The Telephone Table - Part III

My telephone bench is in another stage of her facelift.  I purchased some spackle, filled in all the upholstery holes and here she is all sanded down, ready to paint.  

I purchased antique white paint along with some dark wood stain.  I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.  

I’m sure you’ve picked up on my symbolism of this project; how both a telephone table and I have been pulled apart and rubbed to the core and unsure where we will stand when it’s all over.

That’s how it felt when eBay shut down my store.

Over 6 years on eBay and I can honestly say eBay felt like part of my family.  Occasionally a bit overbearing, most often something to brag about, an overachiever that put the rest to shame, eBay exceeded all my expectations.  I loved every minute, learning, sharing and posting on eBay rarely felt like work.

So six months ago when my power seller status was removed, I tried to figure out what happened. 

I had over 5,000 positive feedbacks and 3 negative feedbacks, so I was certain it didn’t have anything to do with that.

I read through an email eBay had sent, stating I had received 4 below average ratings on a new star ranking system they’d put into effect.

The start ranking system, called the detailed seller rating, divides up into the following categories:

• Item as described
• Communication
• Shipping Time
• Shipping and handling time

Each of these categories is ranked with 5 stars; 5 being the best and 1 being the worst.

I was selling over 500 items a month and still thought positive/negative feedback was the final word on customer satisfaction.  I took great pictures, described the material and condition, if an item was lined, had pockets, elastic waistlines, etc. and measurements in each listing and shipped in a timely manner.  I didn’t respond to specific emails from potential bidders, asking if I would measure the opening of the bottom hem of a pair of jeans or find the item number on the tag inside a dress.  My business was built on quantity.  

In addition, I started getting emails from customers asking about shipping/tracking information.  At the time, I was still taking my packages to the post office and printing the shipping labels off the automated machine.  It seemed overwhelming to print the shipping labels at home.  I didn’t understand the new technology, weighing everything, etc. and felt it was easier to print labels at the post office.

If I did receive an email from a customer about shipping/tracking, I would email the customer back, saying their item had been mailed and they should receive it any day.

What started was a waterfall of unhappy customers.  People didn’t want to wait a few days for a package they couldn’t track. In addition, customers started complaining that they weren’t getting their item and without tracking information, my only option was to refund their money.

So, with the encouragement of Kelly, I started printing my labels at home.  It was so much easier then I realized.  By doing this, the customer automatically received an email with tracking information saying the package was on its way and when it would arrive.

I didn’t think much of the loss of my power seller status until I received an email stating I was on probation and until I improved my star rankings, I could only sell 100 items a month.  Still uncertain what it all meant, I called into eBay customer service.  I was told by a supervisor to better communicate with my customers, to email each one of them after they purchased an item from me, to thank them for their patronage and to let them know I wanted them to be 100% satisfied with their purchase.  I was told to improve my customer service.

“Is there a way I can reach all my customers through a mass email.  Does eBay provide that?” I asked.

“No,” she said.  “You’ll have to email each individually.”

I was surprised to think that was the answer to me getting off probation, but it was worth a shot.

Only problem was, the next week my store was shut down.

My store had over 160 items listed and from one day to the next, it was all gone.

Even with over 30 items with bids.

GONE!

I couldn’t believe it.  I was never told my store would be shut down.

Problem was, I had received one too many below average start rankings.

So I called eBay again, certain they’d understand my dilemma.

I sold used clothes.  I did my best to describe each item, to ship in a timely manner and to leave positive feedback to my customers.

If a customer was unsatisfied (which was about once every 3 or 4 months), I would refund their money, including shipping.  It was how I'd worked eBay for over 6 years.

I only had 3 negative feedback, so who/how/what possibly could be leaving such poor star ratings?  Why did the stars take the place of what had worked so well for so long?

I did a little research and found my answers too late.  

If you sell on eBay, join me this week as I tell the story of how I lost my eBay store.  I’ll give you the truth about what happened and share with you my ideas so this will never happen to you.

But please, don’t feel sad for me.  Not only do I have the counselor by my side, but working on a vintage telephone table has been great therapy.