“Why Selling On Social Matters — Why Being A Great Person Matters More”.
As many of you know, i’m starting a startup (www.SellitOn.Social) that aims to help the buyers and sellers of second hand and new goods to buy and sell on social media but i’m not going to go into that now.
My concern is how people are not making the most of what is already out there and they aren’t treating buyers the way they would want to be treated.
Many of you don’t know why i’m so passionate when it comes to people posting up the worst examples of ads and then wondering why their stuff does not sell.
And many of you don’t know why I lose it when I see people — customers — people who want to buy the stuff you are selling — being treated like a time waster or a nuisance.
These are the people who are screaming at you “Take my money!”.
These are the people you listen to.
So i’m going to give you some tips on how to maximize your sales and how to treat your customers well so that they will come back for more and more.
1. Make your ads clear and easy to understand
2. Set a price and make it clear
3. Tell people the condition its in, if its a heap of crap — tell them. Don’t hide the fact. Karma really is a bitch.
4. Answer questions when you get them as quickly as possible
5. Make it easy for the customer to transact with you and pay you.
Its really that simple.
How would I know right? Well ive been in eCommerce for over 10 years on various platforms such as eBay, my own website selling artworks through to professional services and music & sports memorabilia.
I first signed up to eBay in October 2005 to help my brother buy and sell a football jersey for a profit.
We both had no idea what we were doing or how to sell anything, but we did know how we liked to be treated as buyers. Fast forward 10 years and my brother no longer sells on eBay but I still dabble in a few things here and there, but what hasn’t changed for me is my conviction to keep my 100% Positive Feedback after 1022 transactions (and still growing).
Thats right, in over 10 years and over 1022 transactions, I did not ever receive a single negative feedback, not even a neutral one.
You need to keep in mind that eBay back then was not like eBay now. Now you can’t give a buyer anything but positive feedback.
Back then you had to earn it as a buyer and a seller. Why do I care so much about my rating? I think its because it shows I genuinely care as a seller and a buyer for the other party. I think this caring is lost these days.
So i decided to revisit some of the guides I wrote when i was a regular seller on eBay. I sold lots of various items from Playstation Memory cards to general junk, things purchased as thrift stores and garage sales and resold at a profit and also my own artworks when i ran the omniartist website.
eBay is no longer the eCommerce site it used to be.
It’s gone a little stale and even though you can find a bargain here and then, its mostly professional sellers from all parts of the world selling copied junk. I yearn for the days when eBay was a place of discovery and you found some really cool stuff for a great price.
As a seller I cant believe how much it costs to list an item.
Its pretty much killed the market for people selling low cost items.
Before I start ranting like an old man thinking of the ‘good old days’, here are a few guides that I wrote back in 2011 that I still believe are relevant, I hope you enjoy these and learn something from them.
Keeping Your Customers Happy — Success Tips A guide to successful selling on eBay by keeping your customers happy
Running a business on eBay can be daunting for many sellers, many wonder how they will begin this task and harder still, how they will keep their customers and instill confidence in new buyers to purchase from them.
While I won’t go into the details of how to start selling on eBay (as there are many good guides for this already), I will go into what you should do to ensure that all of your sales are successful, you are happy and most of all, your customers are happy — as this will generate repeat sales not to mention 100% positive feedback.
Positive feedback means you care for your customers as well as your products and your business.
What I offer is a guide to: Successful Points for Selling on eBay
1. Clearly state what you are selling
When selling any item, think carefully about how you will describe your item for sale.
It’s easy to think everyone knows what abbreviation you are using means, but most buyers on eBay are new and won’t know what NR or R1 mean (and for your information, NR = No Reserve and R1 = Region 1 for DVDs), so clearly state what any abbreviations stand for in your listing’s detailed description.
You should describe your item as clearly as possible using the limited space available and don’t keyword spam as it only confuses buyers.
I’ve seen items such as Playstation Memory cards being described as “PSX/PS1 Mem Crd New not PS2”, this means nothing for buyers searching for a “Playstation 1 PS1/PSX Memory Card NEW”.
When you clearly state what you are selling, buyers don’t have their valuable time wasted searching for and looking at items they don’t wish to purchase.
eBay allows sellers to enter a lot of information in the description section, use this effectively, whether your are an expert in HTML and use flashy layouts or not doesn’t matter. It’s the information you enter that counts.
So clearly state what you are selling by: Re-Iterating the item title in your description The item description should be clear and easy to understand Any flaws or faults the item has (this may sound crazy but I prefer not to sell an item and get an unhappy customer so I mention any problems an item has upfront and this has allowed me to keep a 100% positive feedback even when i’ve sold items that don’t work!).
At least this way the buyer know what they are getting before they pay you. State the obvious — never assume a buyer knows what an item is or what it does or how big it is or what its used for.
Try and put yourself in the buyer’s mind and ask yourself possible questions and if you haven’t answered these in your listing, chances are you will be asked as soon as you list your item. Highlight the real benefits of buying your item, if an item can be used for other purposes, mention it.
