posted on October 28, 2000 10:50:15 AM new
ok i feel paranoid that my terms of auction may be too long so i am looking for opinions on whats the best way to list terms and what exactly are the best terms........
I feel imust include the following, payment postmarked within 7 days of auction end; not responsible for uninsured items, damaged or lost; do not bid if you do not intend to buy; email me with any questions..........
so what are your opinions, what do you use, SOMEONE SET A STANDARD to be used..........Let the games begin!
posted on October 28, 2000 11:03:19 AM new
When I use my "fancy ad" I have this in very small print:
I accept MO's, Cash (not really recommeded) and personal checks. International bidders
more than welcome, but of course shipping quoted is USA rates. I never hold for checks, but do mailings on Tuesdays and Fridays, so a check or MO received on Friday goes out Tuesday. You may also want to take into consideration, if you choose bookrate, it can be very slow. Turnaround time could be as much as 2 weeks. I do aim to please though and if you have a rush order for a special occasion just let me know and it will be
gotten out as quickly as possible. Thanks for looking and bidding.
When I just write up a plain ad I have none. Either one seems to work quite well.
posted on October 28, 2000 11:03:24 AM new
I personally don't think there is a "one size fits all" TOS. I think TOS should be as short as possible. Telling someone not to bid if they don't intend to buy is not necessary. If they don't intend to follow through, your putting this in the TOS isn't going to change their behavior. ebay email addys are available, buyers already know they can email you with questions. You might want to say "don't bid until you have all questions answered that will affect whether and/or how much you bid".
As to the insurance question, IMO sellers are setting themselves up on this one. If a seller were to say "you didn't insure it, not my fault it didn't arrive", the buyer may assume the seller didn't send it and file fraud charges. After all, do you expect the buyer who doesn't know you, to take your word for it that you actually sent their item? If it arrived broken, the buyer may accuse the seller of shipping it broken and again file fraud charges for not describing the item accurately (broken).
I like TOS that are short, polite and to the point. "Payment appreciated within xx days, shipping will be xx, xxxx is included in this price (insurance, priority, handling,etc.). I will ship within xxx. Payment methods I accept are xxx.
[ edited by london4 on Oct 28, 2000 11:09 AM ]
posted on October 28, 2000 11:10:58 AM new
Personally I use PayPal preferred, however
Postal Money Order/Cashiers Check accepted.
No personal checks please. Payment within
10 days of auction close.
It works for me. I repeat the above paragraph when I email the winning bidder also.
posted on October 28, 2000 11:11:29 AM new
In the most generic of advice I recommend you keep your TOS as short as possible, no threats, and don't assume your buyers are thieves.
If you've got to choose between the "Paranoid TOS" and the "Naive TOS" by all means go with the "Naive TOS".
If the mail order companies employed the some of the terms I've seen in some auctions they'd be a memory.
posted on October 28, 2000 11:37:54 AM new
When I use to have long drawn out TOS my sales droped off to nearly no sales.
I droped all the TOS I state only payment forms we accept and the fact that our shipping days is usually saturday afternoon
and ammount I will need for shipping thats it.
no extra handleing fees no extra fees for paypal use no bounus discounts for paying with check or money order just straight forword.
in my invoice or EOA I state the same thing but I add my policy of no returns in the case of shipping damage if there is damage I request a picture of the damaged package either before it was opened or a picture of the item damaged and the open package, they would have to produce both to make postal insurance claim any way this saves money on double shipping and time for both partys.
there is a rule in for these terms of services and sales never volenteer more info then is nessary always add to your listings if you have question ask and leave your email address this way different buyers will be able to write and ask about the things that concern or might effect them
posted on October 28, 2000 01:32:37 PM new
I don't bother with TOS, just the payment options, shipping cost, email me your address and that's it. I put a little extra in my EOA, but I believe my enforcement of timely transactions is what counts NOT what I tell them. How about something like this:
JUST DO IT!
I wonder what it costs the American economy to light a fire under people to write a check and put it in the mail upon notification. Incredible.
posted on October 28, 2000 04:24:27 PM new
Here 'tis:
Terms of Sale
Buyer pays actual shipping costs for shipment by USPS Priority Mail (minimum $3.20). Insurance extra, if desired; buyer accepts risk for shipping uninsured items. MO and credit card payments ship immediately; shipment with personal check held for 10 days. We accept VISA/Mastercard through PayPal or Yahoo! Paydirect.
posted on October 28, 2000 09:02:34 PM new
Really love this thread as a seller's long, involved, threatening, or just very self-concerned TOS will turn me off even faster than exorbitant postal charges. Demanding payment postmarked in 7 days is being pretty uptight unless you routinely have buyers who tend to delay. And not being responsible for the mdse. you sell if the winner doesn't insure it, is an indication to me that you have been burned many times by bidder claims of lost, damaged or stolen merchandise.
What I mean, is that unless you are experiencing an inordinate amount of dishonest, slow and or deceitful buyers, why would you assume that all buyers are out to take advantage of you? Assuming you are a buyer on occassion, is this the way you treat sellers when you buy? And do you pay more attention to sellers who insist you shape up (in their ads) over the ones who don't?
The email part is good. Many buyers are slow to email a question, especially if they are new to eBay. Telling them you are happy to answer questions is a kindness and a positive thing.
Assume the best, pacoferrone. If you are really wanting your winners to do something special to conform to your rules, put it in your EOA. Go out of your way to treat people with kindness, respect, patience and good customer service. That is the way to build your business and sleep better at night.
