Education & Training
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Determine the Impact of Your Selling Terms

We have all seen them - auction ads that have a warning in huge red flashing font about getting paid on-time, leaving feedback or other warnings to prospective bidders. Most of these terms are reactive and related to a handful of problems.

The best business practices are not built on reaction, but rather, built upon on what moves your business forward. Ask yourself if any of your policies and terms is the result of a problem with one bidder or one situation?

If so, why not take a few minutes and re-examine your terms by asking yourself if the policy could negatively impact the prospective bidder's impression of your auction.

Here's an example of a term that may seem relatively innocuous, but is in fact not bidder friendly:

"We give negative feedback to deadbeats, if you are not going to pay DON'T BID."

Does this statement move the business forward and encourage bidding? No, you probably should not use the term DO NOT BID anywhere in your terms or in your auctions as it's an unnecessary warning. People are going to pay you or they are not.

Simply change the wording to something like this:

"We always leave glowing, positive feedback for our fast paying customers."

The message is essentially the same, but geared toward the positive experience while saying to potential non-paying bidders that know that you do use eBay's feedback system. Big letters and threatening verbiage is not necessary to communicate your policies.

Here's a litmus test that you can try for a weeks in order to determine the validity of this tip. First, create a Vendio template for an A - B Test.

For example: Track non-paying bidders using an A - B test. (All A Auctions have the first terms and B Auctions have the second terms). There are 6 outcomes that impact non-paying bidders.

  1. Negative Message - less NPB, more NPB or no change
  2. Positive Message - less NPB, more NPB or no change

There are also 6 bid conditions that also should be analyzed.

  1. Negative Message - Less Bids, More Bids or no change
  2. Positive Message - Less Bids, More Bids or no change

Remember, ask the question, "Does this move my business forward?" and if you don't know the answer - take some time and find out.