A dissatisfied customer will leave negative feedback, and negative feedback should be avoided at all costs. That one negative feedback rating will cost you more than it would to just deal with the buyers complaint, whatever the value of the items you sell. You should consider any positive feedback percentage under 100% a disaster, and personal failure.

But what about?

There are no buts, there is no situation that, as a seller, you should ever get into a dispute with a buyer. Here are a few common situations and how you might handle them.

The buyer says that the item never arrived. Politely request that the buyer wait a few more days to see if the item arrives late, and then ask that they email you if the item doesn’t turn up. If the item still doesn’t arrive, you should assume that it was lost in the post somehow and offer to send the buyer a replacement if you have one, or give them a full refund otherwise. Don’t think about the cost, if you are serious about selling on eBay then it is worth it.

The item gets damaged in the post. You must offer to either replace the item or take it back for a refund without hesitation.

The buyer says that the item doesn’t match the description. Resist the urge to email back that ‘yes it does, and they should have read the description properly’. Take the item back with a refund and edit your description if you need to, to clarify any points that might have been confusing.

I’m sure you have spotted a pattern in this. Offering a refund will make just about any problem go away. Believe it or not it will cost you less in the long run. Just keep in mind that one negative feedback rating will stay with you forever, while having a 100% positive rating is like having a gold status.

You should always handle customers’ complaints before they complain to eBay. In fact it is a good practice to email buyers pre-emptively to make sure they are satisfied. Going through the dispute process is time consuming, reflects badly on you, and is just downright unnecessary.

Still not quite convinced? Think that this only applies to those selling cheap items. Actually, the higher priced the items are that you sell, the more your reputation is worth to you. For example, if you were selling $5,000 worth of items each week, and making a profit of $500 each week overall. You might feel that refunding one customer’s $500 purchase would be devastating, because you are losing a whole week’s profit. However, if you don’t give the refund then you could not only lose the next week’s profit, but most likely a few weeks’ profit after that too. Now which would you rather face?

I absolutely cannot emphasize enough the importance of truly believing that the customer is always right.

Here is an example of how it works. Let’s say you buy a Hanna Andersson striped playdress for $19.99, therefore you would need to sell it for $25.00 to make a decent profit. You might assume that you should start your bid at $19.99, right?

Maybe not. To decide on the starting price, you should ALWAYS check the completed items list on eBay. Look for a similar Hanna Andersson playdresses. Is your item popular and in demand? Are similar items ending with high closing prices? Or is this particular item flooding eBay, thus driving the price down? If similar items are flooding eBay or not popular, it would be best to start your item at $19.99.  If you don’t you will probably lose money on the sale. On the other hand, if the item IS popular, you should seriously consider starting your auction at $0.99 or less. Why? Like was said before, people like bidding and they prefer to bid in small increments. 1 cent or .99 cent auctions allow buyers to do just that. A penny auction will draw in bidders, and people are also much quicker to place a bid on an auction starting at $.01 than they are an auction starting at $19.99.

So why is it important to have lots of bids?

It draws a lot more attention to your auctions. You will attract a larger number of people bidding on and watching your auction…possibly setting up for a bidding war. Secondly, as potential buyers browse, they will come across your auction, that may have 12 bids on it. Who wouldn’t be curious and check out an auction with a ton of bids, as opposed to an auction with only 1 or 2 bids? It gives the impression that “Wow, this item must be really something!” Must be human nature that whenever we see something that someone else wants, we decide we must have it too.  Finally, more bids normally will result in a higher closing price.

Low starting prices also…

Low starting prices also drives bidders toward your auction instead of the competitor’s $19.99 price. The $19.99 price may guarantee that they won’t lose any money, but they most likely will not make much either, because they won’t be getting as many bids.

Success at $0.99?

The MOST important part of a dollar or less auction is doing your RESEARCH! If you do not research before selling, you will probably fail. It doesn’t take a whole lot of time, but by browsing eBay’s completed items list you will have a good idea of the market for your item. You have to be assured that your item will sell for a higher price. Keep in mind that most of the time auctions gain their bids either at the very beginning or very end. Don’t be surprised if your auction sits at the starting price all week and then in the last 20 minutes a bidding war begins!

What about No Reserve?

