Archive for June, 2011

Dear eBay Queen:

What are you doing when someone from Canada buys your item?  I went to the post office, and they would not accept my package because the Canadian post office is on strike.

Elizabeth; Gardner, KS

Dear Elizabeth:

I just experienced this very problem.  I emailed the buyer and gave them a couple of options. I could:

·         Send the item via USPS Global Express Mail, UPS or FedEx but this would cost more money.

·         Hold the package until the strike is over.

·         Refund their money and cancel the transaction.

From everything I have read, the strike should be over within the week. 

 

Dear eBay Queen:

I am in the process of purchasing an online drop shipping store. I had one in the past, but eBay's fees made it difficult to sell the products, so I shut it down. I have decided to re-open it. I have two very important questions that I hope you can answer:

1.      Are there any other ways to drop ship without using marketplaces like eBay and/or Amazon?

2.       Is there any other way to drop ship without the seller having to be responsible for driving traffic to their own website? I honestly have no idea how to drive traffic to the actual online store.

Thank you for your time!

Ms. Wilson; Texas

Dear Ms. Wilson:

I’m not sure what the fees were when you left eBay, but currently eBay fees are just getting higher and more complicated. Starting in July the fees are going to change drastically.  On July 6, to encourage and reward sellers who offer free shipping, Final Value Fee for listings will be reduced and applied to the total amount of the sale—including shipping. This means that if you do not offer FREE SHIPPING, you will pay fees on the shipping and the price of the item. For more information check it out here: http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/news/feeupdate2011.html

What do you mean you are purchasing an "online drop shipping store” Are you starting a store and putting drop shipping items in it? The reason I ask this is, when you are drop shipping, you don't have any inventory another company has the inventory and they "drop ship" it when you tell them you've sold it.  Maybe you mean you are going to open an online store that sells primarily drop shipped items?

I don’t think that eBay and Amazon are really the best venues for drop shipping.  Both of them have seller shipping standards that are pretty restrictive.  Here are some other options:

1.      Bonanza.com

2.      eBid.com

3.      Boocoo.com

4.      Overstock.com

5.      Shopster.com

6.      uBid.com

7.      ePier.com

Your other option would be to start your own online store.  To do this you would need your own domain name, hosting, ecommerce software, and a content management system (shopping cart).   To drive traffic to your site, you’ll need someone that understands SEO or Search Engine Optimization.  There are plenty of online tutorials to immerse yourself into the world of owning your own online store.

I have not used a drop shipper for several reasons.

1.      It is hard to control the quality and content of the product that is not in your hands.

2.      When selling on eBay or Amazon, there are shipping time standards and many drop   shipping companies do not ship in the time allotted by eBay or Amazon.

3.      Unless you can get an exclusive contract to sell a product, there will be LOTS of people selling the same thing as you.

4.      Name brands (that sell well,) are not available through drop shipper.

I don’t want to talk you out of starting your own store.  I want to encourage you to think about including some other products with the drop shipping items.  Have you considered buying items wholesale or at auctions or garage sales for resale?  I think you will find you will make more money by doing it this way than with drop shipping. 

 

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item: 140556964852 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): Have you ever wanted to own your own piece of the beach?  Check out this 2 acres on the Gulf Coast!  SOLD $7779.99 http://cgi.ebay.com/TEXAS-GULF-COAST-BEACH-2-ACRES-NO-RESERVE-/140556964852  

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? Email: questions@asktheebayqueen.com

 

Dear eBay Queen:

I would like your opinion on what I should do about a recent problem I had with a seller on eBay. I collect movie posters, and I occasionally sell them too.  A few weeks ago, I bought a really unusual movie poster for myself on eBay. The listing stated there was writing on the poster but it was faint. There was no mention of what the writing said, so I thought it was a name or address.  I couldn’t see the writing in any of the pictures, so I didn’t see any need to doubt the seller.  I really needed this piece for my collection, so I bid and won.  When I received the poster in the mail, the writing was not faint it was clear as day.  The worst part was it was the “F” word written in pencil prominently on the top right corner. I immediately wrote to seller and politely explained my disappointment.  

A week went by and no response from the seller.

I belong to an online discussion group that is just for movie poster sellers. I described what happened and got a variety of answers. A dealer-friend of the seller wrote to her and tipped her off that I was probably going to leave her a negative feedback. All of a sudden, I received an email from her. She claimed she had emergency surgery and that's why she never wrote back. I didn’t buy the explanation and I left her negative feedback.

Now, the seller friend of hers, (that I also know,) is pressuring me to remove the negative because she apologized and she said she was sick. My problem is I think she's sorry that I left her a negative, and not that she falsely represented an item. She ignored my email. I am sure that if I didn't write about this on that discussion group, she never would have written back to me.

What do you think I should do? Should I keep the peace between dealers and remove the negative, or let her suffer for her dishonesty? What do you think?

MovieLover; Hays, Kansas

Dear Movie;

This is one of those times where I think it’s imperative to dig a little deeper.  From what I understand, it is important for you to figure out if the seller really did have emergency surgery. Did your mutual dealer friend verify that she indeed had surgery? Is she a member of this discussion group? Has she posted anything about her surgery? I would verify that she did have the surgery (since this is vital in helping you make the decision).

If your seller did respond, what could she have done to have prevented her from receiving the negative?  Did you want to return the item? Keep and receive a partial refund?  I would email the seller and let them know what it is you would have liked for them to do. 

