eBay seller glossary: eBay's exact terms, in plain words.

The bold name is how eBay spells the term on its own pages, so you can match it to what you see in Seller Hub or on the listing form. The line beneath it lists other names people type into search. For general reseller slang such as sell-through or comps, see our reseller glossary. This page covers eBay's own vocabulary only.

The charges on your sales. These are eBay's published fees for sellers without a Store, and Store fees differ.¹

Final value fee

Also called: eBay commission, selling fee, what eBay takes

A percentage of the total amount of the sale plus a per order fee. The total includes the item price, handling, shipping you collect (some exceptions apply) and sales tax.¹

Guide: eBay fees explained

Per order fee

Also called: fixed fee per sale, order fee

The fixed part of the final value fee. An order is any number of items one buyer bought at checkout with the same shipping method, so combined items share one per order fee.¹

Guide: eBay fees explained

Insertion fee

Also called: listing fee, fee to list

A charge per listing and per category. After your monthly allowance it is not refunded if the item does not sell, and it is charged again when you relist.¹

Guide: eBay fees explained

Zero insertion fee listings

Also called: free listings, free listings per month

eBay's term for the listings that carry no insertion fee each month. A Store gets more of them.¹

Guide: eBay Store subscription plans

Listing upgrades

Also called: paid listing options, bold listing, subtitle

Optional extras such as a subtitle, Bold, Gallery Plus or international site visibility, each with its own fee.¹ Check eBay's fee page for current amounts.

Guide: eBay fees explained

Scheduled Listing

Also called: schedule a listing, list later

A listing option that eBay's fee page shows as costing nothing, as is adding up to 24 photos.¹

Guide: eBay fees explained

International fee

Also called: overseas buyer fee, cross-border fee

Applies when the buyer's delivery or registered address is outside the US and you do not use eBay International Shipping. eBay deducts it automatically.¹

Guide: eBay International Shipping

Every month on the 20th, eBay evaluates your recent transactions and gives you a level.²

Below Standard

Also called: bad seller level, seller restrictions

The lowest of three levels, meaning performance has fallen below eBay's minimums. eBay may limit your selling, and sellers without a Store can pay an extra percentage on final value fees.^2,1

Guide: selling limits and Top Rated

Top Rated

Also called: top rated seller, Top Rated Seller requirements

The highest level. eBay upgrades you automatically on the 1st of the following month when you meet every criterion. You do not apply.²

Guide: selling limits and Top Rated

Power Seller

Also called: eBay power seller, power seller status, power seller requirements

An older name sellers still search for. The eBay program for sellers who deliver outstanding service today is the Top Rated Seller Program, which gives enhanced visibility in search results, seller protections and the Top Rated Plus seal.³ To qualify, eBay asks for an account active for at least 90 days, 100 or more transactions and $1,000 in sales in the last 12 months with US buyers, and service metrics within its limits.³

Guide: selling limits and Top Rated

Top Rated Plus

Also called: top rated plus listings, free returns seal

A listing-level step for Top Rated sellers who offer same-day or 1-business-day handling and free returns of 30 days or longer. Qualifying listings get the seal and a final value fee discount.²

Guide: selling limits and Top Rated

Service metrics

Also called: service metrics dashboard, seller dashboard

A dashboard covering item not received and item not as described rates compared with similar sellers. It is separate from the Seller Dashboard that shows your level.⁴

Guide: selling limits and Top Rated

Transaction defect rate

Also called: defect rate, seller defects

The share of transactions with a defect: an unexpected seller cancellation or a case closed without seller resolution. At most one defect counts per transaction.²

Guide: selling limits and Top Rated

Late shipment rate

Also called: late shipping rate, shipped late

Counts orders whose delivery scan came after the latest estimated delivery date with no carrier scan inside your handling time. A high rate alone does not make you Below Standard, but a low one is needed for Top Rated.²

Guide: how long sellers have to ship

Authenticity Guarantee

Also called: eBay authentication, authenticity check, verified authentic

An eBay program where eligible items carry an Authenticity Guarantee checkmark on the listing and a team of authenticators examines the item before the buyer receives it. eBay lists sneakers, handbags, watches, jewelry, streetwear, trading cards and coins as eligible categories.⁵ eBay says the program is independent from the brands sold on eBay.⁵ The program page does not describe the seller steps, so check eBay's Seller Center for how it works when you list an eligible item.