A case where a seller didn’t describe their item clearly, I once saw a postcard for sale without a picture described as “Postcard 1938 Sydney Scene. 9×14. Non paying bidders will be negged”. Postage cost also wasn’t mentioned.
I had to email the seller to get a picture of the postcard and liked what I saw, why the seller didn’t include this in their listing (the first picture is free) I won’t ever know!
I got the postcard at a bargain price of 99 cents with $1.00 postage as I had asked the seller while no-one else had bid on the item as it seemed they couldn’t be bothered asking the seller the same questions.
The seller may have made more money and made a better sale if they stated what they were selling — a “Postcard of 1938 Lavender Bay, North Sydney. Dimensions 9x14cm. Monotone in colour — blue. No damage to the card, in very good condition.
The card has a lovely message on the back from a Miss Sellers to her mother in London, this is a ‘must’ for all collectors of Australian and Sydney postcards”
The seller assumed that all buyers knew that 9×14 meant centimeters, but the item was also available worldwide and a customer in the USA may have assumed that the size was 9x14inches. So don’t assume anything, clearly state it.
2. Don’t be threatening, unethical and rude
Don’t be threatening — don’t state you will leave a negative feedback if payment isn’t made within a day or something of the like.
This kind of language is not required and will only scare off legitimate buyers (note that nuisance buyers don’t usually read your threats), and most buyers know they will be given a negative feedback if they don’t pay.
Most buyers eventually pay, some have busy days and forget and need a little reminder. Some simply enter the wrong bank account details and assume they’ve paid, give a buyer a chance before posting a negative feedback or sending emails.
Clearly state upfront your accepted payment methods, postage methods and prices and don’t change these after the sale, even if you realise you under-costed postage and will lose money.
I’ve done this a few time by not researching my postage costs but I sent them anyway as it was MY fault not the buyer’s. (You can get can a quote for postage from your local post office or its website)
Buyer’s may not buy if they don’t see a Postage/Shipping cost, many have been badly bitten by buying an item at a great price only to be charged postage 300% more than the actual postage cost.
Its ok to add extra to the postage cost to cover postage and packing materials, just state this in your listing so buyers don’t think they are being ripped off when they see that you paid $2 postage and then charged them $3.50 (let them know that the bubble wrap bag and tape cost you an extra $1.50 in your listing).
Listen to your customers and read their emails and note their questions, and most importantly — answer them as promptly as possible.
I’ve generated many sales by being prompt with replies and answered questions anyway even though they were clearly described in the listing.
Many customers just want to see how reactive you are to their needs. When you don’t respond, its the equivalent of walking into a shop and having the shop assistant ignore you.
Would you buy? I don’t think so.
If a customer is rude or has a problem, don’t fall into the same trap and reply in the same manner, this only escalates the problem and definitely leads to a negative feedback. Be professional and remain polite, stick to the facts and try to listen to them. If its a legitimate concern they have you can address it in a polite manner, you will be surprised how quickly people calm down after you are nice to them.
3. Post Sales — Keep the buyer informed
When I’ve made a sale and receive an eBay email of a sold item, the first thing I do if the buyer hasn’t completed the checkout process is send the buyer an invoice.
I will then send them an email thanking them for their purchase and advise them I will be posting their item as soon as payment has been received/cleared. I will also send them an email as soon as the item has been posted.
If I have not received a payment, I email the buyer to confirm they have the correct payment details.
I once had a buyer state they paid when I hadn’t seen a payment in my account for over a week.
After a few emails to a fro, I asked hin to confirm the payment details and I realised the buyer had forgotten to add a zero to the last digit on my bank account details.
He assumed he had paid when he hadn’t. Simply fixed with no malice.
I also answer as best to my abilities any queries a buyer has after they have purchased.
Sometimes they expect payment the day they have paid, I usually inform them in my emails when I will be posting their items and estimated delivery time (you can get this from your local post office or its website).
If an item has yet to be received, I offer to make enquiries about its status. I keep the buyer in the loop through each step of the sales process.
Lastly, when I think the item has been received and feedback has yet to be left for me, I usually send an email asking if they have received their goods as expected and if they are happy with their purchase and my service to leave positive feedback.
I also offer to resolve any issues before the customer gets upset, if an item is faulty and I can exchange it, I will exchange it at my cost. If I can’t exchange it, I offer a refund.
4. Leave Feedback
When a buyer has left you feedback, always leave them feedback. I always leave positive feedback for a customer who has been nothing short of good. Be fair and only leave a negative or neutral if all avenues of contact have been exhausted and the sale has been disastrous. Don’t leave a retaliatory feedback, this will make buyers scared of buying from you, but you won’t need to leave retaliatory feedback as you have followed these selling tips and your customers are happy with your services.
5. Lastly
Treat the customer the same way you wish to be treated and you should be on the right track to being the model seller with many happy customers.
