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 |  137864 | Aug 23, 2005 4:06am | Tell us about any problems, trades gone bad and how to avoid them.
How NOT to annoy your buyers (or sellers).
I'll add my few thigns then everyone else keeps adding to it when something comes to mind.
1.
list all the information, e.g. If there is a chance you might not have an item before your auction finishes, or the EXACT condition of an item.
They might not care about the casing of a dvd being ruined but might be concerned with a tiny scratch.
condition:
average (what does that tell us? yep, not much)
condition:
small scratch striking outwards from inner circle and has no effect on how the DVD plays, it's 1/4 an inch long and very shallow. (this would help me more, you might get a bad rating if you just put 'average', but there is no way they can justify a bad rating if you told them everything)
Reserve price:
This will not help at all. Are you happy when you see soemthing without a clear starting price? I hardly ever buy those ones because it's too risky, I might be wasting my time.
Manners: Be friendly.
(this is something I made up on the spot but it's how I would treat an exteremely abusinve customer, their angry about the trade, it's nothing personal)
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buyer: You !8%%*&& bleeping bleep! where is my dam DVD? ****er!
you:
I'm sorry that you expected it sooner but I clearly stated in the auction that it might be later than the listed time.
I'm sorry that it upset you but surely you knew that this was a definite possibility?
Please don't swear at me again,
I've treated you with respect and done everything that I can to get it to you by the predicted time.
I'd like to keep doing business with you and have our relationship be friendly, because I think you deserve a second chance.
Thankyou,
-John somethingyabub8
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This is a fine group idea,
and because of this I'd like all of you to post daily :-) |
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Sponsor |  BStabler | Sep 13, 2005 6:00am | as for reserve price, I've only used it once...I opened an ebay store selling used books, music, etc....I had a really nice item up for auction a 10-day listing with a reserve price to get people to look at the item and store items without a buy it now ending the auction soon.
It worked so/so...the item caused alot of traffic to it's own listing and other listings but ultimately it did not sell...but one other item did. No one complained about the reserve or the high opening bid.
As for problems, my biggest has been deliquent payments....easily solved so far by sending a polite reminder. :) |
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| | | 137864 | Sep 30, 2005 9:21am | Reminders are worth their weight in gold.
Less people will bid on a reserved item, it takes more commitment.
e.g.
Compare a shop with an open door to one you have to open yourself.
Best to start with the lowest amount you are willing to accept if you want to try and get an auction frenzy going, and hopefully get someone carried away.
It still works, it's just less effective but good for getting the auction noticed in the first few seconds if they are scrolling down the pages or searching by lowest price...when they find it though it makes them think less impulsively about the item, makes them think more which is bad.
The only thinking you want someone to do is:
yes, I like it because it will do thsi for me, and this.
Can anyone else add anything to the reserve discussion?
I've found that offering it as a buynow with no chance to bid is quite good, you don't need to time the auction to end at any exact time.
Bidding can get you a higher price because it tricks the mind into thinking something is worth having because others want it as well.
e.g. you see 4 people fighting (literally) over a coin, which gets dropped,
you would be tempted to grab the coin and run moreso than if someone had dropped that EXACT same coin on the ground and noone wanted it.
The toy in your hand becomes more valuable to you if someone wants to use it. (child throws toy away only to fight for it once someone else picks it up) that's the advantage of allowing bidding.
convenience+ guarantee of having it + instant gratification = only buynow
toddler wants it syndrome + false lower price that soon climbs once people bid tricks them into bidding in the first place. = not exclusively buynow.
face value lower price - percieved risk of failure (they know that their bid might not even scratch it, and it's more effort mentally) = cloak & dagger auction (or 'blind' auction). It helps for this last one if you have a 'buynow' as it gives a maximum value, and makes them much more happy about bidding. You get the side effect of seeing what people will pay for an item even if it doesn't reach minimum bid!!!
All of the auction types are useful, the 'blind' auction with a buynow is the one I suggest if you want to give the illusion of a low price.
Anyone else got something to add? |
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EBay and Other Auctions → Discussion