If you intend to trade as a business on eBay as opposed to an individual you need to choose your ID with care. A little forward thinking goes a long way; would you buy a health care product from wayneluvstracy27? What about from total-healthcare? It’s a no brainier really. Total-healthcare gives a professional image immediately and it describes and defines the business focus from the start, wayneluvstracy27 does none of these things.

 

If you have chosen a bad ID or you now want to trade under your personal ID, you can still change it. However if you have a lowish feedback score if might be worth starting a new eBay account and starting from scratch. Buyers will check out your recent feedback. They may not be as willing to part with there hard earned for that exotic skin cream you are now selling when the last item you sold was your Barry Manilow greatest hits CD. It’s all about perception, of you and your services. You may well be operating from your kitchen table but that does not mean that your service is not as professional as other sellers.

 

When I am choosing an ID I try to avoid the use of the underscore _ simple reason, if you wish at a later date to register a domain name the same as your eBay ID (recommended) look at the following examples: www.pet_parlor.co.uk (there really is an underscore in this domain name) or www.pet-parlor.co.uk see the difference?

 

Why would you want to register your eBay as a domain name? If you are even moderately successful someone will get there before you. It’s all about thinking ahead. Should you wish to setup a website to backend sales then you already have the domain name and your eBay ID as reinforces for each other.

Having established that most wholesale lists are rubbish (I hope) what about other sources of supply?

 

The following are tried and trusted methods of obtaining stock to resell at a profit. As with all things remember, RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH, check out the wholesale prices against those online, it goes without saying you should be looking for products that give you an excellent mark up on your buying price.

 

Use eBay itself, use wholesale, bulk or job lots as a search word, simply break up the package and resell at a profit. This is where the research will pay off, as you need to eliminate those items that are sold as a job lot simply because there is no profit in selling the items separately.

 

“Trade Sales” what you see is not always what you get. Make sure that these are genuine trade sales and not some outfit (cowboy?) masquerading as trade selling to the public. When I was in the computer trade I attended several auctions of computer equipment, these were advertised in the computer press and were a complete rip off. Over 50% of the equipment was non working junk. How I managed not to bid on the lot of 50 non-working CD-ROMs I will never know, but someone did. I suppose it could have been the generous warranty of 24 hours, I will never know. This stuff was auctioned at prices in excess of what you would pay legitimately at the computer fair at the leisure centre taking place at the same time only 10 minutes walk away.

 

Public auctions selling bulk, liquidated or bankrupt stock. A good source of stock, however many auctions take place on weekdays making it very difficult for those of us in 9-5 jobs to attend many. Two other problem are also associated with auctions, they are incredibly time consuming, waiting around for the lot or lots to come up to auction with no guarantee that you will win the auction. Each item needs a description writing for it and each will need a photo for the listing. This is a long and tedious process.

 

Would it be much easier if we could continually sell the same item over and over again? One description, one photo and sell the same time and time again. Where can you find this information? All will be revealed in the next mildly exciting instalment.

 

See you soon

Rob

Why are most wholesale lists rubbish? Here’s why. Ok, let’s make some quick money, let’s feed the appetite of all those eBayers or potential eBayers and show them where they can find products for resale.

 

Here’s the recipe on how to do it:

• Look at the main categories on eBay, look at the “hot markets” in each category (a few hours work).
• Find suppliers in these categories by using Google.
• Select a dozen or so suppliers in each market then copy and paste their URL into a word document.
• Repeat process for each “hot” market (a few hours)
• Decide you have so many wholesalers you can produce several lists. More money!
• Write a listing or sales page saying you are about to reveal all the “Secret Suppliers”.
• Sell all the lists on eBay as “The Best Wholesale List 2009” or “Secret Sources Revealed At Last” or “The Sources Other Traders Don’t Want You To Know About”. Pretty nifty titles?

