( 
)Tips for a Successful Listing and Transaction For Buyers And Sellers.
Over many Years I have had Thousands of Transactions and Would like to share some experience tips with you.
Sellers
*Provide Accurate Descriptions. Clearly State your products information in detail. (A little Html would be a big help) A jumbled mess of text is the worst way to run an auction. Its guaranteed you will have problems.
*Provide Clear Pictures. Every Buyer Hates a Bad Picture, so make sure you take many clear pictures of the item in several angels.
*Make sure Conditions Are Accurate. If you’re selling products of varying conditions, You need to make sure it is noted. Don’t leave information out thinking your buyer will be ok with the item. A buyer will be very unhappy if you list an item as “Like New” if the item looks like it’s obviously been used.
*Separate your Auction Terms Away From your Listing Description: If you keep your terms away from your description your buyers will have a better time finding the information they need on your auction. Then if they decide to buy then they can review your terms. You should make sure to list if you are a real business your hours of operation or your shipping days. If you’re not going to ship on weekends make sure to note it. This way you can also cut down on many questions. If you need a better example check out my listings. I used to get dozens of the same questions daily. Now that my terms and info are in the auction my buyers can review the info before they ask question. This will solve a lot of problems for you and a lot of time running your business then answering questions.
* Always offer a Way out for the Buyer. A return Policy is Key to any transaction. 14 days is a fair time frame.
*Communication: When your buyer wins an auction send them a message. If you’re like me and use a merchant account send them the info they need to make payment quickly and effortlessly. When your item ships, send them a tracking number. If you don’t use tracking then you aren’t a professional seller and your making a mistake by not offering tracking. This can quickly lead to buyers being uncertain where their item is and they can get mad at you. Tracking will make your life easier as your buyer can watch their package as its en route to them.
Buyers
*Read the Auction Completely: You really need to read all the details of the auction before you bid. Don’t jump to an auction that only has a min left and make a bid. You may not realize what you’re getting. You may find out that the seller has included information in the auction that if you had read the auction you would have known. Most sellers are very honest. But the biggest problem is last min bidders that don’t read the auction before they bid. Reading the Auction is key to buyer satisfaction.
*Ask questions: All sellers should answer questions, this is a must. If you don’t know about an item or you are uncertain. Ask before bidding.
If your question is not answered. DO NOT BID! Bidding on an item where the seller did not respond to your email is a recipe for disaster.
*Payment: Make sure you pay promptly, If you bid to win. Make sure you have the funds to pay for the item. Don’t win an item intending to pay for it in a week. This will cause problems with many sellers. A seller already has to wait 7 days for the item to sell. If they have to wait another 10 for you to make payment then you may end up with a unfriendly seller. Or a seller that has a lot of volume may forget about your won item.
If you’re paying by Check make sure to include a copy of the auction so the seller can find your won item. Sellers cannot search by the buyers Real name on a check. They need to know the auction numbers.
*Communication: This is key to a good transaction. If you have any questions or concerns during a transaction you must ask questions. If you don’t ask questions you will have doubts. This is not good for a transaction. But please follow proper etiquettes when messaging your seller.
If you have a problem don’t go ranting and raving. Sellers have feelings as well and mean buyers will usually result in poor communication both ways. If a seller does not respond right away give them a little time. Sellers are just like you and have lives too. Many ebay sellers are home sellers. They don’t have regular office hours. They might be at a real job and they might be out fishing with their kids. You never know. But at least allow them 24 hours to respond before getting upset.
Common Good ways and bad ways to complain to a seller.
Wrong Way to Message seller
Hi, I ordered this Microwave oven from you and your listing stated it looked like it was New. When I got it here was a dent in the side of it. Now I normally don’t leave a negative feedback seller but I am very upset about this transaction. What are you going to do to resolve this situation?
This is a Big NO NO. This is clearly showing a feedback extortion attempt to the seller. Threatening the seller with your feedback. This can make your seller very non compliant and not to mention with the new eBay policies you can get banned for using feedback in a threatening manner.
Right Way to Message seller
Hi, I ordered this Microwave oven from you and your listing stated it looked like it was New. When I got it here was a dent in the side of it. Do you have a return policy on this item? This is not what I expected to receive and I didn’t really want a unit with a dent in the side of it.
This message will leave your seller to do the right thing. Forcing his hand with a threat only makes a situation that could have been handled correctly go very wrong.
Always Use better judgment. If your mad about something cool down and then message the seller professionally. Now there could be many reasons why the unit was dented. Its also possible the seller made a mistake in the listing. Sellers that create many listings with a template can forget to change conditions. A good seller would accept a return at their cost.
