dispute article

Accurate Listings and Simple mistakes = Negative Feedback

January 7th, 2010 |

Author: admin

Dear eBay Queen;

I really messed up twice in the last couple of weeks! I had a pretty silk scarf on a Buy it Now, it sold, and when I went to wrap it, I noticed that a sticker from the place I bought it was still on it. I took it off, and the scarf looks discolored under there. I emailed the woman who bought the item two times. I have yet to hear from her! I told her I would refund or sell it to her for 1/2 of what she won it for. Is there anything else I should be doing?

My second mistake is on an auction that ended Dec 19. I sold a KU Sweatshirt. When I went to ship it, I realized I had two sizes in the listing. One was in the eBay drop down item specifics box, and the other, I had typed in the listing. I only have the size XL, not the Medium I think they thought they were getting.. This is my mistake.

I emailed the buyer, asking what size they were hoping to get, explaining what I had done. I offered to refund her payment. I emailed them THREE times. The only email I got back from them was one asking if I had sent them an email. Last night, I emailed again, figuring since many go away for the holidays, maybe she was replying from a mobile device.

Overnight, I got a nasty message saying in a nutshell: "Sir (which I am not!), I won the auction on Dec 19, it's now Jan 4. I told you two weeks ago I want my money back!!!!" Ouch! I wrote back, saying I had never received their email, apologized, and refunded the money. That will teach me about these drop-down item specific boxes and my text! What can I do to make these situations; better? (ie..not get a negative.)

Joslyn, Lawrence, KS

Dear Joslyn;

I understand your frustration. In times like these, it probably wouldn’t hurt to call the scarf buyer, to let her know what happened. To find a buyer’s contact information, do this:

· Click the Advanced Search link at the top of most pages.

· In the Members section on the left side of the page, click the Find contact information link.

· Enter the user ID of the member and the transaction's item number

With the KU Sweatshirt buyer, I think you’ve done everything you can do. I know first hand the item specific boxes can really be confusing to the buyer and the seller. When selling items that have sizes, I always make sure to have the size in the title and in the description.

I hope both your buyers leave positives for your good customer service!

Dear eBay Queen;

I wanted to give Lauren B. from your 12-31-09 article a little more perspective about using Christmas themes. I am a 58 year old Jewish woman, and I get a little turned off with something that drips of the Bible, (ie, God Bless, Jesus Provides, quoted scriptures).

It's my opinion that unless you have a religion based business (like a faith based bookstore), mixing religion and commerce is bad business. Sooner or later, you're going to offend some people, and lose customers and sales. Please realize I am not referencing Christmas per se, or any particular religion. I think it’s important to know, there are lots of people out there looking at your store. You never know what religion they are, or what holiday’s they celebrate.

Why knowingly do anything that will sooner or later cost you money and it’s something that's easy to avoid doing? I think "Happy Holidays" is a lovely greeting that includes everyone, excludes no one, and gets the point across just fine.

Shoot4Stars, Lawrence, KS

Dear Shoot;

Thank you for your perspective. I’m sure it will help other sellers choose their templates and backgrounds.

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 130349418698 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page) I Love Lucy, and I guess other people do too! Check out these Lucille Ball Drinking Glasses. Sold $493.88 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130349418698

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.