 

Great recipe, you can update this several times a years and still keep on selling the same stuff, but nifty titles do not a wholesale list make. Hey this would this be a great idea for your first information product (only joking John). The problem with these lists is they have no discrimination. The only thing I have done is to copy and paste the URL, I have not checked out the prices or the products. Anyone can do this and many do. I checked out the number of wholesale lists available for sale on eBay on 22/3/09 there were154 listings for sale. As I said with the majority of these lists there is little real research that has been done and frequently the “wholesale” prices are higher than eBay, Amazon or even online discount stores.

 

So buying a list and expecting to make decent money from it may not be the solution, in most cases you will find it a waste of your money. The wider internet is also awash with dubious lists, so how do you go about obtaining legitimate sources of product that can be resold at a profit? Here are some starters for 10:

 

• Yell.com will bring up your local suppliers; most large cities have wholesale districts, so you will never be too far away from a source of supply.
• Use Google or Yahoo to search for wholesalers, result approx 26,000,000, so we can take a look at some of these in more detail.

 

Next time let’s take a look at wholesalers and other sources of supply in more depth.

 

Rob

Hi Guys

 

Ever thought of selling items on other eBay sites but dona speaka da lingo?

 

It’s easy on eBay.com and ebay.au etc as I am informed that English is widely spoken there. But what about elsewhere? One of the knock on effects of the current exchange rates is the GBP to Euro exchange rate which is very advantageous to buyers in the euro zone. This opens up the opportunity to sell on other European sites. If you have a HOT selling product in the UK it will often sell well in other parts of the world. Only problem they do not speak English. You can get your listing translated, there are plenty of programs and website on the internet that will translate you copy into the most commonly spoken languages. Some are very good some not so, I always use Google translate to answer questions sent to me in foreign languages (I also used it for the title of this post). It is often good enough for this purpose but I would not use it to translate my sales copy.

 

You will need to make the sales copy on a foreign site as professional as it looks on an English language site. Now the services of a professional translator make sound like an expensive option…. But there are other solutions. Try using www.elance.com this is a service that allows e-services to be put out to tender. It works by letting you post a job and people will bid to for the job, it’s a bit like eBay in reverse, the bids often reduce in cost. You can check out each bidder’s satisfaction rating and see sample of their work before agreeing a price for the translation. Use the translation to list on the foreign websites

 

If you have lots of sales copy to translate get this done as one job as it will work out cheaper, some translators work on a fixed fee for every hundred words. Elance have many different services so it’s worth checking out the website and having a look at what’s on offer. As an alternative there is a UK website called www.studentgems.com that also offer a much wider range of services including translation, drop by the website its well worth a look you may see some ideas or services you can use in the future. 

 

Addio per ora

 Yet more ideas on how to deal with the Awkward/Abusive buyer.

 

Answer all messages, question and e-mails promptly and courteously. Never repeat never react even if the sender is rude and never allow your follow up comments on negative feedback to get personal. Keep it factual and professional, these comments are public and posted for all to see.

 

What do you want the public’s perception of you to be? What about the buyer that rants and raves? Exactly!

 

Who are the biggest moaners?

 

Mostly the 99p to £2.99 brigade. Easy just refund their money you don’t need buyers like these. Nothing is ever good enough. These individuals enjoy the thrill of lengthy disputes which makes them feel important. Refund the purchase price but not the postage, this has cost you time and money, clearly state on your listing your returns policy, also remember distance selling regulations.

 

Are you bothered about negative feedback form someone like this? Thought not, it will make excellent reading. Important rules, always be polite and helpful in all correspondence answer it as quickly as you can. Certainly within 24 hours, this could be an auction that is to end soon. Delays can lose you the sale. If you cannot answer within 24 hours start by apologising for the delay. Offer outstanding levels of service.

 

Always offer a guarantee on each item state this in the listings and stick to it. Show you have confidence in your product. The returns policy makes it very plain what your terms are, the buyer agreed to this when they bought the product.

 

If in doubt just refund or replace it wont happen often but how you deal with it will set the tone for your future dealings.

