News Summary

eBay has rolled out an update that now defaults all used listings in certain categories to “Pre-owned – Good” unless sellers manually select another condition. The change took effect in September 2025 and is limited to the U.S. marketplace.

To ease the transition, eBay is offering temporary protection on service metrics for “Item Not as Described” (INAD) return requests tied to misclassified conditions through the end of 2025.

What the Update Means

• Condition defaults: Sellers listing used items in the impacted categories will see “Pre-owned – Good” applied automatically. Other available conditions (e.g., Acceptable, Very Good, Like New) must be explicitly chosen during listing creation.
• Temporary protection: eBay will not count INAD returns tied to condition misclassifications against seller performance metrics until December 31, 2025.

“Consistent condition standards help buyers shop with confidence and give sellers more visibility in search results.” — eBay

While no new press release was issued with this change, it continues eBay’s broader initiative of standardizing the buyer experience through structured data alignment.

Impact Analysis for Sellers

Risks

• Misclassification risk: If sellers rely on the default and fail to update conditions, items in worse or better shape may be incorrectly labeled as “Good.”
• Increased returns: Buyers receiving items in worse condition than described could file more INAD claims, creating reputational and financial risk after protections expire in January 2026.

Opportunities

• Temporary protection: With INAD returns shielded until year-end, sellers have time to adjust their workflows.
• Search consistency: Listings with standardized conditions may surface more predictably in eBay’s search and filter systems.

Recommended Next Steps for Sellers

1. Audit listings: Review all existing used-item listings in affected categories and explicitly update conditions where necessary.
2. Set conditions correctly at creation: Don’t rely on the “Pre-owned – Good” default — choose the most accurate grade for each product.
3. Proactive communication: Add clear condition notes in item descriptions and follow up with buyers if clarification is needed.
4. Plan ahead for 2026: Update internal listing workflows before protections expire to prevent performance metric penalties.

Final Thoughts

This update underscores eBay’s continued push toward buyer-friendly listing data standardization. The temporary safety net offers sellers some breathing room, but the responsibility to accurately classify item condition remains. By making adjustments now, sellers can minimize costly returns in Q4 and safeguard performance metrics heading into 2026.

Source: Value Added Resource