posted on January 31, 2001 09:08:52 PM new
Look, you may or may not believe me; however, my sales on eBay are very good. Tonight they were SHOCKING. Almost like the "good old days." I sell vintage collectibles and low end antiques.
eBay is not dead, it's not even ill from my sales perspective. It is not over, and I can't stress it enough. It is OK...
I have tweaked and tuned my eBay business since 1997. Growing, adapting --> CONSTANTLY. This is my "partial" advice for success.
1: Item descriptions must be accurate. For example, look at glass under bright light or eye piece. Note even the fine, superficial scratches. "Great condition with no chips or cracks" isn't good enough, be detailed. Is the glass sheen cloudy from calcium or lime build-up? How about porcelain or pottery dinnerware. Is it in excellent "unused" condition. Or used condition? Are there any utensil marks on the glaze? Stains, superficial marks from storage or handling?
2: Work on photography skills. Great pictures make a difference! Learn about lighting - under lighting for glass, back grounds, depth of field, etc.
3: Be fussy, choose good quality items for eBay auction. Send the lesser stuff to a local auction in box lots, or flea market booth.
4: Protect your eBay feedback. Look out for YOU. Do not leave negative feedback for the good of the community. The community does not exist on eBay - perhaps it used to, no more - enough said. Do request your final value fees for non-completed sales, but don't leave negative feedback.
5: Give customers excellent service. Respond to eMail quickly and professionally. Ship items within a reasonable amount of time. Maintain an "open" return policy. Don't use terms like "as is."
6: Learn to "self-insure" legally.
7: Explore shipping alternatives. USPS Priority Mail is not the only game in town. FedEx Home Delivery is better, or will be very soon - and cheaper. Ship light items First Class in envelopes with padding.
8: Run auctions in batches. You will get better sales if you run various items in batches of 100-300 over a ten day period monthly; rather than, 20-30 auctions per week.
There is more to the success equation, but this is a good start.
posted on January 31, 2001 09:14:05 PM new
Learn HTML. Create your own HTML template for use in auctions. Set yourself apart from the masses that use the "free" services.
posted on January 31, 2001 09:16:48 PM new
"...but don't leave negative feedback."
Don't leave Neg. Feedback? I would have to disagree. If someone does you wrong, then you should let people know. I know if a seller is doing something wrong, the feedback can warn people. As far as the bidder goes, it is your duty to warn of deadbeat bidders. They don't belong on ebay. Feedback is a valuble tool.
posted on January 31, 2001 09:30:16 PM new
Hi Trey: I respect your feedback opinion, and it is shared by many that post here.
However, I belive that it's up to eBay to police its site. I will not be punished financially [I have in the past by retalitory types] by dead beat bidders, fradulent bidders, or other undesirables.
Image you run auctions in batches [greater revenue]. You launch 500 auctions, only to find 10 retalitory negs on the top of your feedback list from non-paying bidders. That type loves to lie, well, you wouldn't expect them to say "I didn't pay, but want to leave a neg anyway" would you? They will call you a thief, dishonest, etc. What do you suppose happens to your 500 auctions? Will you loose 50 bids, 100 bids, 250 bids? If you protect your feedback, you won't loose ANY bids...
posted on January 31, 2001 09:31:44 PM new
MORGANTOWN won't leave a negative fb in order to protect his/her fb record. Somehow I think he/she surely does appreciate the negs left by others. Double standard?
posted on January 31, 2001 09:32:52 PM new
I guess that is a price to pay. I do have 4 Red Neg. feedback remarks as a result... But I would not worry about it.
posted on January 31, 2001 09:46:08 PM new
Morgantown-
You seem like a nice person, but just for my edification, answer one question-
You won't leave negative feedback (and certainly, there are many like you, and you are certainly entitled to make a decision like that for your business), yet you are so concerned with someone's view of YOUR feedback that you signed up with ReliableMerchants for them to put a Reliable logo on your auctions based on your feedback rating... A company that at the very least, came by its "mailing list" by violating numerous eBay TOS, and that then proceeded to spam thousands of eBay users, possibly illegally. Now, if nobody left negative feedback, and since Reliable's CLAIM is that they're trying to "clean up" the online auction community which you say doesn't exist (yet you post on this board) by pointing out through a "proprietary algorithm" that evaluates feedback who is a "good" seller and who is a "bad" seller,
do you see your position on feedback as a little problematical?
posted on January 31, 2001 09:54:54 PM new
The Reliable logo is Proof of my ability to protect my feedback rating - and give great service. That is the key. Had I been running around for the last three years protecting the "community," I suspect that I'd not want to use Reliables services due to my damaged rating.
Seems simple to me. Squeeky clean feedback ratios and the ability to maintain such = extra profit via higher sales then the average user.
posted on January 31, 2001 09:59:00 PM new
Without getting into Reliable's mission statement, I'd like to say that their system works well for me - a financial advantage due to my "protected" feedback.
posted on January 31, 2001 10:05:12 PM new
And abusing the system as it was intended to work, IMO.
Do you think your "ability" to maintain your "squeeky" clean fb is somewhat false?
My fb is less than 1/2 of 1% bad (870 something total against 2 retaliatory negs and 2 retaliatory neutrals) and I now leave negs where appropriate (when I was new I was afraid to). The 4 black marks do not hurt me. My sales are strong, sometimes amazing.
posted on January 31, 2001 10:07:06 PM new
Look, I'm not going round and round on the feedback issue here. I have stated how my business is run with its corresponding feedback policy. Opposing policies help me - I genuinelly appreciate the opposing views! It equals more money in my pocket, and I'm greatful.
