Its the Little Things that make a big Difference.

[Charlene_R]

 Greetings fellow eBay Buyers and Sellers,

I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you a few things that I believe set my auctions apart from the rest of the pack so to speak.   My name is Charlene and I have been a member of eBay since August of 2000.  I came to eBay as a buyer and over the years have learned how to be a better seller by way of my own experiences and utilizing eBay's University and Community Forums.  The "Little Things" that I am referring to do not cost very much money, Nor do they take much time or effort.  Although these "Little Things" do seem to make a big impact and could be the difference between your customer being simply "Satisfied" or being "Very Happy"!

I remember one auction in particular that was a huge disappointment to me.  My disappointment was not due to the item that I won, but was the manner in which the item was presented/shipped to me.  When I opened my package, the first thing that I noticed was a scrunched up plastic grocery bag.  This would not have been so terribly bad, except that the item that I purchased was seemingly just shoved into the bag.  The top  was obviously not folded at all.  The first thing that came to my mind was how unimportant my business was to this seller.  I have taken my own experiences and created my own standard terms, conditions, and practices for my auctions.  I believe that these "Little Things" or Extras that I provide for my customers make a big difference.  My feedback speaks for itself.

In my opinion, good communications are the cornerstone to a positive eBay experience.  Spending a little bit of time upfront thinking about how you would like to run your auctions is an important part in establishing what your standard terms, conditions, and practices will be.   I made good use of the eBay University and discussion forums.   I wanted to set my buyers expectations by clearly defining key elements to my auctions.   My Standard Terms and Conditions include Shipping Cost, Shipping Times, Shipping Insurance,  Payment, Warranty, Guaranty, Feedback and The Bottom Line.

• Shipping Cost - I nearly Always offer FREE Shipping. I always offer upgraded shipping methods to give my buyers options to get their items faster.  The charges for these upgrades are the actual cost of the method selected.

• Shipping Times - I ship items out 6 days a week and within 1 day of receiving confirmed payment.  (it is perfectly fine to only ship items on certain days and or to ship two to three days after receiving payment).  The Key here is to inform your buyers of your standard practices and to let them know what/when their item has shipped.  Also to input any insurance, delivery confirmation, tracking information on the eBay site so your customers can know where their package is in the auction process at any given time.  Guessing where your things are, if they have shipped yet, or if they were left on your neighbor's porch is never a good feeling for your customers.  It's best to not keep them guessing.

• Shipping Insurance - I always pay the $0.70 to have delivery confirmation from the USPS on all of my auctions.  I also provide US Postal Service Insurance on any item that has a replacement value of over $50 free of charge.  I Always offer Insurance on all of my other auctions.  Again, this is for the actual cost of the insurance from the US Postal Service. It is nice to have options.

• Payment - PayPal is the only method of payment that I accept.  I Love that PayPal protects both the Seller & Buyer and that it makes sending and receiving payments very convenient.

• Warranty - I set buyers expectations by clearly and honestly stating the condition of the item up for auction.  I also remind buyers to examine the photos closely and to ask any questions prior to bidding or buying.  I also state what my return policy is for New Factory Sealed items and for Used items.

• Guaranty - I guarantee that None of my electronic items will arrive DOA - Dead on Arrival unless otherwise stated in the item description.

• Feedback - I explain that I do not believe in (keeping feedback hostage on the pretense of wanting to make sure that the customer is happy with the transaction by them leaving positive feedback) I personally leave feedback after my buyers have honored their part of our agreement by paying for their auction.

• The Bottom Line - I tell my prospective buyers to bid with confidence, to review my feedback and let them know that their satisfaction with their purchase is very important to me.  I also state that their reading and understanding the description of the items being offered as well as them carefully reviewing the auction pictures is also a key factor in their eBay buying experience.   I feel that all of these things are important to help set the potential buyer's expectations,and to inform them of what they can expect of me and my service as a seller on eBay. 

• Packaging - When preparing items for shipping, I always include a little "Thank You" card.  I thank the buyer for choosing my auction for their purchase.  I tell them that I appreciate their business and ask that they check back often as I intend to list new items on a regular basis.  I also take the time to make sure that items are presented in a pleasing manner.  For instance, I neatly fold clothing items and always wrap them in colorful tissue.  Basically I want my buyers to open their item and feel like it was wrapped with care as a present might be. 

These little things do not cost much, the thank you cards with envelopes are purchased  at my local dollar store and come in packs of 10.  The colored tissue comes in packs of 20.  I also use party ribbon with the tissue sometimes, if it is appropriate to do so.  These little things cost me only about $3 or $4 for Twenty auctions and the amount of time that it takes to write a few words.  I feel that these simple things make a world of difference to my buyers.  I see proof of this in some of the comments that they leave for me in their feedback. 

I hope that you can glean something useful from my experiences.  Please feel free to implement anything that I have stated here.  I wish you the best and hope that all of your eBay and PayPal experiences are very pleasant ones.

Brightest Blessings,

Charlene_R

[crazyharrysdeal]

If you print your USPS labels through eBay shipping you'll save a bunch on delivery confirmation. .19 cost on Parcel Post and free on Priority.  Also if you're a top rated seller or a power seller higher than the bronze level you get a 32.5% commerical rate discount from the Post Office.  When you reach one of these status marks you'll be notified to enroll.  It's free & it's great!