Registered Seller Examination key terms

The set of behavioral standards every seller agrees to follow, covering honest listings, fair pricing, respectful customer treatment, and cooperation with marketplace investigations. Violations can lead to listing removal, funds withholding, or account suspension.

Rules identifying items that cannot be sold or that require approval, licensing, or documentation before listing. Sellers must check category-specific requirements because prohibited items vary by jurisdiction and change over time.

A product that may never be offered on the marketplace, such as certain weapons, recalled goods, or illegal substances. Listing one is a serious violation regardless of whether it sells, and repeated attempts escalate enforcement.

A consolidated score reflecting a seller's compliance with performance and policy requirements. It weighs order defect rate, late shipment rate, cancellations, and policy violations, and low ratings can block new listings or pause disbursements.

The percentage of orders receiving negative feedback, an A-to-z style claim, or a chargeback within a measurement window. It is a core health metric because it captures customer dissatisfaction across several failure types at once.

The share of orders confirmed as shipped after the promised handling time. High values signal fulfillment problems and can trigger account review, so sellers must align handling times with real warehouse capacity.

The proportion of shipments carrying a tracking number that the carrier actually scans and updates. Missing or untraceable tracking lowers this metric and increases claim risk because delivery cannot be verified.

The percentage of orders a seller cancels before shipment for reasons within the seller's control, such as being out of stock. It is treated as a serious defect because the customer's order was accepted and then failed.

A low rating or unfavorable review left by a buyer about a transaction. It feeds into defect metrics and may be removable only when it violates content rules, such as containing profanity or personal data.

A formal ask to delete buyer feedback that breaches review policy, for example by naming a competitor or revealing private information. It cannot be used simply because a seller dislikes a truthful negative opinion.

The process of confirming a seller's identity, business legitimacy, and banking details before selling privileges activate. It typically requires government identification, proof of address, and sometimes a video or document check.

An identity and risk screening required by financial regulations before a marketplace enables payouts. It matches submitted documents against official records and may ask for extra evidence when names or addresses do not align.

A requirement to identify the individuals who ultimately own or control a selling business, usually those holding a significant ownership stake. Undisclosed ownership is a compliance failure even when the account itself is verified.

The bank account where marketplace payouts are deposited. It must match the verified legal entity, and changing it triggers re-verification because mismatched accounts are a common fraud indicator.

A login safeguard requiring a password plus a second factor such as a one-time code or authenticator app. It protects seller accounts from takeover, which can otherwise lead to fraudulent listings and stolen payouts.

Role-based access settings that limit what each team member can view or change, such as listings, orders, or payments. Least-privilege assignment reduces insider risk and accidental catalog damage.

Unauthorized access to a seller account, often through phishing or reused passwords, letting criminals post fake offers or divert funds. Rapid detection and credential resets limit damage and support recovery claims.

A unique identifier the marketplace assigns to a product record in its catalog. Sellers match their offers to an existing ASIN rather than creating duplicates, which keeps reviews and product data consolidated.

A globally recognized product code, such as a UPC or EAN, used to confirm that a listing corresponds to a real, uniquely identified item. Invalid or reused codes cause listing rejection or suppression.

The act of attaching an offer to an existing product record instead of creating a new one. Correct matching preserves shared details and reviews, while wrong matching misleads buyers and can trigger policy action.

A parent-child structure grouping related products, such as sizes or colors, under one detail page. Variations must be genuinely related; grouping unrelated items to share reviews violates catalog accuracy rules.

Removal of a listing from search visibility, often because required attributes, images, or compliance documents are missing. Sellers restore visibility by correcting the flagged data rather than relisting the same product.

Certificates, test reports, safety labels, or declarations proving a product meets legal and category standards. Marketplaces may request them at listing, at random audit, or after a safety complaint, and missing files can halt sales.

Using another party's trademark, copyright, patent, or design without authorization, including counterfeit goods and misleading lookalike packaging. Complaints can remove listings and repeated strikes can close an account.

A product that imitates a branded item, or is sold as genuine when it is not, including unauthorized replicas. Selling counterfeits is among the most severely enforced violations and may lead to permanent selling bans.

A program letting trademark owners enroll and gain stronger tools to control their product pages, report infringement, and access brand protections. Enrollment usually requires a registered trademark and verification.

A formal rights-holder complaint asking the marketplace to remove an allegedly infringing listing. Sellers may respond with proof of authorization or a counter-notice, but ignoring the notice risks escalation.

A percentage-based commission charged on each sale, often varying by category and sometimes with tiered rates. It is deducted from the payout, so sellers must factor it into pricing and margin calculations.

A charge for storing and picking, packing, and shipping inventory through the marketplace's logistics service. It depends on item size, weight, and season, and it is separate from referral commissions.

A periodic statement itemizing sales, refunds, fees, adjustments, and the net amount paid to the seller. Reconciling it against internal records catches overcharges, missing reimbursements, and accounting errors.

A portion of seller proceeds held back by the marketplace to cover potential refunds, claims, or risk exposure. Reserves reduce short-term cash flow and are typically released after a defined period.

The sale price at which revenue exactly covers product cost, referral fees, fulfillment fees, shipping, and advertising spend. Knowing it prevents loss-making promotions and informs minimum acceptable bids.

Units stored in the marketplace's fulfillment centers so the operator picks, packs, and ships orders. Sellers retain ownership until sale and must monitor stock levels, aging, and restock limits.

A surcharge applied to inventory that sits in fulfillment centers beyond a set age threshold. It erodes margin on slow movers and encourages sellers to liquidate or remove stale stock.

The percentage of time a product remains purchasable relative to when it should be available. Low rates hurt search ranking and customer trust, so replenishment planning aims to keep this metric high.

The process of comparing physical or system stock counts with marketplace records to find discrepancies. It underpins reimbursement claims for lost or damaged units and prevents overselling.

A request for compensation when inventory is lost, damaged, or mis-shipped while under marketplace control. Claims need supporting documentation and must be filed within the allowed window.

The period a seller promises to take before handing an order to the carrier. Setting it realistically protects the late shipment rate, while overly long times reduce conversion and hurt search visibility.

Carrier evidence, such as a signature or scan record, showing an order reached the buyer's address. It is the primary defense against item-not-received claims and chargebacks.

A cardholder dispute that reverses a payment through the issuing bank. Sellers defend against it with delivery proof and order records; losing it counts against defect metrics and may incur a fee.

An approval code or label issued before a buyer sends an item back, letting the seller track and inspect the return. It helps distinguish authorized returns from unsolicited shipments and supports refund decisions.

A deduction from a refund meant to recover handling costs when a return is not caused by seller error. It must be disclosed in advance and cannot be applied where local consumer law forbids it.

The published rules stating when and how buyers can return items and receive money back. Clear, law-compliant policies reduce disputes, while vague or overly strict terms invite complaints and enforcement.

Advertising spend divided by attributed sales revenue, expressed as a percentage or ratio. It shows how efficiently ad budget converts into sales and guides bid and budget adjustments.

Pay-per-click ads that promote individual listings in search results and product pages. Sellers control keywords, bids, and budgets, and performance feeds back into organic ranking signals.

A promotional discount clipped by shoppers and applied at checkout, shown with a distinct badge in search results. It can lift conversion, but the discount reduces margin and must comply with pricing rules.

The comparison price shown struck through next to a current price, which must reflect a genuine prior or typical selling price. Inflating it to fake a discount is a deceptive pricing violation.