Archive for January, 2007
My Item Arrived Broken! What Should I do? & How to Write a Book Description
January 7th, 2007 | 
Author: Dear eBay Queen;
I recently purchased six small candle jars on eBay. When I received the package, one of the candles jars had broken and was in shards. The glass candle jars had been wrapped in newspaper, and did not have any padding in the box or between the jars. Insurance was optional for the auction but due to the low selling price, I opted to not get insurance.
I emailed the seller to let him know what happened. I asked for a partial refund for the broken candle. When the seller finally responded (5 days later), he blamed me for the broken candle saying that they only way it would have broken would be from lighting it while it was cold
I am positive that this seller is going to leave me negative feedback now regardless of what I do. They are not willing to negotiate at all and will not take any responsibility for their poor packaging. What do you advise I do?
Thanks,
Broken Candle
Dear Broken Candle;
I am sorry you received bad service from this seller. I would email them again, letting them know that your candles were wrapped in newspaper, and there was not any padding in the box to protect them from rattling. I would ask for a replacement candle, or tell him you would like a partial refund for just that candle.
If he doesn’t respond, and you want to pursue this, you can file a Not as Described case against him with eBay and Paypal. I don’t think he will give you a negative, as he risks receiving one in return for poor packing. I hope that your seller comes to his senses and works with you on this matter.
Dear eBay Queen
I was given almost the whole series of Cherry Ames, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books. I have decided to sell them. Can you give me some tips on writing a good description and title for my books? I don’t know where to start.
Cheryl
Dear Cheryl;
Titles and descriptions on eBay are a lot like fishing. Your title is the bait, which draws and excites your fish, (I mean bidders) into your auctions. The description and photographs are the hook. Writing a good title will significantly increase your chances of your listing being found by bidders. A good description and photos will insure it will sell.
A good title has these qualities:
- Use descriptive keywords that clearly convey what you are selling. A good title for a Cherry Ames book would be: #27 HB Cherry Ames Green Spine Helen Wells. This tells you the book number in the series, title, spine color (which is important in the Cherry Ames series books) and the author.
- Include the book’s title and author’s last name. If you have room the copyright date is also a good idea. There are some acronyms for books that will allow you to fit more information in your title with less space. Here are a few of them: OOP = Out Of Print, DJKT = Dust Jacket, HB = Hard Back, PBK = Paperback, LB = Library Bound.
When I write my book description, I try to imagine the buyer cannot see my pictures. Here are some questions you may want to consider when writing your item description:
- Type of Book? Fiction or Non Fiction? What age group is it for?
- Author and or Illustrator?
- What condition is it in? Any rips, torn pages, handwriting or highlighting?
- What are its dimensions?
- What country/location is it from?
- Does it have any notable features or markings?
- Does it have a special background or history?
- Publisher and copyright date
Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 230064516116 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). Want to re-capture your childhood? Do you have a favorite book you loved to read? Here’s a great childhood book from the 1950’s. Cherry Ames #27 Ski Nurse Mystery Last in Series SOLD for $202.00
Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com .
Posted in feedback, General eBay Help, Shipping | 
Tags: broken item, help with eBay, paypal dispute, writing book descriptions | 
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