eBay Tests AI-Powered Messaging Assistant for Sellers
eBay is rolling out a new AI-based messaging assistant designed to help sellers respond faster to buyer inquiries. The feature, currently being tested as an optional tool, generates suggested replies to common customer questions — while keeping full control in the hands of merchants.
AI-Generated Reply Suggestions Based on Listing Data
The new assistant analyzes information from the product listing as well as order details to create contextual reply suggestions. This allows sellers to quickly address frequently asked questions about shipping, product specifications, returns, and order status.
According to eBay, the goal is to streamline customer communication and reduce the time sellers spend answering repetitive messages — a key operational challenge for high-volume merchants.
Sellers Remain in Full Control
Importantly, the system does not send automatic replies. Sellers can:
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Review AI-generated responses
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Edit suggestions before sending
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Discard them entirely and write their own message
Once a buyer message is opened, a suggested response appears. Sellers can choose “Edit and Send” to use the draft or “Discard” to remove it and compose a manual reply instead.
The assistant can be activated directly within the messaging interface — either via pop-up prompts or manually through message settings on desktop and mobile devices.
Optional Feature With Feedback Loop
The AI assistant is fully optional and can be deactivated at any time in message settings.
eBay is also encouraging sellers to provide feedback, particularly when suggestions are rejected. This feedback will be used to further train and refine the system.
What This Means for Ecommerce Sellers
With marketplaces increasingly investing in artificial intelligence, tools like this could significantly improve response times and buyer satisfaction — two critical performance factors in marketplace algorithms.
For professional sellers, faster communication can lead to:
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Higher customer ratings
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Improved seller performance metrics
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Reduced workload in daily operations
As AI adoption continues across ecommerce platforms, seller-side automation tools are becoming a competitive necessity rather than a luxury.
We will monitor how broadly this feature is rolled out and whether it becomes a standard tool for all eBay sellers.