Feedback is your most valuable asset on eBay. Good feedback lets people know that you're a trusted and valuable member of the ebay community. It comforts buyers and lets them know that you aren't going to take their money and run. What you don't want to do is screw things up and get a bad feedback score or have somebody leave you negative feedback. Negative feedback can really hurt your eBay sales.
If you want positive feedback, make sure you are doing these things:
FREE SHIPPING. The first thing that you want to make sure that you're doing is offering free shipping on every item you sell. I talked a lot about free shipping in my past posts. Free shipping is one of those things that allows you to get a perfect score each time in the shipping category when a customer leaves feedback. Offering free shipping is a psychological thing that when people see, they want to buy your product over a competitors. Even though the prices might be exactly the same with combined price + shipping, they'll still want to buy the item that says "Free Shipping."
SHIP QUICKLY. The second thing that you want to do is make sure that you ship the item within 24 hours of purchase. This can be difficult for some, but in order to become a top rated seller on ebay, you need to be shipping items out within 24 hours of receiving an order. Make sure that you get the tracking number of the package up on ebay within 24 hours.
PACKAGE WELL. The way you package your item makes a huge impression on how you run your business. Don't package your items in the oldest shoe boxes you can find at your house. Nobody likes to receive an item that they just purchased in a nasty, old box. Free boxes are always available at your local post office, or find some boxes at a local store. Make your packages and packaging look professional, or at least the best that you can. Click here to find free supplies.
RETURN POLICY. People like to buy from people who offer a return policy. A 14 day return policy is typical and will help you sell many more items. I've been selling on ebay for years with a 14 day return policy on every single item listed. 99.9% of the time you'll never have anyone ask to return an item. Even if you do, the sales you will be making through offering the return option will far outweigh any costs of an actual returned item.
LEAVE FEEDBACK. As a seller you will have the option to leave feedback for your buyers as soon as they have paid for the items. I usually leave a buyer positive feedback after they have paid, I have shipped the item, and I know that the item has been delivered. Don't be too quick to leave positive feedback, you never know who may want to cancel an order. If I haven't received feedback from a buyer within one week of delivery, I send them a gentle reminder message that looks something like this:
"Hello _______,
I just want to make sure that you received the item you ordered and that your experience with me has been a positive one. If it has been, please leave positive feedback when you have a chance. If for any reason the experience has not been positive, please let me know so I can find a solution. I have left positive feedback for you. Thank you! "
In the end, just make sure that you are doing everything within your power to offer excellent customer service. People are generally good hearted and willing to work through any situation that arises. Make sure that you are willing to go above and beyond in your transactions, and you'll always have happy buyers.
FREE SHIPPING. The first thing that you want to make sure that you're doing is offering free shipping on every item you sell. I talked a lot about free shipping in my past posts. Free shipping is one of those things that allows you to get a perfect score each time in the shipping category when a customer leaves feedback. Offering free shipping is a psychological thing that when people see, they want to buy your product over a competitors. Even though the prices might be exactly the same with combined price + shipping, they'll still want to buy the item that says "Free Shipping."
SHIP QUICKLY. The second thing that you want to do is make sure that you ship the item within 24 hours of purchase. This can be difficult for some, but in order to become a top rated seller on ebay, you need to be shipping items out within 24 hours of receiving an order. Make sure that you get the tracking number of the package up on ebay within 24 hours.
PACKAGE WELL. The way you package your item makes a huge impression on how you run your business. Don't package your items in the oldest shoe boxes you can find at your house. Nobody likes to receive an item that they just purchased in a nasty, old box. Free boxes are always available at your local post office, or find some boxes at a local store. Make your packages and packaging look professional, or at least the best that you can. Click here to find free supplies.
RETURN POLICY. People like to buy from people who offer a return policy. A 14 day return policy is typical and will help you sell many more items. I've been selling on ebay for years with a 14 day return policy on every single item listed. 99.9% of the time you'll never have anyone ask to return an item. Even if you do, the sales you will be making through offering the return option will far outweigh any costs of an actual returned item.
LEAVE FEEDBACK. As a seller you will have the option to leave feedback for your buyers as soon as they have paid for the items. I usually leave a buyer positive feedback after they have paid, I have shipped the item, and I know that the item has been delivered. Don't be too quick to leave positive feedback, you never know who may want to cancel an order. If I haven't received feedback from a buyer within one week of delivery, I send them a gentle reminder message that looks something like this:
"Hello _______,
I just want to make sure that you received the item you ordered and that your experience with me has been a positive one. If it has been, please leave positive feedback when you have a chance. If for any reason the experience has not been positive, please let me know so I can find a solution. I have left positive feedback for you. Thank you! "
In the end, just make sure that you are doing everything within your power to offer excellent customer service. People are generally good hearted and willing to work through any situation that arises. Make sure that you are willing to go above and beyond in your transactions, and you'll always have happy buyers.
here are a few books that will be helpful to anyone looking to make it big on ebay:
