After a long summer punctuated by scammers, glitches and policy changes, my trials and tribs taught me a little more.
1. Check your buyer requirements. Particulary the Unpaid Item Strikes.
2. Check your site preferences. There are default settings that are ridiculous- allow buyer to change/edit shipping costs??? yep, something like that is default setting.
3. Check feedback LEFT for others. Everyone who just buys has the 100%, it is only sellers that aren't perfect. Sellers have a very difficult time telling the truth but if you read how the buyer treats their previous transactions, it will speak volumes.
4. Do not deal with low ballers and stupid questions before sale. I do not subscribe to there are no dumb questions. yes there are and they often come from dumb people. If they are a PITA b4 sale, it will most likely get worse after. They aren't going to take a smart pill either. Block and move on.
5. I refuse to do local pick up/ meeting after this summer. I had buyers ask if they could have their friend pick up item. Want to show up at my house "somewhere between 1 and 5 to see if I want to bid on it, what else you have?". Meeting always becomes at their convenience, in my experience. It just blows me away that people EXPECT soemone to welcome a stranger who invites themselves into your home.
6.No communicating is a good thing? Sad that its gotten to point in transactions that not saying" Thanks "is rewarded by automatic 5 stars in communicating.
7. Making offers to end auctions - HUGE increase. Actually a reportable buyer action. and if buyer is rude and seriously lowballing, onto blocked bidder list.
8. More Buy It Nows w/ Immediate Payment required. Though prices are not static, there is still a range that most items sell in . I have had no poblems with this way of selling- no auction remorse, no time for Ebay to flash their "more chances to get what you want" ad w/other seller's items, no UPI cases. Highly recommend it for items you are comfortable selling.
9. No Best Offer in Listings - Items are tied up while you choke on low balls. Highly unlikely anyone will pay your price as you have let it out that it isn't set.
10. Refusing to ship items and refunding when buyer is suspect. It is better to keep item and take the hit on ratings than to ship it and be out money AND item.
11. Any return policy other than 2 weeks is USELESS. Regardless of what you say in lisitings, it will not hold up. This is a case that you might as well play along- their balls, rules, court. If a buyer used Paypal and they want to return it, you are going to get a return. CCs are worse. Chargebacks are on rise so check your Paypal settings and tutorials to cover your butt.
12. Be wary of BINGE buyers. Lots of people buy lots of bottles. If you list high quantities of simialr items it may hurt, but buyer requirements limiting # purchased in time period will at least help prevent having to cancel 25 or 50 items from a buyer w/ 0 feedback who joined yesterday. A good buyer will understand protecting your business, a person who takes offense is not somone you need to deal with.
I spent more time on phone w/Ebay in past 6 weeks than I did in previous 2 years. And from reading some posts here, some of you did too. Hope this may help someone avoid at least a couple calls
1. Check your buyer requirements. Particulary the Unpaid Item Strikes.
2. Check your site preferences. There are default settings that are ridiculous- allow buyer to change/edit shipping costs??? yep, something like that is default setting.
3. Check feedback LEFT for others. Everyone who just buys has the 100%, it is only sellers that aren't perfect. Sellers have a very difficult time telling the truth but if you read how the buyer treats their previous transactions, it will speak volumes.
4. Do not deal with low ballers and stupid questions before sale. I do not subscribe to there are no dumb questions. yes there are and they often come from dumb people. If they are a PITA b4 sale, it will most likely get worse after. They aren't going to take a smart pill either. Block and move on.
5. I refuse to do local pick up/ meeting after this summer. I had buyers ask if they could have their friend pick up item. Want to show up at my house "somewhere between 1 and 5 to see if I want to bid on it, what else you have?". Meeting always becomes at their convenience, in my experience. It just blows me away that people EXPECT soemone to welcome a stranger who invites themselves into your home.
6.No communicating is a good thing? Sad that its gotten to point in transactions that not saying" Thanks "is rewarded by automatic 5 stars in communicating.
7. Making offers to end auctions - HUGE increase. Actually a reportable buyer action. and if buyer is rude and seriously lowballing, onto blocked bidder list.
8. More Buy It Nows w/ Immediate Payment required. Though prices are not static, there is still a range that most items sell in . I have had no poblems with this way of selling- no auction remorse, no time for Ebay to flash their "more chances to get what you want" ad w/other seller's items, no UPI cases. Highly recommend it for items you are comfortable selling.
9. No Best Offer in Listings - Items are tied up while you choke on low balls. Highly unlikely anyone will pay your price as you have let it out that it isn't set.
10. Refusing to ship items and refunding when buyer is suspect. It is better to keep item and take the hit on ratings than to ship it and be out money AND item.
11. Any return policy other than 2 weeks is USELESS. Regardless of what you say in lisitings, it will not hold up. This is a case that you might as well play along- their balls, rules, court. If a buyer used Paypal and they want to return it, you are going to get a return. CCs are worse. Chargebacks are on rise so check your Paypal settings and tutorials to cover your butt.
12. Be wary of BINGE buyers. Lots of people buy lots of bottles. If you list high quantities of simialr items it may hurt, but buyer requirements limiting # purchased in time period will at least help prevent having to cancel 25 or 50 items from a buyer w/ 0 feedback who joined yesterday. A good buyer will understand protecting your business, a person who takes offense is not somone you need to deal with.
I spent more time on phone w/Ebay in past 6 weeks than I did in previous 2 years. And from reading some posts here, some of you did too. Hope this may help someone avoid at least a couple calls
