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List cell phones and PDAs for just 5¢
eBay Launches New DSR Reports for Sellers
Link to announcement
eBay Holds Listing Sale on Gadgets
Link to announcement
Shipping Services Prepare for Worst, USPS Makes Cuts
Link to press release
How-to
Auctiva Articles
News
Online Payment Options
The 10 Best Resources for eBay Sellers
Top 13 Tips of PowerSellers
It’s All About You
How to Reach 5.0 On Your eBay Detailed Seller Ratings (DSR's)
Another friend of ours that is also an Education Specialist trained by eBay, gave us these tips on how to increase your DSR's or Detailed Seller Ratings. We wanted to pass these along to you. Please check out the items she sells and her feedback rating. Her eBay seller ID is hunter-gatherer.
Accurate Item Description:
** I do my best to write an accurate/detailed item description & include a good picture (or pictures) ... . including mentioning/showing any flaws in the item.
** I insert my pictures within the written description, especially if there are any flaws/problems. That way I can describe the flaw and show the picture of the area described ... making it easier for bidders/buyers to get a clear understanding of the condition.
** I include a "condition" section that summarizes the condition of the item.
Communication:
** I answer any questions received right away.
** If I add something to the item description, after there is a bidder, I contact the current bidders to let them know about it.
** When the item sells, I send an invoice and put the following info in the message section.
(1) Congratulations on winning this auction.. or .. Thank you for using Buy it Now to purchase this item.
(2) Payment is due by month/date ...I give the exact date, not just time frame (such as in five days), to avoid any confusion;
(3) I tell the buyer "I will post feedback when I receive your payment and send you an email to let you know when I will ship your item (so they know what happens next) and (4) a note to "please let me know if you have any questions.
** When I prepare the item for shipping, if I discover that I missed something in the item description ... I write to let the buyer know and give them the option of canceling the transaction or (in some cases) receiving a partial refund.
** When the payment arrives, I post feedback for the buyer and then I send the buyer an email .. thanking them for their payment, letting them know I already posted feedback for them and when I will mail their package. I also include a reminder about the USPS estimated time frame for delivery (which I think also helps my shipping DSRs).
** If I find out that I cannot mail the item on the date I told them I would, I send them an email explaining the delay. .
** I include a personal, hand-written thank you note on the packing slip.
Shipping Time:
** I state, in my item description, that I mail items within one business day of receiving payment. And, with rare exceptions, I am able to do this because I already prepared the item for shipping, so I could include accurate shipping information in the listing. Then, when the payment arrives, I just have to print and attach the shipping label and take the package to the post office.
** If the payment arrives early enough in the day, I mail the item the same day payment is received. If not, I mail it the next business day (as stated in the item description).
** And, as I mentioned above, when I notify the buyer I am shipping the item .. I remind them about the estimated delivery time.
Shipping & Handling Charges:
** I offer two to three shipping options for all listings (unless it is something big like furniture or a car) ... as I think buyers like to have a choice in shipping method and cost.
** I include a section in my item description about shipping .. letting bidders/buyers know that (1) I do not charge a handling fee and (2) that I will gladly combine items for shipping to save them money on postage. If I offer free shipping, I mention this, too.
** When I ship the item, if I find out I can ship it for less than the buyer paid for shipping, I (in most cases) refund the difference to the buyer.
** I print the postage amount on the shipping label.
And.. three other things I do, in certain circumstances.
Free Shipping Upgrades - Usually this happens when the buyer pays for parcel post shipping, but priority mail is not much more. By giving them a 'free shipping upgrade' I actually save money, as I can use the free USPS boxes & get free delivery confirmation. But sometimes I do it because it is a repeat customer or someone who has just been extra nice to "work with". Sometimes I don't tell the buyer that I've done this .. but often I send the buyer a note to say something like "To thank you for your fast PayPal payment, I have upgraded your shipping to priority mail so you will receive your item a bit sooner" or "I wasn't able to mail your package within one business day of receiving your payment, so I've upgraded your shipping to Priority Mail so it will still arrive 'on time' or "To thank you for your repeat business, I've upgraded your shipping to priority mail."
Free Insurance - When a shipping upgrade isn't financially feasible, but I still want to do a little something extra for the buyer, I sometimes pay to add insurance on the item. And send a similar thank you note, but mention that although I've never had an eBay item lost or damaged by USPS, I've paid to add insurance to your item.