Guide: creating an eBay listing

Selling limits

Also called: monthly selling limit, ebay limit increase

A monthly cap on how much you can list or sell. Active and sold listings both count, and eBay reviews it every month.⁶

Guide: selling limits and Top Rated

The words on the shipping part of the listing form and in buyer protection.

Handling time

Also called: how long to ship, dispatch time

The business days you promise between receiving payment and the carrier scanning the package. eBay recommends no more than 2 days.⁷

Guide: how long sellers have to ship

Estimated delivery date

Also called: delivery date, arrival date

The date buyers see, built from your handling time, the services you offer, your delivery history, carrier performance, item location and the buyer's address.⁷

Guide: how long sellers have to ship

Calculated shipping

Also called: shipping cost varies by location

Shipping where eBay updates the charge by the buyer's location and the package and service details you enter.⁸

Guide: calculating eBay shipping costs

Flat shipping

Also called: fixed shipping, same shipping for everyone

A fixed charge for every buyer. Rate tables apply only to listings set to flat shipping.^9,10

Guide: calculating eBay shipping costs

Free shipping

Also called: free postage, shipping included

A flat charge of zero. It moves the cost into the item price rather than removing it, and fees apply to the total amount of the sale.^11,12

Guide: calculating eBay shipping costs

Combined shipping

Also called: combine orders, request combined shipping

Rules you create in Shipping Preferences so eBay adjusts the cost when one buyer buys several of your items. A buyer can select Request combined shipping in their cart.^13,14

Guide: calculating eBay shipping costs

eBay Money Back Guarantee

Also called: buyer protection, item not received

eBay's buyer protection policy. A buyer can report an item as not arrived once the estimated delivery date has passed, and the seller has 3 business days to respond. It has exclusions, such as payments made outside eBay.¹⁵

Guide: how long sellers have to ship

Terms for creating, ending and relisting.

Item specifics

Also called: product details, attributes, aspects

Descriptive keywords such as brand, size, type, color or style. Buyers use them to filter search results, and every required one must be filled in.¹⁶

Guide: item specifics guide

MPN

Also called: manufacturer part number, part number

Manufacturer Part Number, one kind of product identifier alongside UPC, SKU and ISBN.¹⁷

Guide: scanning barcodes

UPC

Also called: barcode number, universal product code

Universal Product Code, a product identifier. eBay says to enter only an identifier that exactly matches the product.¹⁷

Guide: scanning barcodes

Does not apply

Also called: no UPC, no barcode, item has no identifier

The choice eBay names for a product with no identifier, such as an antique, or when you are unsure what it is. eBay recommends adding identifiers to live listings later.¹⁷

Guide: item specifics guide

Fixed price

Also called: Buy It Now, BIN listing

A listing at a set price. It can be ended at any time, with or without open offers.¹⁸

Guide: ending or canceling a listing

Auction-style

Also called: auction, bidding listing

A listing where buyers bid. Whether you can end it depends on bids, time left and any reserve price. A reserve price carries its own fee.^18,1

Guide: ending or canceling a listing

Good 'Til Cancelled

Also called: GTC, listings that renew

Fixed price listings renew once per calendar month. Each renewal can carry an insertion fee and counts toward your monthly zero insertion fee listings.¹⁹

Guide: eBay fees explained

Best Offer

Also called: make an offer, accept offer

A way for buyers to offer a price. Regular sold search does not display the price a Best Offer was accepted at, while Product research shows it.^20,21

Guide: sold listings

Relist

Also called: list again, relist unsold item

Listing an ended item again. In My eBay, find it under Unsold and select Relist. Fees can apply again, though a relisted item that sells may qualify for an insertion fee credit.²²