What will happen if you don’t remove the negative? You need to decide which is most important to you; the respect of your colleagues or to punish the person you feel did you wrong?

 

Dear eBay Queen:

I primarily sell books and other items on Amazon. I received this notification: “Canadian postal workers are on strike as of June 03, 2011. The strike will impact the delivery of shipments to Canada. If you have recently shipped orders to Canada via US Postal Service Media Mail, we encourage you to contact the buyers to let them know that delivery might be delayed. For orders you have not yet shipped, we recommend using a shipping method other than Canada Post during the strike.”

I am wondering what “shipping method” I am supposed to use besides Canada Post?

Jessica H; Kansas City

 

Dear Jessica:

The only shipping methods I am aware to Canada are the following:

·         Canada Post

·         United Parcel Service

·         DHL

·         FedEx

All of those will cost you quite a bit more than sending the item First Class International via USPS.  I would suggest you turn off international shipping, or if you don’t want to do that, you can always email the Canadian buyer and let them know that since the Canadian post is on strike it will take quite a bit longer for their item to get to them.

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item: 290570418311 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): It’s hot and time for a swimsuit! Check out this vintage Catalina Swimsuit SOLD $430.00. http://cgi.ebay.com/worlds-cutest-vintage-swimsuit-ruffles-Catalina-Sz-14-/290570418311

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? Email: questions@asktheebayqueen.com

 

Dear eBay Queen:

I have a couple of questions about eBay/PayPal that I hope you can answer.

I bought an expensive large format color printer yesterday ($1,000) and paid immediately by PayPal (on my charge card).

About 20 minutes after payment was sent, the seller called me and seemed leery — wanted to make sure I was a legit buyer, etc. No worries there.

However, he said that PayPal has seized the money and he wondered if I had set up an escrow or something. He's a relatively new (or under-used) seller with 7 feedback, so I tried to explain to him that sometimes PayPal takes control of funds…but I didn't have an exact reason why and when they did that.

Can you explain that to me?

Why and when does PayPal decide to control the funds? Do they release the funds once shipment is complete?

At first, I thought it was because maybe he has limited feedback (under 10), but then I recall that this happened to me a couple of weeks ago on something I sold, but I have over 780 positive feedback and my amount was under $80. There just doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason when PayPal does this — maybe it's random?

I would think that this sometimes causes sellers to be very cautious, thinking that maybe they could lose their merchandise and their money — I know I would be thinking that.  Could you explain this to me?

I also sell on eBay. Currently, I have 12 live listings and all of them are re-lists. The items other than the cars have been relisted multiple times. I would like to move these items, but I can't stand to lose money on them.

For instance, the MTX subwoofers I have listed right now — I purchased them, for $129 EACH — I'm asking less than that for all 3. So, with that said…why have I had to relist them now 4 times and still no sale or best offers.

I'm ready to pull my hair out. I'm doing better selling the cars than anything else, but I don't get the money for that because I’m selling them for a family member.

I appreciate any pointers you can give.

Shelia; Ottawa, KS

Dear Shelia:

I believe your seller was subjected to eBay/PayPal’s 21 day hold policy.  This policy started in 2008, and is being updated with the new “Spring 2011 announcements.”  (Here’s a great overview of those http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y211/m03/abu0283/s02 ) When the policy started it only applied to new sellers; in 2011 the policy can include everyone.  The rule basically has been put in place to insure that the buyer receives their item.  eBay can delay your  payments up to 21 days so that they can make sure your buyer is satisfied with their purchase.  Here is the policy overview: https://www.paypal.com/helpcenter/main.jsp?cmd=_help&solutionId=185413&t=solutionTab&bn_r=o

In deciding whether to apply payment holds, PayPal reviews many factors including:

·         Account tenure

·         Transaction activity

·         Business type

·          Past customer disputes

·         Overall customer satisfaction

Holds are typically placed on:

·         New sellers or sellers who have limited selling activity – until they build up a history of successful transactions.

·         Merchants selling in higher-risk categories like electronics or tickets, where we see higher levels of chargebacks and disputes.

·         Sellers who have performance issues, or a high rate of buyer dissatisfaction or disputes.

I’ve talked to quite a few eBay sellers about this policy.  Even the sellers that have been around for awhile are a bit afraid of this rule.  It’s understandable for the new seller you had to be a little freaked out about having to send the item, and not receiving the money.  You did the right thing reassuring them.  Once you leave feedback for the seller, they will receive the money you paid them. 

If this happens to you and you are the seller, the best thing you can do is ship the item immediately, include a delivery confirmation (and signature confirmation if it is over 200.00).  Make sure you enter the tracking number on the eBay site, so it will be on record. 

I know it can be pretty frustrating to not sell an item as quickly as you want too.  Some of the things I do when I have this problem are:

·         Check out what other sellers are trying to sell the same item for.

·         Would a higher price and free shipping make a difference? I know this sounds strange, but it usually works.

·         How do your pictures look?

·         Did you include the size, shape and shipping weight of the item?

Sometime there is no rhyme or reason to why an item does not sell.  Even when it seems the item is a “steal”, with this current economy sometimes it is difficult to move your merchandise.    

 

 

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item: 320701579621 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): Do you like vintage door knobs?  Check these out! Lot of 5 Sherle Wagner Door Knobs & Door Entry System. SOLD $522.65 http://cgi.ebay.com/LOT-5-PLUS-SHERLE-WAGNER-DOOR-KNOBS-DOOR-ENTRY-SYSTEM-/320701579621

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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? Email: questions@asktheebayqueen.com