If you have a problem with an items size, or color. Re-Read the auction to make sure you didn’t make a mistake first. Most problems are because a buyer misread the auction. If a seller has a return policy you can act on it if you wish. But expect to pay for return shipping. It’s your mistake not theirs.
Ebay Payment Methods Explained:
Please note there are many payment methods sellers use. For example the most common you will see on eBay. (PayPal, Checks, Money Orders, and Merchant Accounts.)
Here are some of my opinions on these methods.
Paypal
3 RD Party Payment service widely used by many Ebay sellers. Fees are high for a seller. Security is Minimal they are more of a money handler then a financial institution. You put your money in the hands of a service not approved by the FDIC. They try to be very secure but lack customer service skills. Resolutions are poor in most cases. And paypal can freeze your sellers account for no reason causing your transaction to go sour.
Checks & money orders.
Typical payment method for buyers with no Credit Card Or Debit Cards. Security is Poor. Checks can be misplaced, lost, stolen. Generally the biggest errors are caused by buyer and seller when dealing with checks. Proper record keeping minimizes problems.
Merchant Accounts. Credit Card Processing by a Banking Institution that is FDIC insured. This is widely gaining popularity with sellers as the rates are very low compared to 3rd party payment services. Rates never go up so sellers don’t have to raise their prices. Security is top notch as banks handle the transactions and can reduce fraud and sellers can actually view the security of the buyer noting that the address and names match the actual cardholder. This method is the best method to reduce fraud. Also sellers have easier access to a buyer email address and contact info so they can contact the buyer if they have a problem and can’t get a hold of the buyer using eBay message service.
Who are the Sellers?
Your most common sellers are Stay At Home Moms, Retired Couples selling to make more money than Social Security pays out and College Students working on ebay to pay tuition and book fees. You also have professional Company’s like myself that use ebay as an advertising Venue. And sell to promote their websites.
We are normal people with normal lives. Kids, Mortgage payments and common day to day stress. Ebay is a Selling venue for millions of sellers and a place for millions of buyers.
So keep this in mind when leaving feedbacks and DSR ratings. Your sellers make a living on Ebay and ebay is always making it harder with High fees, DSR ratings that affect the placement of auctions and the final price they pay each month. Many sellers only make a few dollars for each auction they sell. They are not making the millions many may think. Even your biggest power sellers are struggling if they only sell on ebay.
The only way for a successful transaction is honesty and Communication. A little understanding helps too. Well that is the end of my guide. Please review my guide as I did put a lot of time into it. Thanks
Over many Years I have had Thousands of Transactions and Would like to share some experience tips with you.
Sellers
*Provide Accurate Descriptions. Clearly State your products information in detail. (A little Html would be a big help) A jumbled mess of text is the worst way to run an auction. Its guaranteed you will have problems.
*Provide Clear Pictures. Every Buyer Hates a Bad Picture, so make sure you take many clear pictures of the item in several angels.
*Make sure Conditions Are Accurate. If you’re selling products of varying conditions, You need to make sure it is noted. Don’t leave information out thinking your buyer will be ok with the item. A buyer will be very unhappy if you list an item as “Like New” if the item looks like it’s obviously been used.
*Separate your Auction Terms Away From your Listing Description: If you keep your terms away from your description your buyers will have a better time finding the information they need on your auction. Then if they decide to buy then they can review your terms. You should make sure to list if you are a real business your hours of operation or your shipping days. If you’re not going to ship on weekends make sure to note it. This way you can also cut down on many questions. If you need a better example check out my listings. I used to get dozens of the same questions daily. Now that my terms and info are in the auction my buyers can review the info before they ask question. This will solve a lot of problems for you and a lot of time running your business then answering questions.
* Always offer a Way out for the Buyer. A return Policy is Key to any transaction. 14 days is a fair time frame.
*Communication: When your buyer wins an auction send them a message. If you’re like me and use a merchant account send them the info they need to make payment quickly and effortlessly. When your item ships, send them a tracking number. If you don’t use tracking then you aren’t a professional seller and your making a mistake by not offering tracking. This can quickly lead to buyers being uncertain where their item is and they can get mad at you. Tracking will make your life easier as your buyer can watch their package as its en route to them.
Buyers
*Read the Auction Completely: You really need to read all the details of the auction before you bid. Don’t jump to an auction that only has a min left and make a bid. You may not realize what you’re getting. You may find out that the seller has included information in the auction that if you had read the auction you would have known. Most sellers are very honest. But the biggest problem is last min bidders that don’t read the auction before they bid. Reading the Auction is key to buyer satisfaction.
*Ask questions: All sellers should answer questions, this is a must. If you don’t know about an item or you are uncertain. Ask before bidding.
If your question is not answered. DO NOT BID! Bidding on an item where the seller did not respond to your email is a recipe for disaster.