Use this feature with caution. Reserves tell the buyer that you are unwilling to sell a particular item unless it reaches a certain price. eBayers are looking for a deal. When they see an item that has a reserve, they will normally go and look elsewhere. The eBayer wants to be in control and know they can get an item, no matter what the ending price may be.

One of my top strategies is to seek out other moms who just can’t wrap their brain around selling on eBay.  Let’s face it…eBay is not for everyone.  Not everyone has the time, not everyone has the patience.  That’s where eBay addicts come in!  You can get a lot of gently used items right from your own friends….and friends of friends!  I have quiet a few regulars that call me every season when they are cleaning out their kids closets.  Believe me, they are ready to get the ’stuff’ out of their houses!  Also, check out all consignment shops and second hand clothing stores NOW!  You’ll be able to pick up costumes for under $10 and make up to $100+ with a very quick turn around time.

Another top strategy is to know what costumes are selling on eBay right now.  If you research eBay year after year, you could have a list of hundreds of costumes and accessories that consistently do well each and every year.  But who has time for that?  You can have access to a current list of over 200 costumes and accessories that are found often and profit well.  This gives you more time to sell, because you’ll already know where to look.    You can read all about it at the original sales page here – http://www.auction-moms.com/hotsellingcostumes.html - BUT DON’T PURCHASE THROUGH THAT LINK .  You can get it at the link below for a discount price through September 10, 2010.

Check out the latest copy of Secrets of How to Find & Sell The HOT Halloween Costumes For High Profits  and also receive a 2 month FREE subscription to HuntedTreasure – a weekly hot list of the current 5 top selling costumes PLUS other top selling children’s items on Ebay.  All for a special price of only $20 – that’s a bargain!

Have fun

Research, research and more research is the KEY to success! Before you invest in anything know your brands, know the selling potential on eBay, know what type of a sale “is a sale”.

eBay is a gamble each and every time. Even the best power-sellers sometimes lose money on auctions. The goal is to come out in the green more often than not and still profit. Research and Resources are the KEYS to success. Without them you are taking a shot in the dark and the long road to success.

When it comes to snagging great deals on the Internet there are some rules to follow.

Just to make sure we are all on the same page and understand how this works. The majority of the businesses we find these “bargains” at are small and can’t afford fancy programs to monitor their inventory. The VAST MAJORITY of online stores follow through with excellent customer service and will contact you with any problems with your order before shipping. However from time-to-time, thankfully not often, people do have bad experiences. Please let us know if you have one and what the outcome is. We certainly don’t want to recommend a business that repeatedly does bad service. At the same time make sure you follow some simple guidelines.

1) Read store policies thoroughly.

2) When in doubt, place your order via phone OR make sure you add something like, “Please contact me before billing and shipping if you can’t fulfill my entire order as expected”, somewhere in the order form when you place your online order or email it separately.

3) If you have a bad experience contact the business and address the issue kindly and out of concern for their reputation. Kindness normally works very well.

Hope this helps with making more profitable decisions in the future!

Keeping organized is always a challenge with two kids, but if you stay consistent – things will remain in place.  Or, at least in organized chaos!  Last year I listed “what to sell on eBay” each month as a blog post to keep readers a bit ahead of the game.  This year, everything has been compiled into a guide! 

Grab your complimentary copy so you can stay on top of what you should be doing each month!  Print it out and keep it close! 

Grab your Selling Guide Here for an instant download.

Happy Selling! 

I just got this from eBay Power Up Feb. Edition - three big reasons to start cashing in today:

Reach millions more buyers–for no extra cost. If you ship worldwide, for no extra cost your listings will appear on eBay.eu with access to nearly 200 million more Europeans. (No more switching to eBay UK to list your items)

Only domestic DSRs count. Since only DSRs on your transactions with U.S. buyers count on eBay.com, you can sell globally without worrying about customs or international delivery affecting your eligibility for Top-rated seller or PowerSeller status.  ( I had NO idea that DSRs from international selling wouldn’t effect selling out of the U.S – BONUS!)

Be a Top-rated seller in more countries. Now you can also earn and enjoy the rewards of being a Top-rated seller in more countries, including Germany and the U.K., two of the largest export markets for U.S. eBay sellers.  (This is great for branding yourself in other countries!)

Get more helpful tips and best practices for international selling.

