posted on December 12, 2000 10:38:00 PM new
Potential bidder wrote and wants to know if I'll drop the $.35 Delivery Confirmation fee as she "doesn't feel DC is necessary".
Part of me says what the heck, her risk, her money. Other part of me says no, I have it set up that way for a reason and that's the way it ought to be. and geez, if you're going to be so uptight about $.35, then what will be next.
My terms clearly state $3.55 for Priority Shipping w/ DC. What would you do?
posted on December 12, 2000 11:42:23 PM newcix Good point about dropping the reference to D.C. Gives them nothing to argue about. On the other hand, though, do you really think your increase in sales is due to having no terms? I'm just trying to cover my butt every which way I can, without having my terms end up as long as War & Peace. I figure having it all up front will cut down on the number of emailed questions such as "will you ship book rate" and "do you hold checks"... and having a payment deadline allows me to neg 'em and move on when they're OBVIOUSLY not going to pay without them being able to come back and say "but you never told me it had to be within 14 days!" or anything of that sort. Plus, my return policy, so they know BEFORE they bid that I generally don't take stuff back and refund unless it's my fault so I don't have people thinking I'm Wal-Mart. I am afraid to remove these things, for fear of leaving myself open to argumentative or just plain unscrupulous sorts.
On the other hand, I've been needing to review and shorten my "terms" section for a while so this gives me pause for thought. Thanks.
posted on December 13, 2000 02:13:19 AM new
I was searching for items I collect last night. Went in to look at auction that really looked interesting. The description was 2 sentences long, told me absolutely nothing about condition, size, color. The TOS was 7 paragraphs long and sounded as though I wouldn't receive the items anyway because no one could comply with all the terms. I did email the seller about why I didn't bid and am very disappointed that he/she got no bids at all.
posted on December 13, 2000 12:58:50 PM newI had terms and all that junk and realized the bidders were not reading them and I was turning away bidders.
If bidders aren't reading your TOS, how can your TOS be turning them away?
posted on December 13, 2000 01:10:18 PM new
DITCH D/C. WASTE OF $$$$.
www.usps.com says deliver confirmation only confirms delivery to zip code only. If you sent something to my zip code it would be one of 44,000 doorsteps, including residences, business, churches, bar, restaurants, et., etc.
Why make your bidders pay for something that does not protect either one of you?
What I meant is the winners of my auctions were not reading the TOS because I still got Deadbeats and several questions that were answered in my TOS.
What I meant by turning potential bidders away was that the few people who did read my TOS were not bidding on my items because A - They read and did not wish to adhere to my TOS and B - Some were offended by the TOS.
I know for a fact my sales have gone up since I removed my TOS and I still get the occasional DEADBEAT which is the only reason I even put TOS in my auctions.
Honest bidders do not want to read TOS that says what will happen if they do not complete the transaction and how fast they need to make payment. This makes them feel like they are being treated as deadbeats before they even bid.
bitofagrump makes a good point, "Put you TOS on your ME page and reference it in your EOA and when people email you with questions if appropriate."
posted on December 13, 2000 01:30:44 PM new
I've been looking at this thread for three days, trying to figure out how I would compose a civil reply. I just can't do it. I think the bidder showed incredible chutzpah to waste your time haggling over thirty-five cents. Oops, I'm getting PO'ed all over again.
posted on December 13, 2000 01:33:46 PM new
My shipping terms are very simple and straight forward. "$7.00 in the continental US, $10.50 to Canada". I have never had any complaints about this straight forward approach. The bidder knows from looking at the auction what to expect after the auction.
posted on December 13, 2000 01:43:19 PM new
I'd be concerned about why she didn't want DC. Her reasons might be innocent enough, or she might be one of those bidders that routinely demands a refund because they "never received" the item, and she wants to make it tough to prove that she did. I pay for DC myself, and charge my buyers just the actual postage. I figure $.35 is cheap proof of mailing (especially compared to a $.60 Certificate of Mailing for First Class, which isn't even trackable AT ALL). If it doesn't show up at the destination, I can at least prove it was shipped, even if the buyer chose not to insure it.
posted on December 13, 2000 05:56:27 PM new
About DC: I understand the point others make about it only confirming delivery to a zip code, but it still allows me to PROVE that I shipped the item... and I feel it gives me a bit of leverage if I am ever unfortunate enough to deal with someone who tries to claim I didn't send their item.
I don't charge handling fees ever, I try to keep costs down as much as possible, and to date, I have yet to have anyone complain about the DC $.35 charge until this person wrote me. I want them to either buy insurance or pay for DC, either or. I wrote her back and told her as much; she can opt for insurance and I'll drop the DC charge! I must admit I seriously wonder about someone who will complain about *thirty-five cents*. <sigh>
Did I mention she also wants me to suspend my normal check hold time for her? She has over 45 positive feedbacks, she says, so she feels I should do like other sellers do and ship the item immediately even though she wants to pay via personal check.
She also asked about 10 questions that were already covered in the auction description, and aske another 10 that implied there was something wrong with the item that I was hiding. Ya can't win.
bitofagrump good point about Walmart, again. I will move my TOS to my About Me page in my next batch of auctions and just put a link in from the auction page to my terms. Will save me work in the long run anyway, at least when cutting & pasting.
One final word about DC: when Postal Rates go up, I will most likely pay the DC myself as well, but I do feel it has some value.
On the other hand, though, do you really think your increase in sales is due to having no terms? I'm just trying to cover my butt every which way I can, without having my terms end up as long as War & Peace. I figure having it all up front will cut down on the number of emailed questions such as "will you ship book rate" and "do you hold checks"... and having a payment deadline allows me to neg 'em and move on when they're OBVIOUSLY not going to pay without them being able to come back and say "but you never told me it had to be within 14 days!" or anything of that sort. Plus, my return policy, so they know BEFORE they bid that I generally don't take stuff back and refund unless it's my fault so I don't have people thinking I'm Wal-Mart. I am afraid to remove these things, for fear of leaving myself open to argumentative or just plain unscrupulous sorts.
