posted on May 11, 2002 12:54:32 PM
I take great pains to accurately describe my items and try to "sell" them to possible bidders as best I can. (Sometimes, my text is usually copy-and-pasted by other sellers to sell their own stuff--grr!) But I will often see the same item being sold, with no photo, very little TOS; maybe "watched once, played good comes with box, buyer pays shipping"---and they have a ton of bids?!?!?
Am I adding too much? Maybe I should just give a short bullet-form TOS and see what happens.
posted on May 11, 2002 01:36:05 PM
I have tried long and short TOS and I think there is a happy medium. I give a good description of the item and at least 3 photos. Then the payments I take and that the buyer pays shipping and insurance.
I don't think people read those long TOS and I for one leave if I start seeing things about Negative feedback and other threats. I know a guy that sells that is one of those 1 line description people and it seems like he gets a lot of bids. After talking to him one day about eBay he says he averages 20% deadbeats. I sell the same type things as him and I average about 2% deadbeats.
He also gets a lot of returns and have had 3 in over 4,000 eBay sales.
posted on May 11, 2002 04:42:37 PM
I use a short and businesslike TOS. It takes only five lines, but covers accepted payment methods, shipping methods, timing of shipments, international considerations, sales tax, and the "reserve the right to hold checks" statement. It's enough to give the information that a bidder needs to know, but not so long that they'll skip reading it.
As far as the item descriptions go, the length and complexity of my description depends a lot on what I'm selling. A lot of mass produced items can be sold with a very brief description of the item and its condition. When dealing with collectibles that have particularly picky collectors, then details of the condition become very important. Collectibles that might be hard sells may take a longer description in order to find the right person - a lot of paper collectibles fit this category. For instance I've sold a number of older magazines by mentioning an artist, writer, or subject found in a magazine by people searching the descriptions. Generally I try to stay pretty matter-of-fact with the item description, but if I'm selling an item that really is fun or I know is very desirable to the collectors, I'll definitely "talk it up" a bit and/or add some humor to the description.
posted on May 11, 2002 07:20:40 PM
My most recent round of auctions have a lengthy TOS and seem to be doing OK. Below is a link to one of the auctions. Any opinions?
posted on May 11, 2002 07:29:38 PM
I'm one of those sellers who doesn't have a TOS and seldom a picture or lengthy description.
I just came to two conclusions: A) Buyers already made up their mind when they read the Title, B)They can't comprehend more than a couple lines.
Since they already made up their mind based on the Title, I don't want to say anything to change it. It works for most items. Books require more description; Posters need pictures.
posted on May 11, 2002 08:28:12 PM
Hi Marcn,
I think your TOS is ok - lengthy, but informational. It doesn't contain all of that "pay or I'll neg you in 7 days" negativity. I noticed you use Sellers Assistant. I've asked this questions numerous times on this board, and can't seem to get an answer. I like the thumbnail pic that accompanies the search page. People say it's because you list directly through ebay, others say you have to pay 25 cents for gallery to get the picture there - do you know which is correct? And if I use Misterlister or another one of ebay's programs will I get the pic?
As far as pictures go, I don't care what I'm selling, I put at least one picture of it in the auction.
posted on May 11, 2002 08:33:15 PM
Your TOS seem just right. You state all the important information, and nothing more.
My philosophy is: Put the TOS there. Even if the bidder never reads them, they have to abide by them if they were available prior to bidding. This comes in handy if they file an eBay insurance claim against you. If you have nothing there, then you can't rightfully enforce them.
posted on May 11, 2002 11:21:23 PM
Marcn - Your TOS may be lengthy, but more importantly you use breaks and bold fonts to break it up so it's easy to read. My main problem with sellers who have a long TOS is that they ramble on without any breaks at all. Often the item description (one or two lines) runs directly into the TOS, which then rambles on incoherently for two pages like the Unibomber's Manifesto. It's really sad that some sellers don't bother to learn enough basic HTML to insert a paragraph break.
Ohmslucy - I don't think you overdescribed the item, with the possible exception of including the patent/serial numbers. I don't think most collectors care or are even aware of the patent/serial numbers. Of course kitchen appliances aren't my forte, so I could be wrong. Otherwise, I think all the data you're giving is pertinent, well layed-out, with plenty of excellent and fast-loading images.
posted on May 11, 2002 11:58:20 PM
I don't know, holdenrex, is it really possible to give TOO much information? If you give as much info as possible, not only will it impress the people viewing your auction, but it will eliminate many of the questions that always show up.
I sold some cordless phones a while back, and not only were bidders asking for serial numbers, but they also wanted to know the version of the software that was programmed on the telephone! This was only available by pressing special codes in on the phone.
