posted on October 5, 2000 08:53:36 AM
Seems to me that *some* buyers want their hands held, and want you to send them a jillion emails on a 9.99 item:
1. Let me know when you get my payment
2. Let me know when you ship.
3. Asking a million questions after the auction is over. (do you think I can use it for...? Where did you get it? How long have you had it? etc.)
4. etc....
Come on people, I email you and let you know how much to send, and where to send it. What more do you expect on a $10 item? How much time can some one devote to a $10 sale? Thinking real seriously about not selling anything on ebay for lesss than $25.00
posted on October 5, 2000 09:03:47 AM
I specialize in low dollar items, rarely does a deal go over $25 for me.
I like email, I'm addicted. If the buyer wants to email me, go for it. It's fun & I've made alot of friends this way. If the buyer emails you after mailing payment, for example, you are pretty much assured it's not a nonpayer. It's nice!
To be nice in return, I will email when I ship. If there is a delay between receiving payment & shipping, I will let them know that, too.
Remember, many buyers are new to this. From their standpoint they are sending money to a stranger, they are thinking, will I really receive what I paid for? They are just cautious, and as they buy more & more (hopefully from you as well as others), their confidence builds & they feel better & more confident about buying on the net. They gotta walk before they run, and before they can walk alone, ya gotta hold their hand. No biggie!
"Patience, my dear!"
Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.
[ edited by ksterni on Oct 5, 2000 09:04 AM ]
[ edited by ksterni on Oct 5, 2000 09:05 AM ]
posted on October 5, 2000 09:09:56 AM
I tell people right in my EOA that I will let them know when payment is received & when their item is shipped. It takes me a couple of seconds---I use one combined email that says I received their payment & that their item will be shipped today/tomorrow/Monday. I use a program to check off when the payment arrives & in what form & amount--just 2 clicks to compose the whole letter & one more to fire it off. Buyers are very appreciative, too! (I know when I buy I like to know this information.) Your first two questions really don't take much effort, but then again I have a 5 year old that asks me about 10,000 questions a day
posted on October 5, 2000 09:20:50 AM
Ya'll are right about the "let me know when my payment gets there". I have a cut&paste to take care of that, but some of the email exchanges I've had over $10 items makes me want to pull my hair. I very much believe that if I've put more than 1/2 hr total time (emails, packing, picture taking,listing, mailing, ect)into a $10.00 sale, I've spent to much time on it. If I can't make more on my time than a teenager gets working at Mcdonalds, I'll quit selling $10.00 items.
posted on October 5, 2000 09:43:42 AM
Yes - I don't need pen pals. I especially dislike the ones who if you are just normally friendly add you to their joke/political/Jesus/family/charity/support group/ newsletter and remail list.
posted on October 5, 2000 05:55:32 PM
Macandjan: Yep! I got one of those just today. It was one of those missing kid e-mails that has been forwarded a dozen times. Naturally the recipient list is showing, so my e-mail addy went out to at least 100 strangers on this one e-mail alone. I am simply thrilled.
I went to an urban legend site, found said
"missing child" (who was missing for a total of two hours, btw), and pasted the info to the sender. I also sent the URL so they could check future warnings and missing kids and virii, etc. I even explained about sending things BCC so it doesn't show all the e-mail addys forwards get sent to.
Gee, think I heard back? And honest, I was nice as pie.
Sigh.
My apologies for this OT stuff, Microbes!
Here, to make it legit, it is time-consuming to answer or write e-mails for every step of the way. But, that said, I do it, simply because sellers need some way to set themselves apart. I didn't use to e-mail to say that payments arrived or that I have shipped, but I decided it was worth it.
Now it's not as bad, since I ship the same day payments arrive, so that cuts down on one right there.
I just t hink that there's so much competition that it's good business to spend the extra time if you can.
posted on October 5, 2000 07:08:19 PM
First, even if a seller doesn't want to "hold the hands" of buyers, we all need to do that for each other and for the future of Ebay.
Second, if you owned a real shop on a real street, and a buyer entered your shop to discuss--at some length--one of the items you're selling, would you consider it hand-holding or just plain good customer service?
Third, my long background in customer relations and service (for a chamber of commerce, a public radio station, a large non-profit, and a major hospital) says, gut level, that good customer service pays off. You get what you give; what goes around comes around, and this world is too small now, our global village too large, for any of us to diss other human beings. End of sermon!
posted on October 5, 2000 07:27:11 PM
I guess I'm a e-mail nut,I e-mail when receive payments, thanking the customer for their payment.I also e-mail and let them know when I shipped their item.I answer all e-mails about the auctions no matter how much the item is being sold for or how goofy the questions are.I feel it is a must for new bidders,I want them to feel save in bidding on my auctions.After all we DO want them to keep bidding and we DON'T want them to quit buying.
posted on October 5, 2000 08:09:39 PM
Well here it is it takes NO EMAIL to close a deal not a single one the deal is closed with the high bid.
How ever it take at least one end of auction letter with you address Item and shipping total and accepted payment method Item number and so on with a thanks for there bid and interest in your auction and for visiting and bidding.
it takes at least one email to notify buyer that you received there payment with a thanks for there fast payment.
it take another to let them know you have shipped and Item is on the way and to thank them again for the bid and let then know you hope to see them at the auctions again.
and then a fallow up email or postcard finily thanking them for there interest and letting them know you left positive feed back for them a good salesman might even add a list of current and up comeing items in there auction and a link to there website as well ALso A note with there Item of this same nature as well
so that is 5, 3 emails min and two personal notes and the more you and your auction booth URL can be in there mind the better for you .
WWW.dman-n-company.com
