5 Habits That Make A Good eBay Buyer (My eBay Good Buyer Guide)

Guide to eBay Buyer Etiquette

 
Today is Thanksgiving! :-) This means the Holiday shopping season is officially in full steam.  As much as I enjoy the increase in sells, I have mixed feelings about this time of year.  This is because an increase in sells means an increase in buyer complaints.  Don't get me wrong, I love my buyers! I'm thankful to my eCommerce community for making eBay a safe place for shopping and selling.  But, as a seller, I can honestly say that 95% of my buyer problems come from people who don't exercise GOOD buyer habits.

Some people may be thinking, "Get over it already, there's a bad one in every bunch...."  Perhaps I am a bit of a worry wart.  I tend to agonize over those rare "I left you the best feedback possible...BUT" messages from buyers.  It makes me feel like I'm not doing enough to make the buying experience the best it can be.  It's a real emotional roller coaster.  I start out feeling disappointed in myself .... then I become angry when I look at the listing and find they didn't read my policy .... Afterward, I usually resolve to take some positive action like contacting the buyer, improving the listing, .... OR writing a Guide to Buyer Etiquette like this one:

  

5 Habits That Make A Good eBay Buyer

1>  READ THE FINE PRINT!
there isn't a cookie cutter eBay selling policy. What works for one seller may not work for another. Sellers are NOT required by eBay to post their policies in their listings.  However many sellers DO put their policies at the end of listings in the form of fine print. Read it - it's there for your benefit!  It just wouldn't do to put it all in blinking lights like the Las Vegas Strip.  We like to keep it small and separated from the listing so it doesn't subtract from the item description.

2> PROMPT PAYMENT
Everyone knows it, but it can't be said enough.  Prompt payments make for a speedy transaction and all around happiness.  Most Sellers are willing to wait a week for their cash.  But, as a rule, it's a good idea to let the them know if you can't pay within 3 days.  It doesn't really matter what the reason is.  What matters is that you haven't left the Seller feeling like they've been hung out to dry.  Remember: at the end of the billing cycle, even if you haven't paid, the seller still has to pay eBay's Final Value Fees for the item.

3> COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE

• USE EBAY'S MESSAGE SYSTEM - eBay's Message System is designed to protect both Buyers and Sellers from Spam, Phishing, and Malicious e-mail.  The message system protects user identity and supports privacy.  As a Seller, I feel protected by eBay's message system.  I don't appreciate messages from outside sources in my personal e-mail. 
• ASK QUESTIONS - If you have a question, ASK! If you can't read the fine print - ASK! If you need to know more - ASK! If you feel you should get a discount - ASK! ASK! ASK!

4> READ YOUR INVOICE  (more fine print)

When you commit to buying an item, you will receive an invoice by e-mail.  Take the time to read it. It will tell you how much you are paying for the item, the cost of shipping, and if there is any sales tax.  It should also include a copy of the eBay Seller's policies on selling, shipping, returns, and refunds. 

5> CONTACT THE SELLER  (more communication)

• ABOUT ANY PROBLEMS  - The Seller can't help you if they are unaware that there is a problem!
•  IF YOU CAN'T PAY - If you have committed to buying an item (you have an invoice), and can't  follow thru with the purchase, contact the Seller.  Sellers have the ability to Cancel a Transaction in eBay.  Buyers can still leave feedback about the transaction and they are protected from having an Unpaid Item Case opened against them.
  
•  DON'T LEAVE BAD FEEDBACK WITHOUT TALKING TO THE SELLER - It's just plain rude! Seller's can't help if they don't know there is a problem (Yes, I'm repeating myself). You won't get a refund if you don't ask for one  It's your fault if you are unhappy with a purchase and choose not to contact the Seller about it! When you decide not to contact the seller about a problem, you are suffering by your own actions. To me it's like convicting a person without a trial.  It's one of THE WORST things you can do to an eBay Seller. If you are apprehensive about contacting the Seller directly, you can use eBay's Resolution Center tool to resolve the problem. eBay users can reach the Resolution Center from a direct link under the "Account" tab of their eBay page. 

Things I have learned about eBay and Feedback

I'm hopping onto my Seller High Horse again!

I normally do this when I have something to say and no other way vent it other than posting in my blog.  Skimming the eBay discussion forms is depressing enough when you are looking for answers.  But, when it comes to Buyer Feedback, there is something that is glaringly obvious.  Many sellers are not happy with eBay's new feedback policy.

Lots of us don't like the fact that we can't leave negative feedback for a bad buyer.  However, I HATE leaving negative feedback - I'm just too nice :-)    But really, I honestly wonder if it does any good to leave negative feedback to a Buyer at all.  When I make a sell, I'm really not immediately concerned with a buyer's feedback.  I'm more concerned with making the transaction a pleasant experience for myself and my buyer.  I have NEVER rushed immediately to a buyers "About Me" page to read the feedback after a sell.  In fact, I usually don't concern myself at all with feedback until 3-5 days after the item has been shipped.  The only thing that would make me check a Buyer's feedback is if they begin making demands after purchasing or committing to buy an item. That being said, I'm not upset by the fact that I cannot leave negative feedback to buyers.

However, I DO feel like Buyers should be held to a stricter set of standards.  Sellers on eBay already have to deal with some of the toughest e-commerce standards on the internet.  I realize this is for everyone's benefit, but I feel that buyers need to be held responsible for their actions as well. 

For example: A Buyer left feedback for an item without first contacting me about a problem. Judging from the Buyer's feedback score I determined that they are either fairly new to eBay or have re-joined under a new ID.  Judging from the feedback left, they obviously did NOT read the item description. They complained that the item (clearly listed as PRE OWNED) was used.

So, what to do? Not very much.  I left a brief response to the buyer's feedback: "The item was listed as PRE OWNED". I sent the buyer a message that I was unhappy that I wasn't contacted about the problem.  I could have filled out a Feedback Revision Request. I chose not to because I doubted it would do any good.  The transaction was over a month old and completed according to eBay. I couldn't even leave a refund in good faith (yes, I tried).  Also, I have only 2 negative feedback out of nearly 600.  The negative wasn't hurting me - although it DID hurt my feelings. 

Back to Buyer responsibility:  What can eBay do to improve Buyer standards? I believe that part of the problem with bad Buyers is that they don't bother to read item descriptions, and they know little about the etiquette of buying and selling on-line. eBay should be just as active with the education of Buyers as it is with the education of it's Sellers.

1. Send e-mails to Buyers / Sellers about E-Commerce Etiquette when they join eBay, file negative feedback, or file complaints.
2. Put pop-up warnings in their windows when negative feedback is submitted. Fill those pop-ups with handy links like  All About Feedback and the Resolution Center.
3. Require Buyers to contact Sellers about problems before negative Feedback is finalized. This is a pet peeve of mine because Sellers are required by eBay to resolve issues with Buyers. Yet, Buyers are not held to the same standard. 

Despite all this. I still like eBay very much.  I like the fact that eBay revises it's policies instead of using the same old antiquated formula.  To me, this shows they are willing to change with the times and the attitudes of the market. I only hope that whenever I leave suggestions or ask questions of the administrators on eBay, that someone is listening.