posted on September 7, 2001 09:46:54 AM new
Some of my posters have reported problems with the WBN Express HTML form, but my main problems (apart from the fact that the Help on WBN--esp. the difference between Classic and Express--is very vague) and the reasons I rarely use it, are that:
A) I rarely offer the buyer a choice of postage options. 49 times out of 50 it's either Priority or (for very light items) First Class. A form that asks the user to make a choice from a list of one is confusing and unnecessarily time-wasting for the buyer.
B) The WBN doesn't have a separate Insurance option, or way to indicate it.
C) The WBN doesn't give the buyer a Grand Total. I know they're supposed to be able to add on their own, but I HAVE had buyers write me back after receiving the WBN asking "So how much do I pay you?"
I'd much prefer a text-only message, plugging in fixed amounts and calculating the final figure.
posted on September 7, 2001 09:56:16 AM new
Hi MrWriteLA,
Thanks for posting! Just to elaborate on the difference between the Classic and Express WBNs, the Classic is simply a text only e-mail message that goes out buyers with a link to the online WBN form. The Express version is an html message that contains the WBN form within the message (no link to click on).
A) It is not required that you offer them a choice. You can simply select only one shipping option and enter one price. When they get to the WBN form, that one option will be automatically checked and added to the bid total.
B) You can use the Custom shipping field to quote a price for both shipping and insurance together and label it as such.
C) In order for the WBN to caluculate a total for the buyer, the buyer must fill out the WBN form and click on the final button to send the information to your account. This means that if there is more than one shipping option, they must choose one and then complete the rest of the form -- this will add the shipping to the total.
posted on September 7, 2001 07:17:05 PM new
I have improved my productivity since the new Post Sales program was added but the WBN apparently is not a good tool for the Buyer and has caused me to spend more time managing my post sales and has become agravating to manage. I just recently finished over 100 auctions and 40% of the buyers have e-mailed me (after attempting to use the WBN process)to say they could not get the WBN process to work. Since I have never had an opportunity to test it I can only assume it must have some major process problems. There is no specifics I can give but I imagine I am not along with this complaint. Without a good beginning to our post sales management the program you offer may not stand up to the competition and the cost may not be worth continuing.
posted on September 11, 2001 07:03:00 PM new
I am new to Auction Watch and it may be that I just don't understand how the WBN process works. However, all four of my customers wrote me that the shipping choice option did not work. Is this something I failed to set up properly, or is it the system?
