Archive for the ‘Best Offer’ Category

Dear eBay Queen;

I have a couple of questions.  The first is about zero feedback buyers.  How do you handle them?  Do you let them buy from you?  Have you had any bad experiences?  I had a bad experience a couple of weeks ago.  This dude buys an item from me, pays for it right away, and then 10 minutes later I get this message:

“I’m sorry I bought the item by mistake.” The next morning I wake up to an eBay and PayPal claim for and item not received. I immediately refund him and even left good feedback in hope of getting the same in return.  This zero feedback buyer left me a negative. What did I do wrong?!

My second question involves flipping domain names.  I put up a listing for a cool domain that I own.  I listed it in the right category.  It’s been about 36 hours since I have listed, and I can’t find it anywhere!  I can see the auction via a direct link, but I can’t see it in the indexed line up on eBay.

Jerry; Kansas City, MO

Dear Jerry:

I have had a few problems here and there with zero feedback buyers.  My philosophy with first time buyers is, we’ve all been there. This bidder obviously didn’t know what they were doing, or they were just a jerk. You could try to educate them by letting them know there needs to be a legitimate reason for negative feedback. Let them know exactly what a negative means to an eBay seller. Try to get the feedback revised. If you don’t want to sell to first time buyers you can always block them.

When it comes to items showing up in search, I would do the following:

·         Clear all your cookies.

·         Write eBay and let them know your item is not showing up in search.

This probably has to do with eBay’s indexing and the rules they have for domain names.   They have a variety of rules when it comes to listing domains, designer clothing, etc. I have found this link regarding search indexing.  http://pages.ebay.com/help/search/questions/wheres-my-item.html  I hope eBay gets back to you quickly.

Dear eBay Queen:

I’m interested in selling on eBay, Amazon, and some other auction sites if I can.  I have issues going out and finding product, so I’ve been thinking about using a drop shipper.  I’ve been hesitant because I felt that I would lose control of the product, and I’ve always been concerned about the return policy. If you buy your products yourself, you can be flexible with a return policy.   If you are a drop shipper what kind of return policy can you have?

I was thinking about implementing a return policy that states: “Items must be returned 7-15 days after they were shipped.” Technically, I have 30 days to return the items to the drop shipper, but I think a 7-15 day allowance for my customers, should give me plenty of time to get it back to the shipper. Does this seem logical to you? What should I do if someone misses the deadline?

One other thing: I already have an idea of what I want to sell, but it still helps to know which items are in high demand. Is there any way a person can tell what is selling on eBay, perhaps a market research software or something?

Drop Ship It, Garnett, KS

Dear Drop:

I have not experienced the world of drop shipping.  Like you, I’ve been a little afraid of not having control of my product.  This being said, I think you might be over thinking your return policy.  A simple return policy would be:  “Returns must be made within 7 days of receiving item, less shipping, handling and insurance.  All returns must be insured.”  This way when you say within 7 days of receiving the item, your policy is based on when they receive it, not when it was shipped.  With delivery confirmations it will be easy to see when the item was delivered.

Here’s a link to eBay’s advice on return policies: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/return-policy.html

There is a service called Terapeak (http://www.terapeak.com). They have a free and a fee subscription service that will help pick out items that sell well on eBay.

I know it’s hard to find the right item to sell. Good luck on your search!

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item: 390281292832 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page): Do you collect Valentines or old advertising? Check this out: Victorian Scrapbook 380 Pcs Valentines,Cig &Advtg Cards   Check it out HERE

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

Dear eBay Queen:

I received an offer yesterday afternoon around 2:00PM, I accepted the offer at soon as I checked my email at around 4:00PM.  Here’s a little background information on the item I was selling: It was a
pair of designer jeans. Buy it Now was $499 and he offered me $300. I charged $35 shipping from Canada to USA, which I think is reasonable given the value of the item and next day shipping, etc. I had everything listed for my item – detailed measurements of the size, several pictures, etc. I accepted the buyer’s best offer of $300.  I received this message from the buyer on eBay after accepting an offer on the item I was selling:

I’ve done a little checking, and I think these are my options but I’m not 100% sure.  I’ve been selling on eBay for a few months, so if I have this wrong, please let me know.

