Its important to maintain Seller Standards on eBay. Out of Stock Defects should be no more than 2.0% of total transactions in combination with any unresolved cases.


Scenario 1:


Cancelling orders out of PayPal where the below criteria apply will count as an out of stock defect if:

  • An order has not been shipped AND
  • Where a message has not been sent to you from the buyer beforehand
  • Always remember to reach out to the buyer and get their approval message (within eBay messages) before cancelling any orders not yet shipped.


Please avoid the above scenario, as defect removal can be difficult without adequate proof that the buyer requested this action.


Scenario 2:


Cancelling orders via eBay where the reason  is: Reason for Cancellation: I am out of stock or unable to fulfil the order is selected will count as an out of stock defect even if the buyer has messaged you first. 


Please use the ‘Buyer requested cancellation or there is a problem with the address’ reason for
  • Buyer requested cancellation and you have not yet shipped the order
  • The order placed will be sent/shipped to an area you are unable to fulfil to
  • Yourself and the buyer have agreed to cancel the transaction for any other reason


To reduce the risk of out of stock orders, we do recommend a stock buffer - go to Settings - eBay - Administration' to set one up.