I think the more info, the better, and the more detailed the TOS, the better. It saves headaches later on.
posted on May 12, 2002 12:24:43 AM
There's nothing wrong with a lengthy TOS. It lets the bidders (if they feel inclined to read it) know exactly what to expect.
If the TOS is hostile, they will know to expect hostility if something goes wrong. That's why I steer clear of those types of auctions. I know exactly what to expect.
posted on May 12, 2002 05:26:47 AM
"I don't know, holdenrex, is it really possible to give TOO much information?"
I guess the answer to that is whether or not the additional details actually sell the product or at the very least answers bidder questions so they don't have to email you. The answer to that comes down to how well you know your product and its market. We can't always anticipate the bidders' questions or figure out in advance what "hot button" will attract bidders, though experience in any given field will improve one's skills. I know that in some cases I have sold a product or (even better) got a bidding war started due to a seemingly minor detail in the description. In other cases, I've written exhaustive details only to have the item not sell or go very cheap, at which point I felt like joining the "write up one-line of description, post it and see if it flies" crew.
Also, information will only "impress" the bidders if what you post is accurate and knowledgable. For instance, I frequently see people selling items licensed with "Peanuts" comic strip characters who will say the item in question is from 1958 when in fact the item was produced long afterwards ("Peanuts" merchandise usually carries copyright dates of when the character was copyrighted, not the production of the item itself). It's a common mistake, but in a case like that, details based on an incorrect conclusion makes the seller look less knowledgable. So details are great, but make sure you only state what is observable or what is known as fact. This goes double for anybody who adds the detail of "SUPER-RARE!!!" in hopes that the bidders won't notice the other forty identical items up for auction at the same time, but that's probably another issue altogether.
Marcn - Good listing. All the info is there. About all I would do is, if possible, move the picture closer to the top. Your TOS is a bit long but does cover all the bases.
Thanks all for the comments on my auction. I think pictures are very important because as Quickdraw says, buyers don't take in more than a line or two. Breaking the text into short paragraphs helps.
Mcjane - thanks for fixing my link.
Tomwiii - Good catch! Grammos (as opposed to typos) are just one of my many vices! (tee hee)
The thumbnails are added when you use the gallery image which is the $0.25 extra fee. I have only used this for one week and may only do so for 1 more week. I do get more page views using gallery but the number of bids seem to be about the same.
posted on May 12, 2002 08:58:23 AM
Thank you all for the input on my listings. I am reworking a new layout which will be used tonight and I will post a link to one of them when listed for review.
posted on May 12, 2002 10:40:46 AM
About Feedback: Once payment is received, your part of the bargain is complete. As far as we are concerned, your only obligation is to pay for your winning bid. We do not believe in holding feedback for ransom. Once you pay, we leave feedback!
Kudos to marcn.
I wish more sellers here at AW did the right thing and hold up to their end of the deal.
posted on May 12, 2002 11:23:21 AMAs far as we are concerned, your only obligation is to pay for your winning bid. We do not believe in holding feedback for ransom.
I'll start buying from you. And then when you send me the item, I will claim to have never received it, and will neg you when you don't refund my money.
AND THERE WILL BE NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT! HWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
That's OK...All items are insured with delivery confirmation so you would have to fill out a claim form and if you want to risk mail fraud charges...go right ahead!
posted on May 15, 2002 09:33:17 PM
"I'll start buying from you. And then when you send me the item, I will claim to have never received it, and will neg you when you don't refund my money.
AND THERE WILL BE NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT! HWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Sounds like to me that you don't e-mail your customers letting them know that you shipped the item and with which carrier. You probably don't let them know when payment was received either. If you do, you may say the item will be shipped 24-48 hours. Not good enough. You need to e-mail after you ship to let them know it is on the way.
PS: If you neg me, I would do the right thing and respond to the neg, not leave a retalitory one. As a bidder, I look to retalitory negs and avoid those bad sellers. The ones that respond are for more reliable and honest.
posted on May 16, 2002 03:32:25 PMSounds like to me that you don't e-mail your customers letting them know that you shipped the item and with which carrier. You probably don't let them know when payment was received either.
I email my customers within 10 minutes of auction end, when payment is received, and when item is shipped. As my feedback states, our communication is excellent, and our packing is superb. We offer refunds if the customer emails us within 3 days of receiving product (we use DC on every package) if the for any reason. We have not had to issue a refund yet (one person emailed to get a refund, but when he found out that we mark all our merchandise with a special UV stamp, he never emailed again).
We leave feedback within 24 hours of our bidders leaving feedback for us, and have had very few requests for feedback. Those who request it are promptly emailed, and told that feedback will be issued as soon as it is left for us. All have left feedback, and we have done likewise.
hint