eBay cases closed without seller resolution: what they are and how to keep them at zero

What are eBay cases closed without seller resolution?

eBay cases closed without seller resolution are buyer requests under the eBay Money Back Guarantee that the buyer escalated to eBay, and that eBay then closed in the buyer's favour because the seller did not resolve them. They are counted separately in eBay's seller performance standards, and each one is also a transaction defect, so a single case hits two metrics at once.

The rule is set out in eBay UK's seller performance policy. The good news is that this metric is almost entirely within your control: every one of these cases started as a request you could have resolved.

How does a request become a case closed against you?

The path has four stages, and only the last one counts.

1. The buyer opens a request. For an item not received, within 30 calendar days of the estimated delivery date. For not as described, within 30 calendar days of delivery or your longer return window.
2. You have 3 business days to respond. This is the window in which you can resolve it on your own terms.
3. The buyer asks eBay to step in. If the request is not resolved, or the buyer is unhappy with your answer, they can escalate once your response time has passed.
4. eBay decides. If eBay finds for the buyer and the matter was not resolved by you, it is recorded as a case closed without seller resolution.

These deadlines come from the eBay Money Back Guarantee policy. Stage 2 is where you win or lose.

What counts as resolving it yourself?

Resolution means the buyer's problem is dealt with inside the request, before eBay is asked to decide. In practice that is one of these:

• A full refund issued through the request.
• A replacement sent, with tracking added, and the buyer told.
• A return accepted, with a return label or address, and a refund when the item comes back.
• For item not received, a delivery scan shared and the buyer confirming they found the parcel.

A partial refund the buyer accepts can also close a not as described request. What does not count is a promise. If you say you will refund tomorrow and the buyer escalates today, eBay looks at what had happened by then.

What the buyer sees

Once your response time has passed without a resolution, the buyer sees an option in the request to ask eBay to step in. Many buyers use it as soon as it appears, especially if they have heard nothing. A seller who has already offered something reasonable gives the buyer a reason not to press that button.

What is the limit for cases closed without seller resolution?

eBay evaluates on the 20th of each month, over the last 3 months if you had more than 400 transactions, otherwise over the last 12 months. eBay says Below Standard can mean selling limits and higher final value fees.

Worked examples: how much room do you have?

Examples, with hypothetical sales volumes.

• A seller with 200 transactions in 12 months. 0.3% of 200 is 0.6, which is lower than 2, so the limit is 2 cases. A third case would go over it.
• A seller with 600 transactions in 12 months. 0.3% of 600 is 1.8, still lower than 2, so the limit is again 2 cases.
• A seller with 1,500 transactions in 3 months. 0.3% of 1,500 is 4.5, higher than 2, so the limit is 4.5. Four cases fit; a fifth would not.
• A seller with 5,000 transactions in 3 months. 0.3% of 5,000 is 15, so up to 15 cases fit.

Below roughly 667 transactions in the window, 0.3% is less than 2, so the fixed limit of 2 cases is the one that applies. For most small and medium sellers, that means a third case in the window is the problem. Every case closed without seller resolution also counts towards the transaction defect rate, where Above Standard allows up to 2%.

Why do sellers end up with these cases?

Requests nobody saw

A request that arrives on a Friday night and is not seen until Wednesday has already passed the 3 business day mark. The buyer, who heard nothing, escalates.

A reply instead of a solution

Replying is not the same as resolving. A message saying you are looking into it, followed by silence, leaves the buyer free to escalate once the time is up.

Weak evidence defended too hard

Some sellers refuse a refund on principle when tracking shows no delivery scan. eBay looks at the evidence, and without a delivery scan it usually sides with the buyer.

Parcels that were never trackable

Untracked parcels, tracking with the wrong carrier, and supplier numbers that eBay cannot read all leave you with nothing to show if the buyer escalates.

Arguments about condition

Not as described requests often turn on whether an item was as listed. Vague listings lose these. If the listing said good condition with stock photos, and the buyer sends photos of scratches, eBay has little to weigh on your side. Clear photos of the actual item, honest condition notes and accurate item specifics make these disputes rarer and easier to answer.

How do you keep the count at zero?

1. See every request the day it arrives. Turn on app notifications for returns and requests, and check Seller Hub at least once every working day, including Mondays after a weekend.
2. Resolve, do not just reply. Offer a refund, replacement or return in the request itself, before the deadline. If the buyer agrees to wait, record it.
3. Decide fast which requests to defend. Defend only when you have a clear delivery scan to the right address or clear proof the item matches the listing. Otherwise, resolve.
4. Make every parcel trackable. Upload valid tracking with the right carrier on the day of dispatch.
5. Accept returns that are fair. A not as described return you accept and refund in time is resolved by you, even if it costs postage.

If you fulfil through a third party, the same rules apply to you as the seller. eBay's drop shipping policy allows fulfilling orders directly from a wholesale supplier, but not listing an item and then buying it from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your customer, and the seller remains responsible for safe delivery and the buyer's satisfaction either way.

How a case affects buyers' view of you

The metric is not the only cost. A buyer who had to ask eBay to step in has already had a poor experience, and is more likely to leave negative feedback and less likely to buy from you again. Resolving inside the request protects your numbers and your reputation together. It is also quicker: you decide the outcome in minutes, instead of waiting for eBay to review the case.

Can you appeal a case closed against you?

Yes, in some situations. If eBay decided without seeing evidence you have, such as a delivery scan, a signature, or proof the buyer returned a different item, you can appeal through the case or through Seller Help. eBay may also remove the effect on your performance when the cause was outside your control, for example a carrier problem eBay recognises or a buyer misusing the process.

Keep appeals short: the order number, what happened in two sentences, and the evidence. Do not appeal decisions just because you disagree. Use the appeal for facts eBay did not have.

A weekly check for this metric

• Open Seller Hub, Performance, and look at cases closed without seller resolution for your current window.
• Work out your limit: 2 cases, or 0.3% of transactions if that is higher.
• List every open request and the date its 3 business days end.
• Resolve anything you cannot clearly defend before that date.
• Look at last month's cases and fix the cause: tracking, listing accuracy or response time.
• Check that whoever covers for you on holidays knows where requests appear and what they may offer.

For how these cases sit with the other two metrics, read our guide to eBay seller performance standards in the UK, and for item not received requests in detail, see what to do in an eBay item not received case.