A lot of people really don't like using ebay or have had some bad experiences in the past. This how-to guide is designed to help users maximise their ebay experience and hopefully avoid unscrupleous operators.The reality is, ebay is a fantastic tool that enables you to purchase and sell slot orientated items to people around the world, sometimes at great prices. Even if you never purchase or sell anything on ebay, ebay enables you to determine the market value of some of your slots. Sometimes you can be amazed at what that slot you purchased a few years ago is actually worth today!
All that being said, there are some simple things you can do to ensure you get the most from your ebay experience. The following guide won't prevent you from meeting unscrupleous operators or guarentee you'll get a million dollars for your next sale, but it will help to stack the odds in your favour.
- Always clearly and promptly communicate. The golden rule of ebay is to "Communicate, communicate, communicate"
- Always use Paypal if you are dealing overseas, http://www.paypal.com.au/au
- Never leave negative feedback unless you have NO other option
- Never take an aggressive tone when dealing with people on ebay
- ONLY deal with sellers who have good, current feedback
- Avoid sellars with low feedback especially containing negative comments
- If you're going to deal with sellars with low feedback, request the payment method be COD, (cash on delivery). This is particulary important if you're dealing with an inexperienced ebay sellar, someone with less than 10-20 feedback
- NEVER bid seriously on an item till the ABSOLUTE last second. The exception to this rule is if you won't be able to bid when the auction ends. In this case, leave your bidding as late as possible or have a friend bid for you
- NEVER re-bid on an item once you're the highest bidder, an unscrupleous sellar can use this against you
- For valuable items, insist on registered post or insurance to cover your item
- Always leave feedback once you have received your item and are happy
- Promptly contact the sellar if you are unhappy with the transaction and explain clearly why you're unhappy
- When selling, clearly list any sale conditions you have and if you're a buyer, be sure to read these
- You can embed photos of your item in the description field using the image HTML code reducing listing fees. To embed an image, go to the item description section, click the HTML tab and enter the below code where you would like your image. In the below code, the text 'your_image-url' is the URL for your image.
- Professionally pack your item, think about how you would like to receive an item in the mail
- NEVER list an item to end on Friday night, Saturday, Sunday, public holiday or during a holiday period
- List all items with a low starting price, it gets the bidders interested and the auction going
- Keep postage costs to an absolute minimum, buyers are turned off by inflated postage costs
- It's VERY important to have good, clear photos of your items. Photos show buyers exactly what condition your item is in so make sure your photos are in focus
- Avoid listing an item with a reserve as bidders simply don't like it
You can host your item images for free at Image Shack;
View ebay's 'Safe Trading' tips here;
View ebay's 'Start Selling Sucessfully' pages here;
No comments:
Post a Comment