Guide: ending or canceling a listing

Cancel a bid

Also called: remove a bid, retract bid

Removes one bidder's bid from your auction. A canceled bid cannot be reinstated, and eBay discourages it unless necessary.²³

Guide: ending or canceling a listing

Blocked buyers list

Also called: block a buyer, ban a buyer

A list of members who cannot bid on or buy your items until you remove them. It is separate from buyer requirements, which block anyone matching rules you set.²⁴

Guide: blocking a buyer

What buyers can leave, and what you can and cannot change.

Feedback

Also called: feedback score, positive feedback percentage

The rating and comment a buyer leaves after a purchase. In most cases a positive rating adds 1 to the feedback score, a neutral adds none and a negative subtracts 1.²⁵

Guide: leaving feedback

Automated feedback

Also called: automatic feedback, feedback I did not leave

Positive feedback eBay adds to a seller when the buyer left nothing within 7 days of delivery, eBay sees no issue and tracking shows on-time delivery. A buyer's own feedback within 60 days replaces it.²⁶ The seller setting Automate feedback is a separate feature.²⁷

Guide: automatic feedback settings

Feedback revision request

Also called: change feedback, remove negative feedback

The way a seller asks a buyer to change feedback. The buyer has 10 days to accept or decline, and the feedback must be less than 30 days old.^28,29

Guide: revising or removing feedback

Where the work happens.

Seller Hub

Also called: seller dashboard, sellers hub, ebay overview page

eBay's free central place for managing your selling. You need at least one sale to use it.³⁰

Guide: Seller Hub explained

My eBay

Also called: my ebay selling, ebay account page

The account area of the site. For buying it holds your Watchlist, Saved searches and Purchase history.³¹

Guide: finding and checking a seller

Business policies

Also called: seller policies, shipping and return templates

Reusable templates for the payment, shipping and return details you show buyers, applied to new or existing listings.³²

Guide: business policies for resellers

Promoted Listings

Also called: eBay ads, ad rate, promote listing

eBay's advertising program with two campaign strategies. General charges a percentage of the total sale, only when the item sells after a click. Priority charges for clicks.³³

Guide: Promoted Listings break-even

Product research

Also called: Terapeak, sold data, sales research

The current name for the research tool many sellers still call Terapeak. It covers the last 3 years of eBay sales data and sits on the Research tab of Seller Hub.^34,21

Guide: what is Terapeak

eBay Store subscription

Also called: Basic, Premium, Anchor, Enterprise, Starter

A monthly subscription. eBay's levels are Starter, Basic, Premium, Anchor and Enterprise, with more zero insertion fee listings at higher levels.³⁵

Guide: eBay Store subscription plans

This is background only, not tax advice.

Form 1099-K

Also called: 1099-K threshold, ebay 1099

A US tax form eBay issues by January 31 to sellers who meet the reporting thresholds. It shows gross payments and does not net out fees, refunds or credits.³⁶

Guide: 1099-K for eBay sellers

eBay renames and retires programs. Terapeak is now Product research, as noted above. Power Seller is an older name; the program on eBay today is the Top Rated Seller Program, described under Power Seller above.³ If a blog mentions seller levels by an older name, compare it with the levels in eBay's Seller standards policy: Below Standard, Above Standard and Top Rated.² Before you plan costs, run your own numbers in the eBay fee calculator and price packing materials with the shipping supplies guide.

Strooply does not define or monitor eBay terms inside the app, and it does not read your seller level, set handling time or manage Seller Hub settings. It takes a photo, identifies the item and pulls live eBay listings for the same thing, with a sold-price figure labeled as live data, saved data with its age, or an AI estimate. Its profit tracker syncs your sales and the charges eBay posts against them, including final value fees, the promoted listing ad fee, shipping labels bought through eBay, refunds and return shipping. The fee calculator has options for Top Rated Plus and Below Standard. See how Strooply works.