelled listings will not renew. Blocked sellers are encouraged to complete existing listings and earn high DSR scores to meet the minimum standards and regain listing privileges.

What happens to sellers who meet the thresholds by November 3, 2008, but fall below the threshold in the future? Will they have an opportunity to improve or appeal?
Sellers may immediately be blocked from listing if they fall below the threshold after November 3rd, 2008. Sellers will not be given warnings and opportunities to improve, but there will be an appeals process.

How are DSRs evaluated? Are DSRs rounded?
DSRs are based on the last 30 days of activity; sellers with less than 10 DSRs in 30 days will be evaluated on the last 12 months. DSRs are rounded, therefore a Shipping Time DSR of 4.05 will round up to 4.1, whereas a DSR of 4.04 will round down to 4.0.

What about new sellers or people who sell only occasionally with no DSRs?
Sellers with less than 10 DSRs in the last 12 months will be allowed to sell and will be evaluated using 12-month DSRs once they have 10 or more.

Will sellers from other countries be held to the Seller Standards?
Sellers from other countries listing directly on eBay.com, eBay Motors Parts & Accessories, and Half.com will be held to the standard.

Do my DSRs from outside the US count toward these requirement limits?
All DSRs are included in the computation of your scores. While international shipping and handling scores are on average lower than domestic, they impact typical US sellers by less than 0.02 points.

Will Seller Non-performance continue to be enforced?
Yes. Sellers are expected to maintain a Buyer Satisfaction rating of "Good" in their Seller Dashboard. Any rating below Good puts the seller at risk of violating the Seller Non-performance Policy, as well as loss of PowerSeller status, demotion in search, selling restrictions and other sanctions.