How to Block a Buyer on eBay

I had to block a buyer this week on eBay.  I got an offer for $20 on a Wool Pea Coat that I had just listed a few days ago at $69.99.  I don’t mess around with low offers, I just decline them, so I did.

The buyer emailed asking why I had declined the offer instead of counter offering.  I replied that I  just listed the coat and didn’t intend to accept a low offer so soon.

She responded by saying that the price was almost as much as it was for a new one, and she didn’t understand why I didn’t  negotiate with her.

I let her know that had she sent a reasonable offer, I would have negotiated with her, but a $20 offer is too low for this item.

She again stated that the price was just too high for this item.

At this point, I was wondering why it was sooooooo important for her to be emailing me with her concerns.  I’m thinking, either buy it, or move on.

So, I replied to her and stated that if she feels the price is too high, she doesn’t have to purchase it.

To which, she responds and says…..Thanks, but I don’t need your permission, I wasn’t going to buy it anyway. God Bless

You know…..there’s nothing worse than being rude and then throwing a God Bless in there to someone……that just doesn’t “pardon” your rudeness, and I’m not going to have this buyer waste any more of my time.  So, she’s on my blocked bidders list.

To put a buyer on your blocked bidders list:

Log into my eBay

Scroll down and click on sitemap

Under the Selling Activities list click on Block Bidder/Buying List and it will walk you through the process.

Remember Your Manners…..

I just want to say that whether you’re an eBay buyer or seller–or both;).  It’s a good idea to remember your manners when interacting with other eBayers.

If you’re frustrated with a situation, or having a bad day, sometimes it’s best not to respond to an email until the next day.  Give yourself some time to think it over and choose your words carefully.

Recently, I got an email from a buyer who was unhappy with a cashmere sweater (I don’t know who would be unhappy with cashmere, but she was.)  The buyer claimed that the sweater didn’t fit them like a large should.  She stated that her suggestion to me was to immediately refund her paypal account for her purchase and that she would return the sweater to me.

I emailed her back and apologized that she was unhappy with her item and mentioned that the sweater’s specific measurements are clearly stated in the listing and asked her if she had read them before purchasing the item.

She emailed back and said that when she measured the length across, she came up with 18″, and reminded me that she had the item in her possession “so it’s my measurements against yours.”

I emailed her back and let her know that if she would like to return the item, that’s fine, however we don’t process refunds for items until they are returned to us.

I haven’t heard from her since.

You know, it’s OK to have an issue.  It’s OK to let a seller know you’re not happy with an item, but seriously…..use your manners.  There’s no reason to demand an immediate refund in your first email with the seller or to say “it’s my measurements against yours”

Give people the benefit of the doubt, you get better results when you talk nicely to people.  If you can’t come to a reasonable solution with the seller, you can take action through eBay’s resolution center.  There’s never a reason to act ugly online.

eBay Selling Strategy: FREE Shipping

Here’s an idea presented to me during a little brainstorming session with my friend Sandy.  Everyone needs someone to brainstorm with and Sandy is one of those people. When she hears an issue, she almost immediately has a good solution in mind.

Keep in mind that I’m a little hard headed, so she had the idea for me right away, but it took her and Ginger together almost an hour to convince me to give it a try.

Here was my dilemma:

In the month of January, I was sooooooo close to earning Top Rated Seller status, but I got marked low twice on the dreaded “Shipping and Handling charges” category.  The category that I have been fighting with for so long.  I thought I had it beat, and no, it came back to haunt me.

I wasn’t too happy about it and shared my dilemma with Sandy.

Immediately, she told me that it would help my DSR’s to offer free shipping on my lighter weight items.  That way, I’d automatically earn 5 stars in that category, and it would bring up my average.

I was skeptical.  I thought of the 800+ items in my store and the task of revising them.  Plus, I don’t charge very much to ship light weight items, $2.99, how on earth am I going to get marked down for $2.99 items.  “It’s not the light weight items causing me to get marked down.” I told her.  Yet, she insisted and Ginger reinforced Sandy’s reasoning……..there might be one or two light weight items that you got marked down for this year that wouldn’t be there if you’d have offered free shipping on them. (I found out after pulling a report later, that yes, that was true.)

So, I went through my inventory and put FREE shipping on over 150 items in my store.  I’ll let you know how it goes as far as improving my DSR’s in the “Shipping and Handling Charges” category……and you never know, it might even increase my sales

Unhappy Customers

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.

Bill Gates

Thinking About Customer Service

I’ve always been a stickler for customer service. I do not believe that the customer is always right, but I believe that businesses are obligated to provide decent service to their customers.

It makes no sense to me that businesses would treat their customers shabbily. Since I owned a brick and mortar business for several years, I know that it’s possible to do a good job with this.

I know business owners are busy. I know customers can be demanding. I know that there are always a zillion things to get done. I also know that without customers there is no revenue.

Last summer, my son and I went to a farm to purchase freshly picked strawberries. I called ahead to find out when they opened and we hopped in the car and set off.

When we arrived, the lady at the stand said she wasn’t ready to sell any berries. It was a half hour past their opening time. I mentioned that we had driven here from another town to buy the berries.

She shrugged her shoulders and said she had to count her cash drawer first and she wasn’t ready. I asked again just to be sure, “You won’t sell me any berries right now?”

She said, “No, I have to count my cash drawer.”

We left without berries and we never went back.

I run into things like this often. Businesses making it difficult to enjoy the shopping experience or making it impossible to purchase their items.

Stores that aren’t open at their stated hours. Stores that act like customers are a nuisance. It baffles me honestly.

Selling online is a little bit different. Customers probably won’t hear you arguing with someone–don’t you hate that when you go into a store and hear the clerk on the cell phone arguing with a friend?

Customers may not catch you with your cash drawer uncounted! But online selling creates all kinds of needs for customer service.

Consider your customers when selling online by–

1.Writing good descriptions with honest and accurate details. Use lots of photos and measurements when necessary.

2. Use ethical business practices.

3. Answer questions promptly.

4. Use professional language–this is so important since they can’t see your facial expressions or hear your tone of voice.

5. Ship items when you say you will.

6. Consider refunding large overages in shipping when you miscalculated.

7. Send a thank you note even if it’s just “Thank you” written on the envelope.

What other things can online business owners do to provide excellent customer service?

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