7 Ways to Protect Your eBay Seller Feedback
With small “Mom and Pop” stores rapidly declining, it appears that personal level of customer service they provide is vanishing as well.
It’s nearly impossible to walk into an establishment these days and find anyone with the knowledge, skill or motivation to help.
Anyone remember this old adage:
“The customer is always right.”
This is one of the first decisions we made about our eBay business…
… always seek to please the customer, even at our own expense.
Why?
We want to maintain a 100% positive feedback rating for our online business.
Negative feedback on eBay is a killer. The last thing we want is a dissatisfied buyer leaving negative feedback because we did not meet their satisfaction.
How to Create the Best Buyer Experience on eBay
1. Pictures, Pictures & More Pictures
eBay allows us to insert 12 pictures for free. We must take advantage of this feature!
By giving the buyer a photograph of every possible angle, we can greatly eliminate potential disputes.
Think like the customer, what would you like to see?
Be sure to take detailed photos of any defects.
Yes, this will likely lower your asking price, but it’s worth it in the end.
Honesty is the the best policy.
Check out our 15 tips for how to take eBay listing pictures.
2. Detailed Descriptions
We have found that the “bullet point” method seems to work the best especially for eBay mobile.
Use 2-3 word details of the item, one per line. This makes it easier for the buyer to read through.
3. Use Videos
If you are selling an electronic device make a quick 15-30 second video and insert it into your listing. The proof is in the video and will leave your customers without question if something really works or not.
Use this link to create the embed code for your YouTube videos in eBay.
4. Friendly Return & Refund Policies
We offer a 30 day return policy and a 100% money back guarantee.
Returns and refunds can be really upsetting for sellers, but it’s pivotal to providing good customer service and maintaining a good seller reputation.
Going above and beyond a buyers expectations can be the deciding factor in whether they leave negative feedback or not.
We offer more tips and ideas for returns and refunds on our post: Helpful Guide to Customer Returns & Refunds
5. Keep Good Communication with Buyers
Answer eBay messages as quickly as possible.
Why?
The quicker you answer your customers questions they happier they are and more likely to buy.
If you let too much time pass before you respond, they may have forgotten about you or moved on to another seller.
We highly recommend getting a mobile device even if only for this purpose alone.
6. Be 100% Honest
Never sugar coat a product.
Example: we recently came across a great deal on a sealed NIB HP Printer Cartridge. It was a bargain for us and would bring a good profit on eBay.
However, after bringing it home we noticed the manufacture date was 2007 and other sellers were not including the date in their listings.
We already knew that we did not want to mislead anyone so we listed the item at a lower price with full disclosure on the date.
7. Use Thoughtful Packing & Shipping
It”s all in the details.
Being careful about how you package your item for shipping will go a long way in impressing your buyer.
If you sell clothing, wrapping them in tissue paper adds a thoughtful touch to your packages.
When the buyer opens it and sees the adding attention you put into wrapping their item, it puts them in a light mood.
Also, including a hand written thank you on their packing slip is a unique touch that not many think of.
What do you do to keep your customers happy?