·         Do as he says – I'm not sure I would get back my eBay fees since I agreed to cancel – so I won't do that.

·         Follow steps of the resolution center of unpaid item – not sure what happens in this case – best case scenario I get my eBay’s fees returned. – Can I leave a bad feedback afterwards in this case?

·         Tell the buyer that didn't pay I will cancel his transaction AFTER he gives me positive feedback. This way, I cancel the transaction and leave him negative feedback. I don't want to leave him negative feedback as he'll give me negative feedback for NO reason.

Have you ever had a situation like this before? What is the best method? I think doing the second idea is probably best, but the third one may be even better.

Thank you for all your help!

Woody, Ottawa, Canada

Dear Woody:

Well, it’s that time of year. Buyers seem to be a bit strange in January.  Your problem is a common one, I can almost guarantee that.  The buyer should have waited for you to accept or deny the offer they placed.  What probably happened is the buyer made several offers, and some other seller accepted the offer before you accepted his.

Here is eBay’s help page on unpaid items. http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/unpaid-items.html

Here are your options as I see them:

·         You can file an unpaid item dispute requesting the buyer pay for the item. If the buyer didn't pay, you will be credited for the final value fee.  If the buyer does not respond to the case within the allotted time period, he will not be able to leave negative feedback.

·         You can mutually cancel the transaction.  This is where you and the buyer both agree to end the transaction.  The buyer will not have to pay, and you will receive your final value fees back.

Once the case is closed, eBay’s Trust and Safety is automatically alerted. They will note the unpaid items on the buyer's account, which can lead to limits or suspension of their account.

I need to tell you that you can not leave a buyer negative feedback on eBay. It is also against eBay policy to tell the buyer to “leave positive feedback before you will agree to cancel the sale.”  This is considered a form of FEEDBACK EXTORTION and will get you in serious trouble with eBay.  I usually won’t mention feedback at all when dealing with a buyer, unless they mention it first.  I do have selling friends that have no problem talking about feedback.  If your buyer does leave a negative or neutral feedback, you can always leave a "Follow Up" feedback and put in it; "Buyer canceled purchase after making offer."

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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

Dear eBay Queen:

Two weeks ago I received an email from eBay accusing me of using another account to bid on my own auction. I forget the actual term they used for this process. My issue is, I didn't do it so how do I prove that to eBay? Granted it was just a warning, but if I can be falsely accused once, why not again and then possibly have my account suspended?

Do you have any ideas or suggestions for me?

David

Dear David:

eBay has lots of ways to figure out if someone is shill bidding, or bidding on their own auctions.  If you truly didn’t bid on your own auction, could any of your family members have bid using your ID?  Have any of your friends or family logged onto their eBay accounts from your home or computer?  If so, this could be a way they have linked your account to someone else.  Using a public computer could be the answer.  I don’t know all of the ways that eBay has to track shill bidding; I do know that they do have some pretty sophisticated ways to check up on people.

Since you just received a warning, I would probably just let it go.

Dear eBay Queen:

I have found a super good drop shipper who has a large variety of good products to sell, and the items are priced reasonably. Doing some research, I found that they sell the items a little cheaper then I can because of their listing fee breaks, etc.

Thank you.

Drop Shipper

Dear Drop Shipper:

This is a good question. I am not crazy about drop shipping, mostly because I feel I am putting my business in the hands of someone else.  In this day and age of eBay shipping, time is VERY important. Drop shippers ship on their time, not yours.

I really think most of these sellers are not drop shipping, but buying their items wholesale, in large quantities.   When you buy your merchandise in bulk, most wholesalers will give you a huge discount.

Here are some ways I believe you can be above the competition no matter what the price of your item is:

·         Keywords are important. Make sure you use descriptive words in your title and descriptions.

·         Market to your past customers.  Don't underestimate the power of this. Get a list of customers-sell to them.

·         Avoid highly competitive products. Do your product research-remembering to focus on "small niches" & hard-to-find things to sell on eBay.

·         Make your auctions look professional; don’t overload them with unnecessary information and rules.

·         Always mention that you ship instantly within 24 hours. This will give you an edge over most sellers.

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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