If you are going to sell on eBay, that means you are going
to be dealing with customers all over the world. Just like
a regular business, you will occasionally run across a
customer that is very hard to deal with. 90% of all the
customers you will have on eBay are an absolute pleasure to
deal with. Its that 10% that can drive you completely
crazy, if you let them. It is how you deal with that 10%
of troublesome customers that really shows what kind of
business person you are. Sometimes these difficult
customers can turn into your best customers.
Probably the most common problem with buyers on eBay is
failure to pay for an item. On eBay, when you bid on an
item or "Buy It Now" you are responsible to pay for that
item. That isn't always the case. When you do try and get
payments from a slow-paying member, remember to remain
professional at all times. Using eBay features like
Selling Manager Pro with automated payment reminder emails
will usually get the job done. After a certain amount of
time, if payment isn't sent by the buyer you can follow
eBay's procedure to get a credit on your lost fees and will
put an unpaid item strike against the non paying member's
account.
There will also be a certain amount of customers that will
not be happy with the product they purchased from you.
Just as in life, you can't make everyone happy. Clearly
state your refund policy in your auction listings and
adhere to it. It is much easier to click 3 buttons in
PayPal to issue a refund than fight to remove a negative
feedback from your account. When a customer is not happy
with their purchase from you, first offer an apology. Then
offer to do whatever it takes to make it right, including
an alternate item or free gift. At that time, offer a
refund and issue it if requested.
Shipping time is also a major concern for most eBay buyers.
Do the absolute most you can to get an item out fast. If
you are sending items from your home or business, don't
wait to send them once a week. Make a trip to the post
office every day you have a sale. If you are selling items
via dropshipping on eBay, do all you can to get that item
sent fast. Some dropshipping facilities are located in
foriegn countries, meaning it will take quite a while for
shipment. If you do have lengthy shipment times because of
your dropshipping supplier, explain that fully inside your
auction description. Sometimes there is just nothing you
can do about shipping complaints. I sell eBooks on eBay.
eBooks are delivered instantly through a download link in
eBay. It is not uncommon for me to get complaints by
customers of not getting their item, when the download is
sitting in their eBay account. I am sure that sellers with
other types of goods have other problems related to their
specific products.
Remember to always guard your feedback rating on eBay. It
is the way that customers see you and decide to buy from
you or not. Also, in the eBay PowerSeller program, your
feedback ratings can lead to fee discounts.
Just like in the real world, there are tough customers to
deal with on eBay. Some people are just that way. It is
how you deal with these tough customers that makes or
breaks you as a seller on eBay. Remember to remain
professional at all times and you will be able to deal with
almost all the problems that come up while selling on eBay.
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Matt B Carter is an eBay Powerseller under the username
mbcartersales. Matt specializes in selling digital goods.
If you are interested in learning more about selling on
eBay, Matt has a free weekly newsletter where he shares all
of his tips and strategies. Sign up is completely free and
can be done at Matt's online bookstore by following this
URL
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