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@digital*ghost wrote:

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"Did your order arrive by (latest estimated delivery date)?" and ticking 'Yes' or 'No'. 

 

eBay do not indicate to them why they are asking the question, nor what happens if the item did indeed arrive after the ETA they were given and answer the question honestly. 

 

They are also not defects, not in the way actual defects are, which affect your seller standing (i.e. they can not cause you to go from Above Standard to Below Standard). At 5%, a seller will lose Top Rated Status, but unlike defects, they can not result in any selling restrictions. 

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To understand why eBay ask the question this way you have to think eBay US.  Top Rated Sellers in the US get a 10% discount (Just dropped from 20%) on fees, so eBay have a vested interest in removing as many TRS sellers as possible, and late delivery is one way of doing this without to much effort on their part.  Buyer says late Bang, mark against you, more than 3% and your 10% discount goes.  The US boards are full of complaints about loss of TRS due to mail delays and eBay just tell them to suck it up.