 

Phew! It thought these posts would be rather short but I think I have covered everything I had to say, hope it wasn’t too negative, it wasn’t meant to be.

 

Completely different subject next time.

 

Rob

Dealing with bad eBay feedback and complaints Part 5.

 

Some further ideas on how to deal with the Awkward/Abusive buyer.

 

This next one may sound a little strange. In fact most traders will tell you not to do this! On dispatch of a product I always leave positive feedback. I am unusual in this respect in that most eBayers will tell you to wait until you get feedback.

 

Several thoughts on this: I cannot leave negative feedback anyway. If a buyer has paid me promptly then I regard them as a good buyer, they have trusted me in that they have paid me for my products they have decided that I am a honest trader and have put their trust in me to deliver the service that I say I will.

 

On the other hand if it has taken a buyer a long time to pay, I simply do not leave feedback until they have left it for me first. I think that this strategy avoids any tendency for the “awkward” customer to leave feedback.

 

After dispatch I always send an e-mail confirming dispatch, it is very easy to setup an e-mail template. In the e-mail I thank them for their purchase, tell them the item was posted today (I always give the feedback on a daily basis; It cuts down the work load and shows you are running your business on a professional footing). I thank them again I also include the address of my eBay shop and an invitation to browse the other item I have for sale. Takes seconds, its worth priceless! Remember you are also graded in your detailed seller ratings on your communication.

 

More next time

 

Rob

Dealing with bad eBay feedback and complaints Part 4.

 

How to deal with the Awkward/Abusive buyer.

 

It really goes without saying that your aim selling on eBay apart from making money is customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the key to repeated sales which is how to grow your business.

 

Some simple things can make the process so much easier. An once of prevention is much better than a ton of cure. So some simple measures can make your life so much easier.

 

Always put in a dispatch time for the item. I always give my dispatch as 2 working days, but 95% of my sales are posted the next working day. I get great feedback for my speed of service. I have a friend with a hectic life who cannot post items midweek so he clearly states that all items will be posted on Saturday morning’s 1^st class post. Being up front about his post times has done him no harm at all.

 

Set up an e-mail template if someone sends you a message saying that their item has not arrived. Mine is dead simple, I just ask them to be patient for a few more days and then quote the delivery times for different classes of post from the royal mail website. royalmail.com. I then ask that if they have not received after a stated number of days (you need to choose this number) to contact you again and you will deal with the problem immediately.

 

Be true to your word. It is possible to offer 5 star service with a 1 star budget. If people like your service they may tell others. If they don’t, they will tell everybody. Always obtain a certificate of posting. Unfortunately there are a small number of buyers who never receive any item that is posted to them; you can usually get a feel for them in the wording of the e-mail they send you. I had one that never received any item that was sent to him. I simply put him on the blocked bidder list.

 

I always replace the item or offer a refund; the buyer can then decide how to proceed. At the worst all that has happened is that I have lost my profit on the product. For overseas I usually just refund outside of Europe, USA, Australia and New Zealand.

 

Really simple but it stops a significant amount of repeated messages and e-mails asking “where’s my stuff”? If you have more than one eBay identity you must have a separate e-mail address for each identity.

 

Remember to check this regularly. Don’t make the mistake I once did and assume that a buyer will contact you through the eBay my messages system.

 

I had rather one irate buyer who had not received their item blowing his stack because I was not answering his e-mail. He eventually contacted me though the my messages. Not a happy bunny, to make amends I refunded him all costs and sent a replacement product. Ok it cost me, but I have never overlooked checking e-mails again. His feedback was phenomenally good.

 

More next time

 

Rob

Dealing with bad eBay feedback and complaints Part 3.

 

So what other circumstances would I think it would be a good idea that negative feedback can be left?

 

Well there is no problem as a buyer you can! It’s the circumstance the seller finds themselves in. This one is really easy. Fraudulent, fake and items that are significantly not as described, poor service at any level.

