posted on July 3, 2000 07:07:58 PM new
Here's the preface: I am going to be out of town from July 11th to Aug. 10th. I intend to list some auctions and have them "re-list" 2 times if they don't sell so they should be done by the time I return. I am also going to give them the option to pay by PayPal so if they submit their payment before I return the item will be shipped out on Aug. 11th since all items are on hand.
My question is: How should I word the payment info so bidders will know I am on the "up and up" and not trying to pull a fast one over on them?
You need to post IN YOUR AUCTION LISTINGS (in BIG, BOLD type no one will overlook) that you will be away between those dates, and tell people to ONLY bid IF they are willing to wait for an August 11th shipment. You shouldn't wait until AFTER they've won your auction to let them know in email---they'll be mad and post negative feedback for you. Many bidders are buying for gifts and have deadlines for receiving the goods; others just want instant gratification and will buy elsewhere to get merchandise sooner.
posted on July 3, 2000 07:51:33 PM new
Granee, thank you for saying that! Over the last couple of months I've had three sellers who ended their auctions, sent their EOA, and told me only then they were leaving for vacation, that shipment would be held up until they got back.
Now I'm not some kind of horrible person, but did find this very unsettling. When I get payment right out I sort of expect to have what I've paid for in a couple of weeks--not have to wait that long to hear that the payment was received.
posted on July 4, 2000 03:52:59 AM new
Mahalo for the help Granee, can I run this by the board and see tell me if it sounds good. This will be at the top of my auction description:
<b>IMPORTANT NOTICE: I WILL BE OFF ISLAND FROM JULY 11TH TO AUGUST 10TH. DO NOT BID ON THIS ITEM UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO WAIT
UNTIL AUGUST 11TH FOR SHIPMENT. If you submit your payment before I return
your item will be shipped out on Aug. 11th. If you would like to pay by Visa,
Mastercard, Amex, or Discover/Novus you can call me at (***-***-****) and I can take
down your info and process your card. Checks and money orders should be made out and sent to: (my name and address will go here). Please include your name, your street
address, what auction you are paying for, and your email address.</B> Hope this will be easy to understand and everything goes smoothly. Talk to you folks soon.
Aloha,
Ernest
P.S. How do you put smiley faces into posts??
[ edited by paulsspecialtygifts on Jul 4, 2000 03:54 AM ]
posted on July 4, 2000 06:38:36 AM new
Ernest, to be very candid, if I were browsing and cam upon these TOS I would find them completely suspect. I am not meaning
to be rude, but do you really expect someone to make a long distance call to give a stranger on the internet their credit card
number only to have to wait an extended length of time to find out if they have been taken or not? Same thing will sending you a
check? What buyer is going to want to mail their payment to your unattended mailbox?
I would postpone selling until I was available to take care of business. If I were a buyer in the area you are sell in, and saw this,
not only would I not buy then, I would not buy from you ever because I would recognize your id and have concluded that there
was a high probability that you were a scam artist trolling for the gullible.
posted on July 4, 2000 07:33:33 AM new
I agree with VeryModern. I would not bid on your auction. Why not set it up through Auction Watch to launch it the week before you get back and have it end when you are home?
posted on July 4, 2000 09:42:36 AM new
I agree with VeryModern and toolhound, I don't really see a benefit to having the auctions going when you are gone for a month! That's a long time. I would either wait until you come back and are available, or if you are anxious, you could follow toolhound's suggestion, and schedule the auctions on AW to post a few days before you come back. Even if you put it HUGE on the top of the auction, I am sure there will still be buyers that will get upset that they haven't even received an EOA notice from you for possibly weeks since the auction ended. I understand your eagerness to sell, but I wouldn't do what you are suggesting, I would wait.
posted on July 6, 2000 02:15:39 PM new
Thank you everyone for your input, I will wait until I get back to start up my auctions. The only problem I found with scheduling auctions is you can only schedule them 10 days in advance. Maybe I can find a internet cafe or go to Kinkos and schedule them a week before I get back. Take care and talk to you folks soon,
Ernest
Over the last couple of months I've had three sellers who ended their auctions, sent their EOA, and told me only then they were leaving for vacation, that shipment would be held up until they got back.
