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Bankruptcy InformationForgive All Ebay Sins!
by:
Robert C. Potter
Over the years, I have been astonished at the “blinding” greed and reckless approach
to commerce that several business owners have employed. Lying to customers, commerce inferior merchandise, and not offering refunds, left a firestorm of angry
customers in their wake. Without fail, all of this “ill will” led most businesses to bankruptcy, and in several cases, Federal Prison.
I realize that not everyone engages in “business criminality” that rises to the level of fraud and incarceration. Most folk try to be good stewards, and approach their enterprise in an honest and forthright manner. For those of you who own thriving business concerns you already cognize that in most cases the consumer
is always right. You do sure that you communicate effectively, refund monies if the client is truly unhappy, and try to meet the necessarily of the folk who buy your goods or services.
However, there are more than a handful of Ebay sellers that are of the mind that consumer
service and effective communication is not thing
that they need not participate in. Take the case of a woman named Barbara, (Nickname: BobAnn) who recently denote
her disappointment on the Ryze Business Network:
Quote:
Barbara Cerda wrote:
Greetings Everyone,
“When wish sellers on Ebay understand that consumer
service is key? And once
wish Ebay sellers discover mistreatment consumer
friendly approaches can only do their business grow?” Once more now I've bought from a less than friendly seller.
Thought I was placing a bid and instead bought the item at the buy now price. Of course the merchandiser refused to allow the retraction, nor was I allowed to place a bid. I always pay for my winning bids at once upon email confirmation.
And did so in this case. But it would-be have been consumer
friendlier for this merchandiser
to accept my retraction to be replaced with a bid. He would-be have gotten repeat business from me and my friends. His "Buy Now" cost is 30% over the retail cost for this item. Lesson knowing by me once more - that there are way too many a sellers on Ebay out to grab a buck and the hell with fair practice. Lesson knowing yet again.”
BobAnn
End quote…
The operative phrase here is “repeat business from me and my friends”. There is no better endorsement of your product or service than word of mouth advertising. Lack of flexibility on the part of the seller, not only cost them one customer, but as well destroyed the possibility for futurity business. Nice news travels fast, but bad news travels faster!
As an auction seller, (Ebay auction ID: LevelBest77) I would-be have accommodated her request right away. And patch I have ne'er
had anyone use “Buy It Now” by accident, I have had several folk over the years ask me to retract bids. The number of folk who have ready-made that request can be counted on one hand! Some, did not even as understand the process, (bid retracting) and I was more than willing to manual them through it.
People do honest mistakes, and you should ne'er
“abuse” a client for doing so. If you plan to get into Ebay auction commerce for the long haul, always practice good wish toward your customers. Unless being is all unreasonable, and you have done everything in your power to accommodate their request, ne'er
deny folk the ability to change their mind, return an item, or retract a bid! Developing good wish as well requires that you anticipate consumer
needs…..
For instance, I had a few overseas customers bid on a wireless router. This particular item necessary to be high-powered with a Universal Adapter, since voltage requirements in France and Australia are apparently several from those here in the United States.
I ready-made this extravagantly clean to several bidders before they sent me any payment. The purchase of such an adapter, not to mention the shipping price, would-be have doubled the US retail cost. I told them that they could probably get the product cheaper at their local natural philosophy stores. Without hesitation, I let them out of their obligation to pay for the item. I then contacted the next highest bidder and offered that person the chance to do the purchase.
Both bidders thanked me for my honesty. They had forgotten simply about the electrical differences. I could have unheeded that little detail, and sold-out
them the item anyway. I simply had to put myself in their situation. Think of how disappointed they would-be have been if I did not reveal that information. Buyer’s regret would-be have set in quickly, once they complete that they could have purchased the same item for a lot less in their native countries.
While the benefits of these actions may not have an immediate effect, you can be sure that should I ever have another “item of interest!” these two gentlemen would-be not hesitate to purchase from me. They can count on me to accommodate their needs, instead of business to my wants. Creating this type of good wish instills trust, and the noesis that you have the customers better interest in mind.
“Me thinketh 1000 doth protest too much!
Do you accentuate the positive? Or, do you run on negativity? Negative Ebay feedback is a tool that everyone should use with restraint, or not at all. As a rule, I ne'er
leave negative feedback. Unless being has blatantly song
simply about your product, or attacked you in person
without merit, then I would-be not leave any feedback in the “minus” side of the isle!
“Flame” wars are not pretty. I have seen a lot of extra back and forth “banter” that could have been avoided, if they (the seller) simply resisted the urge to do their “two cents” known. Sometimes it gives customers the impression that you are more concerned simply about arguing, then conducting your business.
I have as well witnessed merchandiser feedback that has enclosed
several pretty foul language. Attractive
in this type of verbal sparring is not more of a confidence builder either. It is more telling of what you are, then simply about revealing the sins of your customers. Don’t go out of your way to register a negative response if you can help it. Heed the sage proposal
that our Mother’s use to tell us: “If you can’t say thing
nice, don’t say thing
at all!”
“What we have here is a failure to communicate!”
Communication with your customers should not figure to the sound one hand clapping! Bottom line, if being e-mails you with a question--answer it! Here is an example of the type of feedback I obtained by doing simply that……
“He was really Helpful and cooperative in responsive
questions. Follow-up: Wish By all odds use his services anytime he has items of interest! Great Seller!”
The gentlemen who left this positive review, wanted to cognize simply about several of the particulars of a “Mickey Mouse” clock I had up for auction. His adult female is a collector
of all things Disney, and thought it would-be be a good surprise for her birthday. The
clock, to say the least, was in sad shape. It was incapable of keeping time, and the
only part of it in working order was the second hand. I thought for sure that he would-be be discomfited with the item despite full revealing of all of it’s imperfections.
To my surprise, not only did I obtain positive feedback, but he as well told me that his adult female dead adored it! In this instance, one man’s junk, truly, is another man’s treasure! I ne'er
thought this item was worthy of any praise! The time it took to answer his questions—all of five minutes!
I cognize that several of you wish say that I am not being realistic. You simply can’t answer e-mails all day; “I have a business to run!,” you power proclaim. If you plan on fashioning a living on Ebay, then you better think simply about hiring being to help you answer your daily inquires if it is simply too overwhelming. If you specialize in a particular product, set up a Oft Asked Questions page to any Auto-Responder.
If you use Ebay on an rare basis, and have less than thirty listings a month, then you actually don't have any excuse not to provide great consumer
service and e-mail communication. You shouldn’t be inundated with questions regarding that many a items, unless the product you are commerce is technical in nature.
If you ignore your customers, they wish go away. Nice consumer
service should be plain-woven
into the fabric of every good business. I cannot emphasis
the importance of this issue. I continue to be at sea by the fact that it is last on the list of business priorities for several Ebay sellers!
Will good consumer
service and communication alone do you rich on Ebay? That would-be be a resonating "no”. You wish have to understand your market, and provide products that the Ebay community wish bid on consistently. There wish be “bidders & buyers” out there that wish do mistakes and commit several auction sins! Forgive all Ebay sins and you wish be rewarded with happy, repeat customers!
Just simply about the author:
Henry martyn robert C. Potter is the author of “The Ultimate Manual To Products For Resale.” Over 300 Wholesale & Surplus Supply Sources, For Ebay Auction Sellers,
E-Commerce Websites, Ectoparasite Market Vendors, and Retail Store Owners! You can find his ebook here: http://www.productsforresale.com
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