Free bonus item - Since I've been hunting and gathering for a very long time . . . I often have extra items (such as stickers, a post card or spare part) that relate to something I've listed/sold .. so I tuck one in the box as a little surprise for the buyer.
Posted by biddingpros, Monday, November 3, 2008 at 5:06 PM
Another friend of ours that is also an Education Specialist trained by eBay, gave us these tips on how to increase your DSR's or Detailed Seller Ratings. We wanted to pass these along to you. Please check out the items she sells and her feedback rating. Her eBay seller ID is hunter-gatherer.
Accurate Item Description:
** I do my best to write an accurate/detailed item description & include a good picture (or pictures) ... . including mentioning/showing any flaws in the item.
** I insert my pictures within the written description, especially if there are any flaws/problems. That way I can describe the flaw and show the picture of the area described ... making it easier for bidders/buyers to get a clear understanding of the condition.
** I include a "condition" section that summarizes the condition of the item.
Communication:
** I answer any questions received right away.
** If I add something to the item description, after there is a bidder, I contact the current bidders to let them know about it.
** When the item sells, I send an invoice and put the following info in the message section.
(1) Congratulations on winning this auction.. or .. Thank you for using Buy it Now to purchase this item.
(2) Payment is due by month/date ...I give the exact date, not just time frame (such as in five days), to avoid any confusion;
(3) I tell the buyer "I will post feedback when I receive your payment and send you an email to let you know when I will ship your item (so they know what happens next) and (4) a note to "please let me know if you have any questions.
** When I prepare the item for shipping, if I discover that I missed something in the item description ... I write to let the buyer know and give them the option of canceling the transaction or (in some cases) receiving a partial refund.
** When the payment arrives, I post feedback for the buyer and then I send the buyer an email .. thanking them for their payment, letting them know I already posted feedback for them and when I will mail their package. I also include a reminder about the USPS estimated time frame for delivery (which I think also helps my shipping DSRs).
** If I find out that I cannot mail the item on the date I told them I would, I send them an email explaining the delay. .
** I include a personal, hand-written thank you note on the packing slip.
Shipping Time:
** I state, in my item description, that I mail items within one business day of receiving payment. And, with rare exceptions, I am able to do this because I already prepared the item for shipping, so I could include accurate shipping information in the listing. Then, when the payment arrives, I just have to print and attach the shipping label and take the package to the post office.
** If the payment arrives early enough in the day, I mail the item the same day payment is received. If not, I mail it the next business day (as stated in the item description).
** And, as I mentioned above, when I notify the buyer I am shipping the item .. I remind them about the estimated delivery time.
Shipping & Handling Charges:
** I offer two to three shipping options for all listings (unless it is something big like furniture or a car) ... as I think buyers like to have a choice in shipping method and cost.
** I include a section in my item description about shipping .. letting bidders/buyers know that (1) I do not charge a handling fee and (2) that I will gladly combine items for shipping to save them money on postage. If I offer free shipping, I mention this, too.
** When I ship the item, if I find out I can ship it for less than the buyer paid for shipping, I (in most cases) refund the difference to the buyer.
** I print the postage amount on the shipping label.
And.. three other things I do, in certain circumstances.
Free Shipping Upgrades - Usually this happens when the buyer pays for parcel post shipping, but priority mail is not much more. By giving them a 'free shipping upgrade' I actually save money, as I can use the free USPS boxes & get free delivery confirmation. But sometimes I do it because it is a repeat customer or someone who has just been extra nice to "work with". Sometimes I don't tell the buyer that I've done this .. but often I send the buyer a note to say something like "To thank you for your fast PayPal payment, I have upgraded your shipping to priority mail so you will receive your item a bit sooner" or "I wasn't able to mail your package within one business day of receiving your payment, so I've upgraded your shipping to Priority Mail so it will still arrive 'on time' or "To thank you for your repeat business, I've upgraded your shipping to priority mail."
Free Insurance - When a shipping upgrade isn't financially feasible, but I still want to do a little something extra for the buyer, I sometimes pay to add insurance on the item. And send a similar thank you note, but mention that although I've never had an eBay item lost or damaged by USPS, I've paid to add insurance to your item.
Free bonus item - Since I've been hunting and gathering for a very long time . . . I often have extra items (such as stickers, a post card or spare part) that relate to something I've listed/sold .. so I tuck one in the box as a little surprise for the buyer.
Posted by biddingpros, Monday, November 3, 2008 at 5:06 PM