posted on May 8, 2008 08:15:30 AM new
I decided this morning to put a blurb about Feedback and DSRs in my shipping notification. Buyers probably won't read because it's rather lengthy but thought it was worth a shot. I will let you know if it helps any (probably will take awhile to help as I have just returned from Oregon and shipped about 150 "late" items.)
I sent about 20 notices this morning with new blurb added. I just got an email from one buyer who thanked me for my "thoughtful" email and said he would be sure to leave Feedback.
Here's how my Vendio shipping notification reads:
Dear XXXXXX,
I have shipped your postcard, item TITLE , eBay Item Number by USPS ; you should be receiving it shortly.
It has been a pleasure doing business with you. I hope you enjoy your postcard. I appreciate your business.
Please take the time to read my "More than a few words about Feedback and Detailed Seller Ratings" below. I hope you will contact me with any problems you have with this transaction.
You can visit my listings by clicking on the "Store Door" below or by visiting www.moodymommy.com
Regards,
Mary Ann Kolb
Seller Name: Neglus
[u]More than a few words about Feedback and Detailed Seller Ratings[/u]
Effective mid-May 2008, Sellers will only be able to leave positive Feedback for buyers. Many sellers have elected not to participate in the Feedback process at all. I will continue to leave positive Feedback because I believe that Feedback is useful in determining buyer experience level.
EBay has introduced a seller rating system based on stars (Detailed Seller Rating). I know that a customary bias when completing a survey of this type is to grade at the “4” level if not “WOW’ed” by the experience. Many buyers will not bother to complete the survey unless they are unhappy in some way. As it works out, Seller ratings are mostly falling in the 4.5 – 4.9 range. A 4.5 rating is considered “poor” and 4.9 “excellent”. Ebay is using these ratings in a number of ways. For example, they award seller discounts and search preferences for very good and excellent ratings. The seller discounts are nominal, but search preference is very important to both buyers and sellers in the postcard categories. Please use care when completing the survey knowing that your rating can have a big impact on the seller’s ability to continue to sell on EBay. If you are not happy with a transaction, the best course of action is to contact the seller and not use an anonymous star rating system to vent your dissatisfaction. If you are happy with the transaction, please take the time to complete the survey and be generous with the “5” star ratings!
I am happy to work with you towards resolution of any problems that may have arisen in the course of our transaction. I offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee return policy. I am basically a one person shop (unless I can persuade my husband and 20-something daughters to lend a hand on shipping) and do make mistakes from time to time. I accept responsibility for those mistakes and appreciate the opportunity to “make it right” for you.
posted on May 8, 2008 08:21:00 AM new
Wow another response:
Hi Mary Ann, Thank you for the update and info regarding the change over
in feedback procedures. I have found, in the 2-1/2 years of bidding and
buying on Ebay, every seller I have done business with to be honest,
friendly and easy to work with. In this way, I have found many exciting
items to add to my collections, mostly postcards and soda bottles, and
of course, those impossibly hard to find items. Everyone I have done
business with has been great! Again, thank you for being so kind and for
offering the cards I have bought. I know I will be more than happy with
them.
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Do you mind if we copy liberally from your blurb? I'd like to use a modified version of it in some of my correspondence with buyers, if you don't mind and I suspect others would also.
posted on May 8, 2008 08:28:29 AM new
Of course - you can copy it , modify it or whatever. I think educating buyers is critical to our survival in this ever changing environment.
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posted on May 8, 2008 09:20:00 AM new
My eyes started to cross in the middle. Too much detail. Here's another version.
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You may have heard that eBay has introduced a detailed seller rating system based on stars. You award 1 to 5 stars in each of four categories. What eBay is not telling you, however, is that a 4, considered a "Good" or "Very Good" rating in the real world, is a failing grade! Sellers who receive any scores less than 4.6 are being charged higher fees to list on eBay. Also, their items appear lower in search results, decreasing the likelihood of a sale and making it harder for you to find what you're looking for.
Please use care when completing the survey knowing that your rating can have a big impact on the seller’s ability to continue to sell on eBay. If you are not happy with a transaction, the best course of action is to contact the seller instead of using an anonymous star rating system to vent your dissatisfaction. If you are happy with the transaction, please take the time to complete the survey and be generous with the “5” star ratings!
