eBay Best Match: what decides where your listing appears in search

What is eBay Best Match?

eBay Best Match is the sort order eBay uses to rank search results unless a buyer picks another order, such as lowest price first or newly listed. It decides which listings a buyer sees at the top of page one, and which sit further down where fewer people look.

eBay publishes the factors Best Match uses, but not how much each one counts. That rules out shortcuts. The useful work is to improve each factor you control, one listing at a time, and then check the result.

Both eBay.co.uk and eBay.com use a Best Match sort, and the listing factors below apply on both. The seller performance rules behind your track record differ between the two sites, so check the standards for the site you sell on.

Which factors does eBay Best Match use?

On its help page about optimising listings for Best Match, eBay names these factors:

• Relevance: how closely the listing matches the words the buyer searched for.
• Popularity: how popular the item is.
• Price: what you charge compared with similar listings.
• Listing quality: the description and photos.
• Completeness: how fully the listing is filled in, including item specifics.
• Listing terms: such as the return policy and handling time.
• Seller track record: how you have performed as a seller.

eBay does not say how much weight each factor carries. Treat any claim of a precise ranking formula with care. For the search tips that hold up and the ones that do not, read our guide to what eBay says ranks a listing in Cassini search, and the myths to ignore.

The table below turns each factor into something you can work on.

How do you match the search terms buyers type?

Relevance decides whether your listing is even a candidate for a search. A listing that does not contain the buyer's words has little chance to appear for that search, whatever its other strengths.

Write the title for the search box

An eBay listing title can be at most 80 characters. Use them for words buyers actually type: brand, product type, model, and the attributes that matter, such as size, colour or capacity. Drop words nobody searches for, such as "amazing" or "look". Our guide on how to write eBay titles that buyers search for covers the order and wording in detail.

Fill in item specifics

Item specifics are the structured fields, such as brand, size and colour, that eBay shows with a listing and uses in search filters. eBay advises filling in specifics such as make, model, size, colour and style. When a buyer narrows a search with a filter, a listing with that field left blank gives eBay nothing to match against. See our guide to filling in eBay item specifics so buyers find your listing.

Choose the right category

Put the item in the category where buyers browse for it, and where its item specifics make sense. A wrong category makes the listing harder to reach through filters and browsing, even when the title is good.

Does price affect eBay Best Match?

Yes. eBay lists price as a Best Match factor. It does not say that the cheapest listing always wins, and price sits alongside six other factors. A fair price helps; a price far above matching listings works against you.

eBay does not say whether it means the item price alone or the total with postage. Buyers see both, so compare the total cost a buyer pays.

Example (hypothetical numbers): suppose you list a kettle and find three matching listings for the same model.

In this example your total is £5.49 above Seller A. Before cutting, work out your own floor: item cost, eBay fees, postage and the profit you need. eBay fees vary by category and seller type, so check the current figures on eBay's selling fees page. If your floor is above £29.99, a better title, photos or handling time may do more for you than a price you cannot sustain.

Prices also go stale. A price you set weeks ago may now be too high, which hurts your position, or too low, which costs you money on every sale. Review prices on your best sellers regularly.

If you source from Amazon, know eBay's rule first. eBay says dropshipping, where you fulfil orders directly from a wholesale supplier, is allowed. Listing an item on eBay and then buying it from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your buyer is not allowed. Either way, you stay responsible for delivery within the time stated in your listing and for the buyer's satisfaction. Read the full policy on eBay.co.uk and eBay.com.

For sellers whose eBay prices depend on Amazon prices, Dropizon reads the live Amazon buy box in your own browser, reprices eBay listings with your formula and a minimum profit floor, and sets quantity to 0 when Amazon shows out of stock. How Dropizon works explains the details. It does not change eBay's rules above.

How do photos, description and completeness affect ranking?

eBay names listing quality (description and photos) and completeness as separate factors. Both are fully in your hands.

Photos that meet the policy

eBay's picture policy on eBay.co.uk sets these rules:

• Photos must be at least 500 pixels on the longest side.
• No added borders, added text, artwork, marketing material or watermarks of any kind.
• No stock photos for used, damaged or defective items.
• Photos must accurately represent the item, and placeholder images are not allowed.

eBay.com publishes its own picture policy in its help pages, so US sellers should check it there. Beyond the rules, show the item clearly from several angles, including labels, ports or sizes buyers ask about.

A description that answers questions

Write what a buyer needs to decide: what the item is, what is included, dimensions, compatibility and condition. Make sure the description agrees with the title, photos and item specifics. A listing that does not match the item leads to returns for items not as described, which also feed into your track record.

Completeness

Completeness means every relevant field is filled in: condition, item specifics, postage options and returns. Go through the listing form and treat every blank optional field that applies to your item as a gap.

Do returns and handling time change where you rank?

eBay names listing terms, such as the return policy and handling time, as a Best Match factor. Handling time is the time you promise to dispatch an order after the buyer pays.

A short handling time only helps if you keep it. eBay UK counts a tracked item as late if the delivery scan is after the latest estimated delivery date and there is no carrier scan within your dispatch time. Late deliveries count against your record, so set the shortest handling time you can meet every time, not the shortest the form allows.

Returns rules also differ by country:

• UK: eBay UK business sellers must create a returns policy stating how long buyers have to return items for a full refund (business seller policy). Under UK distance selling rules, a buyer of goods from a business online can cancel up to 14 days after delivery without giving a reason (gov.uk guidance).
• US: under the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, if you state a shipping time you must be able to meet it (FTC guide).

Set returns terms that are clear and that you can honour without arguments. A clear policy is easier for buyers to trust and easier for you to apply.

How does your seller track record affect eBay Best Match?

eBay names the seller's track record as a Best Match factor but does not say how it measures it for search. The clearest public measure of your record is eBay's seller performance standards.

On eBay.co.uk, eBay evaluates sellers on the 20th of each month: over the last 3 months if you had more than 400 transactions, otherwise over the last 12 months. The standards, from eBay UK's seller performance policy, are:

Below Standard can mean selling limits and higher final value fees. On eBay.com, the seller performance policy has its own thresholds, so US sellers should read it in eBay.com help and check their dashboard in Seller Hub.

Cases are where many records slip. Under the eBay Money Back Guarantee, you must respond to a buyer within 3 business days; after that the buyer can ask eBay to step in. Answer every request quickly and resolve it yourself where you can.

Where do Promoted Listings fit?

Promotion is not on eBay's list of Best Match factors. Promoted Listings buy ad placements. With a general (cost per sale) campaign you pay only when the promoted item sells within 30 days of a click on the ad, at an ad rate charged as a percentage of the total sale amount, including postage and taxes. See eBay's Promoted Listings help. Your unpaid position still depends on the factors above, so fix the listing before paying to promote it.

What to do next: a Best Match checklist

Pick your ten listings with the most views and the fewest sales, and work through this list for each one:

1. Search for the item as a buyer would and note where your listing appears under Best Match.
2. Rewrite the title so it leads with the words buyers type, within 80 characters.
3. Check the category, then fill in every item specific that applies.
4. Replace any photo that breaks the picture policy or does not show the item clearly.
5. Compare your total price, including postage, with three matching listings, and check it against your own cost floor.
6. Set a handling time and returns policy you can keep on every order.
7. Open Seller Hub, check your performance, and answer any open requests or cases today.
8. Change one thing at a time on a listing and note the date, so you can see what made a difference.

Repeat the review every few weeks. Best Match responds to the listing as it is now, so a listing that was right last month may need attention again.