The scorecard metrics that usually matter most are order cancellation, late dispatch against SLA, return and RTO rates, quality check failures, ratings, stock availability and listing quality. Names, thresholds and consequences differ by marketplace, so confirm them in your seller agreement and rate card. Track each metric weekly and match it against settlement deductions to catch penalties that look wrong.
Why scorecards matter beyond ratings
Most Indian marketplaces track seller performance in some form. Some use it for search ranking or listing exposure. Some link it to penalties, chargebacks or eligibility for programmes and promotions. How much weight a metric carries is the marketplace's decision, and it can change.
For a finance or ecommerce head, the practical point is simple: a scorecard problem can show up twice. First as lower visibility, which means fewer orders. Then as deductions in settlements, which means less cash per order. Reading both together gives you a clearer picture than reading either alone.
Important: metric names, thresholds and penalty rules are set by each marketplace. Do not assume one platform's rules apply to another. Use your seller agreement, the latest rate card and the seller panel help pages as the source of truth, and confirm the current version before acting.
Metrics that commonly influence visibility
These are metrics sellers commonly report as relevant to how products are surfaced. Whether and how each is weighted is not something we can state for any specific marketplace, so verify with your account manager or seller documentation.
| Metric | What it usually measures | Why it can matter |
|---|---|---|
| Cancellation rate | Orders cancelled by the seller, often for stock-outs | Signals unreliable fulfilment |
| Dispatch SLA adherence | Orders handed over within the promised time | Affects delivery promise and customer experience |
| Return rate | Customer returns as a share of delivered orders | High rates can hint at fit, quality or listing issues |
| RTO rate | Shipments returned undelivered | Adds cost and lowers sellable stock |
| Ratings and reviews | Customer feedback on product and experience | Influences buyer trust and conversion |
| Listing and content quality | Images, attributes, size charts, accuracy | Affects discoverability and returns |
| Stock availability | Share of listed styles or sizes in stock | Out-of-stock items lose sales and exposure |
Metrics that can influence fees and deductions
Some scorecard issues carry direct financial consequences. Others only change fees indirectly, for example by affecting promotion eligibility or return handling charges. Look for these in your agreement and settlement reports:
- Late dispatch or SLA breach: some agreements define a penalty per order or a percentage deduction.
- Cancellations: may attract a fee or penalty depending on the reason code.
- Returns and RTO: may involve reverse shipping charges, commission treatment and restocking rules that differ by return type.
- Quality check failures: may lead to deductions, held payments or chargebacks.
- Damaged, missing or wrong item claims: the party bearing the loss depends on the cause and the evidence.
- Fee tiers: if your commission or fixed fee depends on category, price band or performance band, a change in band should show up in your settlement.
We are not quoting any rates here. Percentages, per-order amounts, GST and TCS treatment change over time, so check your current agreement, rate card and settlement report, and consult your tax adviser on tax treatment.
How to link scorecard data to settlements
The scorecard tells you what the marketplace thinks happened. The settlement tells you what it charged. Reconcile the two.
- Export both sets of data for the same period: scorecard or performance report, order-level sales report and settlement report.
- List flagged orders such as late dispatches, cancellations and quality failures, with order IDs.
- Find matching deductions in the settlement by order ID and reason code.
- Compare to agreed terms: is the deduction type allowed, and is the amount what the agreement says?
- Flag orphan deductions that have no matching scorecard event, and flagged events with no deduction (which may reverse later).
- Log disputes with order IDs, evidence such as handover proof or QC images, and the date raised.
Doing this in spreadsheets works at small volumes. At higher volumes, tools such as MarketplaceMetrics by Fundle can reconcile sales and settlements, check commissions and fees against agreed terms, and track returns and recovery cases. Myntra Excel reports are reviewed today; other marketplaces are in scope discussion.
A weekly routine that keeps scores healthy
- Monday: review last week's cancellations and late dispatches by warehouse and by SKU.
- Midweek: check return reasons. Fit, quality and wrong-item returns need different fixes.
- Weekly: compare stock in your system against listed stock to prevent avoidable cancellations.
- After each settlement: match deductions to scorecard events and raise disputes inside the marketplace's claim window. Confirm that window in your agreement.
- Monthly: review listing quality and ratings for your top-selling styles.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Looking only at the headline score and ignoring order-level detail.
- Assuming a deduction is correct because it came from the marketplace.
- Missing claim deadlines because evidence was not saved at the time.
- Mixing return types. A customer return, an RTO and a courier loss can be treated differently.
- Relying on old rate cards after the marketplace has revised terms.
Worked example
Illustrative example only. Figures are assumed for explanation and are not real rates or results.
Assume your agreement states a penalty of ₹50 per late-dispatched order (illustrative). Your scorecard flags 120 late dispatches for the month, so you expect ₹6,000 in penalties (120 × ₹50).
Your settlement shows 180 late-dispatch deductions totalling ₹9,000 (illustrative). That is 60 more orders than your scorecard flagged, a gap of ₹3,000.
- Pull the 180 order IDs from the settlement.
- Match them to the 120 flagged on the scorecard.
- For the 60 unmatched orders, check handover timestamps and the SLA definition.
- Raise a dispute with evidence for any that were dispatched on time.
The point is the method: expected versus charged, by order, with evidence.
Questions and answers
Do all marketplaces use the same seller scorecard metrics?
No. Each marketplace defines its own metrics, thresholds and consequences, and may revise them. Similar themes such as cancellations, dispatch speed, returns and ratings are common, but you should confirm current definitions in your seller agreement and seller panel.
Can a poor scorecard increase the fees I pay?
It can, depending on your agreement. Some deductions are tied to events like late dispatch or quality failures, and some fee structures vary by performance band. Check your rate card and settlement reports for the exact mechanism and latest terms.
How often should I review scorecard metrics?
Weekly for operational metrics such as cancellations, dispatch SLA and stock availability, and after every settlement for deductions. A monthly review of returns, ratings and listing quality helps you catch slower trends before they affect visibility.
What evidence helps when disputing a scorecard-linked deduction?
Keep order IDs, dispatch or handover timestamps, courier tracking, QC images, return receipts and the relevant agreement clause. Save evidence when the event happens, and raise the dispute within the claim window stated in your agreement.