Again: Squeeky clean feedback ratios and the ability to maintain such = extra profit via
higher sales then the average user.
posted on January 31, 2001 10:08:38 PM new
Oh I see now. MY GAWD... You sign up with a company that may be a scam, and certainly is not a good citizen, THEN you make the absolutely RIDICULOUS claim that-
<<<
The Reliable logo is Proof of my ability to protect my feedback rating - and give great service.
>>>
First of all, forget about the fact that that's a ridiculous statement. You get a logo from a scammer that is about as honest as Clinton was about Monica, then you say it's proof of something. RIGHTO. So I guess since you refuse to leave negative feedback and therefore don't GET retaliatory feedback (which makes your rating HIGHER than the people who have somehat of a sense of responsibility to their fellow eBay users) that you're a better seller that gives better service? Or is it that you will do anything you think that will increase your sales regardless of its questionable nature, and regardless of its honesty, like this Reliable scam?
And "running around protecting" blah blah you say? I leave negs whenever warranted, I post here under my user ID, I have over 700 ratings, 3 retaliatory negs, 4 neutrals of the same quality, the rest positives. I have left OVER 100 NEGS, 98% of them for NPBs and scammers, and filed 3 fraud reports. I would HOPE that that has helped some ebay users to distinguish the REAL good from the bad, and the sleepy safe Harbor team to get some of these scourges off the site. If everyone were like you, a person concerned with NOTHING but themselves, it would (ironically) DESTROY your business, as it would turn eBay into more of a scammer's paradise than it is now. NOBODY would have a clue who they're dealing with.
The next is a gross understatement- I would rather share eBay with users that give a hoot about others and the site's integrity that have negs than with thousands like you, EVEN IF you have no negs.
posted on January 31, 2001 10:12:04 PM new
Oh my God! I'm "abusing the system" by not leaving O-P-T-I-O-N-A-L feedback.
My ability to maintain squeeky clean feedback is a talent. You are missing the most important factor! M O N E Y! You know, money? My feedback = mo money.
Mtown
PS. I do request FVFs and that gets more action than any Feedback.
posted on January 31, 2001 10:13:15 PM new
Oh I see now. MY GAWD... You sign up with a company that may be a scam, and certainly is not a good citizen, THEN you make the absolutely RIDICULOUS claim that-
<<<
The Reliable logo is Proof of my ability to protect my feedback rating - and give great service.
>>>
First of all, forget about the fact that that's a ridiculous statement. You get a logo from a scammer that is about as honest as Clinton was about Monica, then you say it's proof of something. RIGHTO. So I guess since you refuse to leave negative feedback and therefore don't GET retaliatory feedback (which makes your rating HIGHER than the people who have somehat of a sense of responsibility to their fellow eBay users) that you're a better seller that gives better service? Or is it that you will do anything you think that will increase your sales regardless of its questionable nature, and regardless of its honesty, like this Reliable scam?
And "running around protecting" blah blah you say? I leave negs whenever warranted, I post here under my user ID, I have over 700 ratings, 3 retaliatory negs, 4 neutrals of the same quality, the rest positives. I have left OVER 100 NEGS, 98% of them for NPBs and scammers, and filed 3 fraud reports. I would HOPE that that has helped some ebay users to distinguish the REAL good from the bad, and the sleepy safe Harbor team to get some of these scourges off the site. If everyone were like you, a person concerned with NOTHING but themselves, it would (ironically) DESTROY your business, as it would turn eBay into more of a scammer's paradise than it is now. NOBODY would have a clue who they're dealing with.
The next is a gross understatement- I would rather share eBay with users that give a hoot about others and the site's integrity that have negs than with thousands like you, EVEN IF you have no negs.
posted on January 31, 2001 10:16:06 PM new
I've left about 170 negs from my business account and it hasn't hurt my rating. My Reliable Merchants rating is 100+.
I don't use the RM banner in my auctions because it is oversized. I don't need an Ebay grunt shutting down my auctions because RM's banner is too large.
posted on January 31, 2001 10:16:11 PM new
morgantown-
<<<My ability to maintain squeeky clean feedback is a talent. You are missing the most important factor! M O N E Y! You know, money? My feedback = mo money.>>>
I won't even dignify that disgusting crap with a comment related to it. Just a general one-
posted on January 31, 2001 10:16:49 PM new
Logo Bogo! Jeez, the Reliable logo had nothing to do with the mathematical truth of my feedback ratio. Their formula just showed it in a different format!
THIS THREAD IS NOT ABOUT RELIABLE. IT'S ABOUT HELPING OTHER SELLERS BE SUCCESSFUL ON EBAY. GOT IT?
posted on January 31, 2001 10:20:03 PM new
I've said this before, and will say it again - feedback for bidders is meaningless. If a bidder gets enough negs to make a difference, they can just re-register. Most sellers could care less about bidder feedback - just pay me, already, and anyway, who has time to go look at every bidders feedback? not me!
fb should be for sellers only, should be disallowed on any auction that a seller has had to file FVF for. ie, once you file FVF, the buyer cannot leave feedback.
The current system is retarded. Sellers who think they're accomplishing something by leaving negs for buyers are dreaming.
posted on January 31, 2001 10:20:43 PM new
morgantown said-
THIS THREAD IS NOT ABOUT RELIABLE. IT'S ABOUT HELPING OTHER SELLERS BE SUCCESSFUL ON EBAY. GOT IT?
MTown
Gee , your so selfless and helpful. Now I'm really GOING to barf. As they say- <click> you've now disappeared, Morganwhatever, would that all like you would dosappear from eBay.