 

I will admit that item not as described can be rather a grey area, one persons accurate description is not always the same as another’s accurate description. I once sold some genuine Ralph Lauren bath robes bought from a well respected clothing wholesaler these were selling in the high street stores at up to £99; mine were on a BIN at £22.50.

 

One of my buyers e-mailed me to say that the item was a fake and they wanted their money back, oh and by the way they were not going to pay the return postage of nearly £6. If I did not refund then they would take out a dispute, contact trading standards etc.

 

Although I knew the product and the company were both the genuine article, and the robe was accurately described with a photo of the exact item which I took myself. At that time I only had a feedback score of 57; I panicked and offered a full refund plus postage to protect my feedback.

 

Would I do the same again? Not a chance, we must remember that 99.99% of buyers and sellers are good honest people.

 

More next time.

 

Rob

 

 

 

 

 

Dealing with bad eBay feedback and complaints Part 2.

 

More on feedback.

 

If you have a lowish feedback score early negative feedback can at first appear devastating. Remember that you will receive MANY MANY more positive comments than negative.

 

Some time ago I was reading Mike Enos’s e-book eBay Zero to Hero (recommended) and he gives some good advice. A few hundred feedbacks show that you are a good honest trader. A score of 500 or more is as good as 5000 and a few negatives on a high score makes very little difference.

 

My score as I write this is 2143 with 1 negative; this gives me a customer satisfaction score of 99.9%. Very impressive but still irritating! I recently showed a friend my eBay detailed seller ratings. Guess which one he looked at first? Not the 93 pages of positive feedback. Human nature I’m afraid but I don’t think I would be any different.

 

So ok in what circumstances would I like it to be possible to give negative feedback to buyers?

 

• Non payers, there appear to be little in the way of sanctions against these people. Ok I know you can have an unpaid item strike against your account, but unless you have a certain number in a short space of time, you can carry on “buying” Remember eBay don’t want to lose buyers.

 

This is very irritating because in any given month 10% of my sales result in non payment. I can reclaim my final value fees after a predetermined time which is higher for auctions than for BINS. Ultimately these “buyers” cost me money. I once had a non buyer who “bought” a whole range of products from me which cost me £85 in sales.

 

I can add these people to by blocked bidder list. But what does that mean? It’s not likely that they would buy from me again anyway.

 

So I should be able to leave a negative for non buyers. Remember that distance selling regulations mean that a buyer has 7 days to change their mind. It’s the law!!

 

More next time.

 

Rob.

Dealing with bad eBay feedback and complaints Part 1.

 

The eBay feedback system changed several months ago to only allowing sellers to leave positive feedback for buyers. This caused a great rumpus at the time in the eBay forums, with weeks of mostly negative comments about the changes.

 

So what was the problem and does it still exist? EBay perceived the system that was in place at the time was prone to manipulation. It was easy to gain positive feedback by buying enough 25p e-books so therefore buying positive feedback for a small amount of money.

 

It was also used buy a smaller number of sellers as a lever that they would leave bad feedback for other members if they failed to leave positive for them. Many including myself disliked the changes. I had very mixed feelings over the matter. Although I disliked the idea of using feedback as a lever over another seller or buyer, I disliked the fact that feedback could be bought.

 

I though the changes were ill thought out from the seller’s perspective as eBay were trying to keep buyers to make more money. The thought of negative feedback is a great disincentive to using the site.

 

Just after the changes were made I received an e-mail threatening that if I did not send double of the product I was selling for the same price as a single item I would get bad feedback. Needless to say I did not send another item free. Needless to say the negative comment was duly left and is still visible today on my detailed seller ratings (it is the only one).

 

So what can you do if you receive negative feedback? Well you can get mad; throw a wobbler, scream, shout etc, etc. Do you feel any better? Did it change anything? No.

 

Sometimes you just have to roll with it. You can ask the buyer or seller for mutual feedback withdrawal, where both parties agree to have there comments removed. It can work, it happened for me once but don’t hold your breath!

 

Continued next time

Rob.