posted on April 24, 2001 09:34:53 AM
Good morning everyone!
I had an auction that had several questions asked and I took some extra time answering them and getting better photos up on it. The auction just ended at about $60 higher than what it was sitting at-- thanks to my questioning bidder. :0)
So remember those questions are worth answering! :0) What a great morning!
posted on April 24, 2001 10:10:40 AM
I learned with one of my first listings to answer every question as accurately as I possibly could and it's definately paid off ever since.
I had an old HP electronic calculator that had been given to us by a friend in a box of computer junk. I stuck it in the cupboard then one day decided to clean some stuff out of that cupboard. I asked around the house and no one had any use for the calculator so I decided to list it. I didn't even have a way to put a picture in the auction. A potential bidder wrote asking a ton of questions to which I replied. I thought this guy must be half nuts wanting to know all of this stuff about an old calculator being sold as/is, possibly not working. The calculator ended up selling for over $50! I had no idea they were highly collectible, LOL.
The people who have written asking questions have also been some of the best teachers I could have as for what information to look for on particular items and where to find them. Slide rules are usually a good thing to sell and there's all kinds of little numbers and hopefully documentation to go with them. The more of that kind of thing you add to a listing, the higher price the auction brings. Questions are a good thing and I love to answer every one. I've only had a couple people write then not bid and in fact, usually the one who wrote ends up being the winning bidder.
I've seen various threads here about questions askers never bidding on an item. I hope sellers don't get discouraged by having questions asked, because it can end up being a real bonus (as ashlandtrader found out!).
In my experience as a buyer, there are several reasons I don't bid after I've asked a question:
1. The seller's description was so poor or incomplete that I had to ask the most basic information--and found out I didn't want it when the seller answered my question(s).
2. I asked the question early on intending to bid, but a couple of days later the price raised past my limit.
3. The seller never answered my question, and I wasn't about to bid on something that may or may not be what I wanted.
4. My snipe was unsuccessful, either with sniping software or by myself. I've had SEVERAL auctions where I enter my maximum bid very close to the auction end, but by the time I get through the verification screen, it says my bid was not enough to meet the minimum. There isn't time to go back and revise it even if I want to. Of course this is only true on really HOT items that go sky-high in the last minute or so.
I know there are a lot of really stupid people out there who want to know things that are already in the title or description, but many of us fall into one of the categories above.
BTW if you seem to get a lot of legitimate questions (and even some illegitimate ones <lol>, you might take a look at the way you do your descriptions. Are you REALLY describing your item throughly? Is your description one long paragraph that it hard to read? If you get the same type of question on more than one auction, maybe you need to get enough expertise in that category to know what buyers of that product look for. (AW posters are a pretty savvy bunch, so I'm sure ALL of you have wonderfully clear and complete descriptions!!)
posted on April 24, 2001 10:52:24 AMmcbrunnhilde, you are absolutely right on! There is only one thing I would add:
#3) The seller never answered my question, and I wasn't about to bid on something that may or may not be what I wanted, or from someone who won't take the time to answer a simple question.
There are times I am willing to risk bidding a lesser amount if I am not sure, but if the seller can't take the time to answer a question, I figure their customer service sucks and so I won't bid.
posted on April 24, 2001 12:40:02 PM
mcbrunnhilde:
Great list! Although, let me add a fifth reason not to bid after asking a question:
5) Found identical item for sale by another seller who either answered my question in their item description OR responded to my question before the first seller did. (This reason shows why sellers should respond to questions ASAP before other sellers take their business!)
I was going to do #3 exactly as you suggested, but I remembered that I actually won an auction that I never got a response from--it was so dirt cheap that I couldn't pass it up (and it ended up being a very nice item, worth at least twice what I paid for it).
Eauctionmgnt,
I'll add to your #5 by saying "OR saw another auction with an even worse description or misspellings, and it was even cheaper 'cause no one else ever saw it!"
I do answer questions when asked, but it does get tiresome at times. I try to be polite and thorough when answering, of course. I want their bid. But most don't bid--that's a fact, for me anyway. I'm not trying to discourage anyone. If anyone asked me, I would tell them to absolutely answer all questions as promptly as possible.
I think I write good descriptions. I give all the information I can or that I know. If it's long and wordy, I break it into paragraphs. Admittedly, I don't always know enough about an item to tell what they need to know.
posted on April 24, 2001 02:23:28 PM
I'm selling some new old stock electronic parts. They are old parts, but still new in boxes, and they are tested to make sure they are still good.
One guy emails to ask me to convice him that these parts are new as I say they are. I've got a bunch of good feedback, some recent feedback for the very same thing he's asking about. I found it to be quite insulting.
Well, I'll quote him:
"How can I, as the buyer, be sure these are new?"
I wanted to tell him:
How about because I say they are and I have the feedback to back it up, you doofus.
posted on April 24, 2001 04:20:49 PM
I try to answer all questions as quickly, courteously and thoroughly as possible. While it is true that your answer doesn't guarantee a bid, if you don't answer it almost guarantees they WON'T bid!!! I'll take every bidder I can get! I've found several repeat customers through my diligence in responding quickly and professionally to inquiries.
posted on April 24, 2001 04:35:39 PM
If you think answering questions are tiresome, anticipate what you think the buyer will ask and put that in your description.
I've even comtemplated writing a FAQ for each recurring auction item I list.
posted on April 24, 2001 10:35:30 PM
It may appear that the bidders that ask questions do not bid but............. In the old days when you could easily get email addres When I asked a seller a question, I used my email address that is not even registered with ebay! Why? Partly because I did not want the seller to look me up! I figure if they think I am new or not if they do not take 10 seconds to answer my questions them they do not want my bid.
I will also confuss that I have emailed sellers that are selling something I have and need some answers before I can sell my item.
So I may ask you a question and bid but you would never know that I am the one that asked the question.
I ALWAYS answer my bidders questions. Probably in more detail then they ever wanted. I even thank them for taking the time to email me. Most of them bid and bid high I might add!
posted on April 25, 2001 04:40:08 AM
Thank you for this thread! Yep, if I ask a seller a question and they don't reply, it guarantees that I will not bid on their item. (Perhaps that is what they prefer?!) It happened again just this week. I found some pretty jewelry, but had some questions not answered by the ad. So I emailed the seller early in the auction. They never replied. The auction ended last night at just a couple of dollars over the opening bid. If I had bid I would have bid $10-15 more than what it sold for.
Violetta
(Not known by this nickname anywhere but here.)
posted on April 25, 2001 04:47:17 AM
6) ebay's new anti-SPAM email system allowed a message to get to me from another person who offered me the same thing I was looking at ... the same system that I tried to use when asking the real seller a question.
Sellers who don't answer simple questions like "how much to ship to Canada" don't deserve my business especially when their TOS states "International bidders must contact me for a shipping quote prior to bidding". I still think this is the fault of ebay - I can't believe that there are that many ignorant sellers out there!
[ edited by Juggheadd on Apr 25, 2001 04:48 AM ]
, you might take a look at the way you do your descriptions. Are you REALLY describing your item throughly? Is your description one long paragraph that it hard to read? If you get the same type of question on more than one auction, maybe you need to get enough expertise in that category to know what buyers of that product look for. (AW posters are a pretty savvy bunch, so I'm sure ALL of you have wonderfully clear and complete descriptions!!)