 

GREAT news from an eBay seller standpoint!  It certainly takes the guess work out of selling Worldwide!

Welcome to eBay’s Price Gap! You have probably noticed that someone can have the exact same item as another and end up with two totally different ending prices. You think FOR SURE an item will make you all kinds of money, only to lose $5.00, break even or not receive even a single bid.

There are many possible reasons for this…

Ultimately, a penny auction is going to draw more bidders & more attention. Many times, when you can draw in a circle of bidders watching and competing for an item, you will have no problem getting a desirable ending price.  I recently had an experience where I was liquidating end of season inventory to make room for current season items.  I started the auctions at a penny, and a lot of them ended more than what they were listed for in my eBay store!  Sweet! 

Just about everyone from housewives to retirees has tried their hand at selling one thing or another on eBay. Those who have made big profits include those who sell vehicles and even real estate. It gives new meaning to selling everything but the kitchen sink. So, how do they do it? What does it take to get started selling on eBay? Here are five tips to help you get your foot in the door of eBay profits.

1. Do market research first. Just about everything has been sold on eBay but everything you sell won’t make you money. Take a look at auction results. Some products sell in cycles. What is popular today may not be popular at this time next year. If eBay is your business, you want to bring in more money than you are putting out.

2. Set your prices carefully. Again look at auction results. What is the most competitive price? Your laptop may be worth $300 but if laptops from the same manufacturing year are selling at $250, asking for $280 won’t make you competitive.

3. Work on your descriptions. Even though hundreds of thousands of people shop online every day, they are still skeptical about sketchy details. Leaving out pertinent facts about your product can be a turn off for buyers. If they think you are hiding something, they’ll be reluctant to buy.

4. Read all of eBay’s policies. The last thing you want is to run afoul of the law. eBay has policies in place to protect the seller AND the buyer. Non-compliance could get you sanctioned on the site. Ignorance is not an excuse. All you need to know can be found on eBay’s website in an easy-to-read format for users.

5. Decide on all aspects of selling before listing your products. How many people have forgotten to be specific about their shipping and payment methods? We all know how that scenario usually turns out. There are guidelines for disputing with non-paying auction winners but you don’t want to have to use them. The same goes for shipping. If it costs you more for shipping than you anticipated, you won’t make any money.

Are you contemplating selling items on eBay? Use these five tips to get started today. There is much more to creating a successful business on eBay, but these will definitely help you begin on the right foot.

Check out what is selling right now with my one week special offer of F-R-E-E tips showing you what is hot on eBay.  Join HERE.

Showcase your new items when as soon as you list them.  If you have an eBay store, there is an option in your Store Manager that will showcase your store front.  This will show your newest items as soon as you list them.  If you need help with your custom pages you can read up on it here – Managing your Custom Pages.  eBay allows up to 5 additional pages that you can create!

Your About Me page – Highlight your specialties and anything that will entice someone to be drawn to what they are looking for.

Your own personal blog – Yes, your very own!  Not the one that eBay provides, but one that you can create using WordPress.  Don’t be scared – I know what you’re thinking.  It’s easier than it looks – TRUST ME.  If you need help, there is a wordpress orientation coming up that you shouldn’t miss!

When you’ve mastered the first three tips, let me know – I have a ton more! 

Have fun!

There is a method to the madness!

The answer is this: Watch & Learn.

Watch when the local retail stores mark down their items week by week and season by season. For example, toys may be marked down every Wednesday and at the end of the Spring and Christmas seasons they may hold a huge 75% off sale. It’s usually the same week every year. Keep a calendar marked with the previous years weekly and seasonal sales. This will have you one step ahead!

Learn when items start to peak at the highest price on eBay. Right now, Halloween costumes are in full swing! Want to know a little secret? Costumes start to sell well in August. By knowing this you’ll be able to set your prices accordingly and stock your store ahead of time giving you the advantage to be first pick. This will ensure more store sales, keeping listing fees down.

Watching the trends and learning what does well can take some getting used to. It’s what I do, so if you’re ever in doubt – just ask!

Happy Selling!

Jennifer Cangelosi is an eBay expert dedicated to providing networking and mentoring advice to others who want to find children’s clothing, toys and more to sell on eBay and other auction sites. Visit her and other eBay loving moms at Boutique Bargains.