As an Ebay seller with 1000’s of positive Ebay feedback scores I aim to provide 100% satisfaction to my customers. However when selling crafts on Ebay it is inevitable that at some point a customer will leave a negative feedback.
It’s likely that you will log in one day and there it is staring back at you – a negative feedback. It is also likely that it will have been left without you ever having the chance to address the customers problem.
As a good eBay seller you put up great looking auctions, great clear photos, you reply to questions quickly and you post out your items promptly and very well packaged. You are gutted! So what do you do when this happens?
1. The first thing to remember is that it isn’t the end of civilisation as we know it, the world won’t stop turning. It hurts but you have to move on. It is more than likely that the buyer got up out of the wrong side of the bed, had a bad day, got home popped on the PC and took out their frustrations on you. After all you can’t fight back!
2. Don’t have a knee jerk reaction and send a damning email to the buyer. It will make you feel better for two seconds then you will feel bad. Instead think about what the buyer has commented and if you know you provided a great service then don’t let it get under your skin.
3. Leave a reply comment under the negative feedback comment. Say something like ‘Dissapointed that the buyer didn’t contact us first – we always offer refunds’. That way any prospective buyers will know that the buyer reacted without giving you chance to solve the problem.
3. By all means contact the customer by email and explain that you would like to have had the chance to sort out any problems and that you still can if it is not too late. This may seem like a bit of an effort but remember that selling is all about your reputation as a seller, especially on eBay. Chances are you can turn a bad buyer around and actually get a loyal customer just by going that extra mile.
You can then end up getting more sales from the customer.
4. Work on all aspects of your selling to avoid negative feedback. Look for areas where you feel you are weak and try to improve. So if you are slow to post speed up, if you don’t reply to emails quickly, work harder to respond quickly. At the end of the day providing excellent items and a top notch service is the best way to avoid negative feedback.
5. Every now and again you may make a mistake and it’s only human, it happens. Most buyers will give you a chance to address the problem and sorting the problem quickly and courteously will go a long way to avoiding negative feedback from that buyer.
At the end of the day there will always be awkward customers and it can sometimes make your blood boil. But if you want to succeed selling crafts on eBay rise above it, deal with it and move on to the next happy customer.
To your online success!
Steve
