If you're running an eBay business or plan on doing so, you may not realize that great customer service is very important. When a buyer receives good quality customer service from you, they will most likely do one of two things, or even both. They will give you good positive feedback, and they may even look for more of your auctions in the future. If you hope to make money selling on ebay, or even make a living from eBay, you should stop thinking of it as an auction, and start thinking of it as an actual business.
If you owned another type of business, how would you treat your customer while they were standing at your counter, waiting for you to finish ringing up their order? You would be as helpful and as respectful as you can! You would do everything that you could do to guarantee that the customer returns to your establishment in the future. You would bend over backwards to make sure that their buying experience with you was both satisfactory and enjoyable. So then why would you do anything less of that at the close of one of your eBay auctions?
You want to act quickly at the end of your auctions. Contact the winner, and congratulate them as soon as possible. You should describe the item they have won and how the item will be shipped, even if that information is already part of the description for the auction. Then remind them of their winning bid amount, and give them payment options & instructions. Be sure to let them know when the item will be shipped.
When you close your email, thank them for participating in your auction. You might even take this opportunity to tell them about other open auctions that you have as well that they might be interested in.
Once the payment and shipping details have been taken care of, contact your buyer again and let them know when the item was shipped. Tell them the exact date and time, and when it is expected to arrive on their end. During this contact, let them know that if they have any questions or problems, that they should contact you through the eBay site. If they do contact you in the future, make sure that you answer them quickly, and that you do all that you can to make them happy with their purchase, even if it means issuing them a refund.
Yes - You should definately be open to issuing refunds. Furthermore, you should issue refunds promptly. Of course, it is reasonable to expect the buyer to return the item to you at your expense, before the refund is issued. But once you receive the item, issue the refund promptly. This is just good business that you will want to maintain!
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