Sellers who seen overly concerned with their bottom line are saying to me they only care about one person in the transaction between us and it isn't going to be me. Some sellers nearly blast their suspicions about my abilty to be a decent human being worthy enough to bid on their auctions. I'm not a bidder on those auctions, no matter how much I might want the item.
As a seller, I could not afford constant losses from sales gone bad any more than you probably can. But my job isn't to anticipate or worry about that. My job is to get and keep as many buyers happy as I possible can. A third of my bidders are repeat customers. Concern yourself with that and you will have far more positive than negative experiences.
posted on October 28, 2000 09:09:58 PM newdo not bid if you do not intend to buy
Totally unecessary. Believe it or not, nothing will stop deadbeats from deadbeating, especially your TOS.
In fact, anything even remotely confrontional should be removed, as those warnings are really directed at only the worst buyers, and they don't give a damn about the warnings in the first place. The best buyers (majority) don't need warnings and should not be subjected to them.
posted on October 29, 2000 12:48:02 AM new
At the Ghengis Kahn school of marketing they stress certain phrases in an auction's TOS. You will find they have been put to use by many on eBay.
Deadbeat bidders ............17363
Non Payment..................20735
Negative Feedback ...........25048
No Exceptions................46550
Serious Bidders Only.........56263
posted on October 29, 2000 05:08:18 AM new
COOLCOLORS
I guesss you failed to read my entire post, i was not asking for a critique of my terms. I was asking for others to post their terms, thinking we all may be able to garner some hints on how to list our own terms.....I guess you have not been in the game long and are just happy to get payment at anytime........you and many buyers fail to understand that auctions are not layaway. When you win at a live auction you pay right then and there, not next week or next month.........thus my requirement that payment be postmarked within 7 days of auction end.....Many list payment must be received in 10 or 14 days. That is basically the same as 7 days postmarked except it gives some room because you have to deal with the usps...........
posted on October 29, 2000 06:28:03 AM new
Boy, there've been some GREAT posts on this. I agree with all those espousing a basic KISS principle. I do the same.
Buyer pays actual shipping plus insurance (I don't give them an option on that), followed by payment options. Everything else is (a) unnecessary (b) boring and (c) offputting.
In general, I try to avoid those Sellers who seem to have a chip on their shoulder (no matter how *well earned*), and the bigger the chip, the more leery I am. Who needs it?
Edited: one word too many where it shouldn't have been
[ edited by CleverGirl on Oct 29, 2000 04:35 PM ]
posted on October 29, 2000 06:29:19 AM new
I use a polite but possibly long TOS, but mine is reached via a link in our ad, to keep all that out of my ad,
The TOS is repeated in our Winner's Notice.
After 5 years I have discovered that 90% don't read it anyway - how do I know, because I have people write asking if I have shipped their item, when I haven't even received payment yet - or will I be shipping the same day payment is received.
We deal in many very difficult/delicate items to pack,(antique stain glass windows, etc) and have lots of customers, and ship items in the order payment is received - we explain this in our Winner's Notice, but it actually is a waste of time - no one hardly reads it.
We are VERY clear about the type of payment we accept, but again, we constantly get questions which are answered in the ad, and the winner's letter, etc.
If I were going to change my TOS, I would NEVER use a negative approach, that really turns me off, and I think it does buyers too.
posted on October 29, 2000 09:38:19 AM new
Good morning pacoferrone: Sorry about the critique of your terms. I picked on your thread to sound off on my pet peeve and that wasn't fair.
I did read your entire post and many other posters have commented on the terms you want to include and those were also critiques. Believe it or not, I was giving you my opinion because I thought it might help. There is such a thing as constructive criticism.
I just have a very hard time not wanting to put the customer first. They are my bread and butter. Most are sending payment well within the time limit you suggest. Sure, a few are slow but it is part of the online auction venue, which is neither layaway nor an on-site auction. By the way, I send payment within a day or two of an auction closing when I buy. And I am not new but I am always happy to get payment. That is a sucessful auction.
I'm not suggesting you lay down for buyers and let them walk all over you. I am suggesting that the good people bidding on auctions generally outnumber the bad seeds by a healthy margin. That has been my experience. It seems counterproductive to lump everyone all together with the worst case scenerio in mind. It's a hugh turn off for me and many other bidders so if you are doing things like that, and I'm not saying you are, your business might improve if you become more customer sensitive.
mballoi said it best. Payment options, shipping cost, and the line about emailing questions. That is all I do. You asked for a standard. How about the Golden Rule. That would give you a great guide to including any terms you don't mind seeing.
posted on October 29, 2000 10:12:35 AM new
I read a TOS this morning that was wayyyy out there! The whole thing was in letters 1/2" high! All in bold black! I felt like I had been personally threatened and I really wanted to bid on that item but was afraid to. What if my payment arrived late due to USPS? Would they send Uncle Vito to my front door to break my knees? Sure sounded like it.
My TOS says:
Buyer pays actual shipping and insurance. Mulitple items will be combined for shipping whenever possible. Payment accepted with paypal, check or money order. Please email with any questions. Thank you for stopping by.
posted on October 29, 2000 03:38:37 PM new
Payment options, shipping cost and email. That's all!
Whenever I see a threatening tos, I don't bid.
About insurance...I think that insurance is the seller's responsibility. As a seller, I don't insure inexpensive items but anything over
a comfortable amount for you to deal with should be insured.