*Payment: Make sure you pay promptly, If you bid to win. Make sure you have the funds to pay for the item. Don’t win an item intending to pay for it in a week. This will cause problems with many sellers. A seller already has to wait 7 days for the item to sell. If they have to wait another 10 for you to make payment then you may end up with a unfriendly seller. Or a seller that has a lot of volume may forget about your won item.
If you’re paying by Check make sure to include a copy of the auction so the seller can find your won item. Sellers cannot search by the buyers Real name on a check. They need to know the auction numbers.
*Communication: This is key to a good transaction. If you have any questions or concerns during a transaction you must ask questions. If you don’t ask questions you will have doubts. This is not good for a transaction. But please follow proper etiquettes when messaging your seller.
If you have a problem don’t go ranting and raving. Sellers have feelings as well and mean buyers will usually result in poor communication both ways. If a seller does not respond right away give them a little time. Sellers are just like you and have lives too. Many ebay sellers are home sellers. They don’t have regular office hours. They might be at a real job and they might be out fishing with their kids. You never know. But at least allow them 24 hours to respond before getting upset.
Common Good ways and bad ways to complain to a seller.
Wrong Way to Message seller
Hi, I ordered this Microwave oven from you and your listing stated it looked like it was New. When I got it here was a dent in the side of it. Now I normally don’t leave a negative feedback seller but I am very upset about this transaction. What are you going to do to resolve this situation?
This is a Big NO NO. This is clearly showing a feedback extortion attempt to the seller. Threatening the seller with your feedback. This can make your seller very non compliant and not to mention with the new eBay policies you can get banned for using feedback in a threatening manner.
Right Way to Message seller
Hi, I ordered this Microwave oven from you and your listing stated it looked like it was New. When I got it here was a dent in the side of it. Do you have a return policy on this item? This is not what I expected to receive and I didn’t really want a unit with a dent in the side of it.
This message will leave your seller to do the right thing. Forcing his hand with a threat only makes a situation that could have been handled correctly go very wrong.
Always Use better judgment. If your mad about something cool down and then message the seller professionally. Now there could be many reasons why the unit was dented. Its also possible the seller made a mistake in the listing. Sellers that create many listings with a template can forget to change conditions. A good seller would accept a return at their cost.
If you have a problem with an items size, or color. Re-Read the auction to make sure you didn’t make a mistake first. Most problems are because a buyer misread the auction. If a seller has a return policy you can act on it if you wish. But expect to pay for return shipping. It’s your mistake not theirs.
Ebay Payment Methods Explained:
Please note there are many payment methods sellers use. For example the most common you will see on eBay. (PayPal, Checks, Money Orders, and Merchant Accounts.)
Here are some of my opinions on these methods.
Paypal
3 RD Party Payment service widely used by many Ebay sellers. Fees are high for a seller. Security is Minimal they are more of a money handler then a financial institution. You put your money in the hands of a service not approved by the FDIC. They try to be very secure but lack customer service skills. Resolutions are poor in most cases. And paypal can freeze your sellers account for no reason causing your transaction to go sour.
Checks & money orders.
Typical payment method for buyers with no Credit Card Or Debit Cards. Security is Poor. Checks can be misplaced, lost, stolen. Generally the biggest errors are caused by buyer and seller when dealing with checks. Proper record keeping minimizes problems.
Merchant Accounts. Credit Card Processing by a Banking Institution that is FDIC insured. This is widely gaining popularity with sellers as the rates are very low compared to 3rd party payment services. Rates never go up so sellers don’t have to raise their prices. Security is top notch as banks handle the transactions and can reduce fraud and sellers can actually view the security of the buyer noting that the address and names match the actual cardholder. This method is the best method to reduce fraud. Also sellers have easier access to a buyer email address and contact info so they can contact the buyer if they have a problem and can’t get a hold of the buyer using eBay message service.
Who are the Sellers?
Your most common sellers are Stay At Home Moms, Retired Couples selling to make more money than Social Security pays out and College Students working on ebay to pay tuition and book fees. You also have professional Company’s like myself that use ebay as an advertising Venue. And sell to promote their websites.
We are normal people with normal lives. Kids, Mortgage payments and common day to day stress. Ebay is a Selling venue for millions of sellers and a place for millions of buyers.
So keep this in mind when leaving feedbacks and DSR ratings. Your sellers make a living on Ebay and ebay is always making it harder with High fees, DSR ratings that affect the placement of auctions and the final price they pay each month. Many sellers only make a few dollars for each auction they sell. They are not making the millions many may think. Even your biggest power sellers are struggling if they only sell on ebay.
The only way for a successful transaction is honesty and Communication. A little understanding helps too. Well that is the end of my guide. Please review my guide as I did put a lot of time into it. Thanks
Guide created: 05/21/08 (updated 09/09/08)
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