Dealing With Problematic eBay Customers
Just as with any other type of buying and selling, even on eBay you are going to experience impolite customers on occasion. Most are fabulous people and easy to negotiate with but here and there, you’re going to find a customer who just seems to cause trouble. If you let your temper go and tell the person off, you could be losing just more than that one person as a customer. That one will probably leave unfriendly feedback and could tell everyone in the world of eBay what a shocking merchant you are. Even if they are at fault, prospective clientele who see the feedback will likely not take that chance. Your best bet is to terminate as many stumbling blocks as possible while maximizing the chance of having a smooth transaction.
One common problem on eBay is buyers sending you a message that tries to get you to lower your asking prices on an item. They’ll say they see it in other auction listings cheaper or they may even deride your item in the hopes that you’ll give in. The best way to deal with this is to take a deep breath instead of getting furious. Instead, respond by politely reiterating that you are unable to offer a lower price at the moment. You don’t have to give a reason for that, but you can if you so choose.
Another thing that happens sometimes is buyers who fail to check your auction for what payment methods you’ll accept and then they get annoyed with you because you don’t accept theirpreferred pay type. You can do your part to cut down on thisproblem by making sure that your terms of payment are clearly stated in your listing details. Other than that, if a buyer asks for a different payment method, you’ll have to decide if that is something you will agree to or not. And if you don’t, there is nothing wrong with politely telling the buyer that you cannot use the method they request.
Now and then you may encounter an auction winner who doesn’t pay. In these cases it can be best to send them a conciliatory email advising them that you have decided you must relist the item. Do not become abusive at any stage: again, remember that they can always post nasty feedback thatcan affect your overall business. Eventually, you will find that dealing with difficult eBay customers takes calmness and judgment, but doing it well is key to your online business success.
Michael Nunn runs online and offline eBay coaching programs and specializes in helping people to become eBay powersellers. Click here to read other articles on his blog or click here to read more about his eBay powerseller training program, Auction Power Profits.
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