I am happy to work with you towards resolution of any problems that may have arisen in the course of our transaction. I offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee return policy. I am basically a one person shop (unless I can persuade my husband and 20-something daughters to lend a hand on shipping) and do make mistakes from time to time. I accept responsibility for those mistakes and appreciate the opportunity to “make it right” for you. If there is anything I can do to improve your buying experience, I hope you'll contact me with your comments and suggestions. Thank you for reading this.
posted on May 8, 2008 10:26:31 AM new
Thanks Fluff - I wasn't happy with my 2nd paragraph. Yours is better. I've changed mine now and made the "Please use care..." a new paragraph. I also added the request for input and thanks at the end - nice touch.
Now I can just hope people will overlook the 2 week wait for their store items (they were warned in my vacation notice, and in a notice in every listing and then again when they paid). I am pretty sure I won't get the 15% discount this month.
posted on May 8, 2008 10:43:35 AM new
Here is what I send after receiving payment. It is short and my ***s have improved.
Hi XXX,
Thank you for your prompt payment. Your item will be shipped on Friday.
Due to new rules instituted by Ebay, please help me to continue to provide excellent items at well below retail. In order to do this, when leaving feedback please leave all 5s with the stars. Ebay requires this of all Power Sellers in order to maintain current services. Your satisfaction is my aim. Thanks for your continued support.
Let me know if there is anything else I can do, xxxxxxx
posted on May 8, 2008 11:23:05 AM newI am pretty sure I won't get the 15% discount this month.
Que sera, sera.
I have a different perspective:
Every morning my eBay cookie expires and I have to log back in. Every day I never know if I will be allowed to or if some greasy-haired slacker has nuked all my auctions while I slept. I've been suspended three times on bogus charges; nothing convinces me that eBay has grown any wiser or more just since then.
posted on May 8, 2008 12:00:25 PM new
Fluff - I know what you mean. Sometimes I wake up at night in a cold sweat dreaming that I have been hacked or that eBay has ended all my listings. I always have a sinking feeling when I log on - any kind of delay makes my stomache turn over, afraid that someone has hijacked my password somehow.
I am not a paranoid person but this job has gotten a LOT more stressful lately. I still enjoy it but am getting tired of dealing with (or fearing) all of these things beyond my control. I guess one thing that is missing is the trust I used to have in EBay. I shudder whenever a new announcement appears. It's getting very hard to see where they are heading with these changes and how they will impact my business down the road. My new fear is that they will roll out the Italian model pricing plan and I will have to revise 9000 store listings. I am all for adapting but all of us have limits to the amount of adapting we can handle. I'd be happy as a clam if I could just list and ship in PEACE!
I am hoping to "take it easier" this summer. My youngest daughter is going to leave for a Pacific Island in August for two years Peace Corps assignment and I want to spend some quality time with her before she leaves. My other daughter will spend this summer here as well and I want to enjoy her because who knows how many summers she will want to do that. I am fearful that announcements at eBay Live will be impossible to ignore. SIGH.
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posted on May 8, 2008 05:49:38 PM new
I've been putting this in my shipping letter for a few weeks now and I've had a few positive comments so far. My rating has gone up a bit as well.
Ebay now offers a detail star rating for every seller. What they don't explain is that anything less than 5 stars lowers the seller's position in searches and increases the amount that a seller pays in fees. If you have a problem please let me know and let's see if we can work it out. A 5 star rating will allow me to continue selling to my customer at a reasonable price.
Neglus, I don't envy you or Fluffy. You and sellers like you must be the most organized people in the world.
posted on May 9, 2008 05:43:41 AM new
I put a graphic like fluff's on my packing slip with a request for 5 stars.
I have a 100% refund for any reason line that I highlight in green. And I put a fresh pencil with my web site address in tubes and a refrigerato magnet in my flats. If I have a second ad that I know my customer might like (and with a million pages unscanned, I do).
I also am trying to ship on the same day as pay and definitely within 24 hrs (except Fri., won't work weekends)
I raised my prices to cover the increases and my stars are sitting at 4.9 and 4.8. Sitting in New York this a.m. pecking on my laptop. Store has been invisible since I'm afraid that customers don't understand that we need vacations too. Just now turned it on.
Beth
