Ebay Comments!

Well, it finally happened! Tragedy has struck! A battle wound has been earned! I received my first negative feedback!!! After being a member of ebay since February 13, 1999 and receiving 863 positive comments I have upset my first customer. Should I quit selling on ebay? Should I curl up in the corner and cry? Or should I be grateful I've had so many wonderful customers and just realize you can't make everyone happy? I think I'll do the latter. I have feared the day I receive negative feedback, I truly thought it would be devastating. However, it wasn't. I had an unreasonable customer and knew negative feedback would most likely result- but I was determined to stick to my guns. Here's the issue. I had a customer win a Ralph Lauren Striped sweater dress- A really cool sweater dress that probably cost $100 or more, new. The customer lives in Japan. I have a flat rate international shipping fee of $14.00- All international customers pay this rate. Whether they're in Canada- which is much less to ship, or Australia- which is much higher to ship. Having a flat rate keeps things simple. It saves me from weighing each item and then having to send a new invoice to each international shipper. With flat rate, they can pay right when the auction closes. Well, at the close of the Ralph Lauren Sweater Dress auction (winning bid was $9.00) I receive an email asking me to reduce the shipping to $7-$9 (This is what the customer says she's used to paying) I explain that my international shipping is a flat rate and includes a handling fee (If you missed the how to ship on ebay post where I explain the purpose of the handling fee go here). Two days later I received another email making the same request- I again repeat my flat rate policy. The customer then pays for the item plus the 14.00 shipping. I ship the item (actual shipping cost $10.76) and receive an email a week or so later, "I received the dress. I paid $14.00, it cost $10.76 I want my refund!" I again email, explaining the flat rate policy. At this point I know negative feedback is looming. Could I have refunded the $3.24 and saved myself- yes. Would it have been fair to all my past customer who have paid the $14.00- even when their actual shipping my have only cost $6.00? No. So I now have my first battle scar. I like to think of it as a little added character to my ebay resume. So, this week I thought it would be appropriate to give a few tips about feedback when selling on ebay.

1. Leave feedback after the buyer leaves feedback: Once you've been paid and shipped your item you may think the transaction is basically over. Usually it is. However, there are a few scammers on ebay. People who say they never received an item, and want a full refund or people that claim your item has some damage and want a partial refund. You protect yourself when you wait to leave feedback.

2. Leave feedback: This is how you build your credibility in the ebay community. I usually sit down once a week and do all my feedback. It saves time to leave the same comment for everyone- as long as it's true. I usually say, "Thank you for your quick payment and a smooth transaction." If they were late to pay I may just say "Thank you for your purchase" If they were so late to pay that I had to open an ebay case (these customers usually don't leave feedback- so I don't leave feedback) I will say, "Took a while to pay, but did pay. As the seller you cannot leave negative feedback, but it's important to state the facts. If the seller received a partial refund- make sure your put that in your feedback. This will help future sellers detect if there's a problem.

3. Encourage your buyers to leave feedback: When I ship my items I send an email that says, "Your item has been shipped. Please leave positive feedback when you received it and are satisfied, I will do the same." Many people don't leave feedback and that's okay, but by sending this message I let them know I won't leave feedback until they do.

3. Don't take feedback personally: If you receive a neutral or negative don't be too hard on yourself. I have definitely become a better seller from some of the issues customers have brought up. Thankfully, most of those customers emailed me so we could work things out without neutral or negative feedback. Sometimes the customer never contacts you about a problem, but leaves negative feedback. There is a way for a customer to retract their negative feedback. If you want to clear things up you may send them the offer for a refund or partial refund if they retract their negative feedback.

4. We all make mistakes: We are human and sometimes we may miss a stain or a hole. I had a beautiful Ralph Lauren Black Cashmere sweater that sold for $36.00. The seller never contacted me with a problem, but in feedback listed, "Item had a hole in the sleeve, but I was able to fix it, so all is okay." I was mortified and sent an apology email. I realize now, after selling for almost a year, that sometimes I will miss these flaws and it's okay. I have a return policy in place so it's not worth stressing over.

5. Karma: I believe in Karma. If you're trying your best to provide quality items to your customers, you will thrive in the ebay community. On a few occasions, when I'm preparing an item to ship (using tape to clear of lint, folding it, etc.) I have noticed a small hole or a stain I didn't see before. It's important to immediately issue a refund and explain the mistake. I can't tell you how many buyers have sent back a thank you and then purchased from me in the future. Only sell quality items- don't hope the customer won't see the flaw- it's just not worth the bad Karma.

I hope this information on feedback has helped. If you'd like to share additional tips, please leave a comment- or a funny story- or maybe a time when you received negative feedback. I think sharing our trials with others makes us all feel a little more "normal". Love, Kelly.