Chapter Seven
Congratulations, you've made a sale - now what?
On eBay, it is customary for the seller to contact the buyer with terms of payment
and the final bid price. The seller should contact the buyer immediately. The
buyer should not have to contact the seller first. Send a congratulatory e-mail
listing the final auction price and your acceptable payment options. If you've
chosen to advertise a fixed shipping cost, provide the total payment required. If
you decided to use actual shipping costs, the communication exchange may
require an e-mail from the seller, a response from the buyer with a shipping
address, and then a follow-on e-mail from the seller that provides the buyer with
the grand total of the purchase price plus shipping and insurance. This is
admittedly inefficient for the seller, but a necessary cost of doing business. One
way to get around such superfluous e-mails, is to use a flat-rate shipping charge.
But unless the seller withholds their payment address, do not be surprised if a
significant number of buyers do not send an acknowledgment and a statement
of their intent to pay until you actually receive their payment. The drawback of a
flat-rate shipping charge is that the buyer can be overcharged (and if too high
you may drive away bidders) or the seller can undercharge for shipping, thus
eating into profits.
An example of a payment request e-mail is shown below. Feel free to copy and
modify for your use as you see fit.
Congratulations on your winning eBay bid for the (cut and paste item
title here)
Winning bid $xxxx
Shipping $xxxx
Total $xxxx
Paypal, money orders, cashier’s checks and personal checks are great.
(Payment with a personal check will require at least a ten day waiting
period to clear)
For PayPal, my account is: myemail@aol.com
If paying via check or money order please send payment to:
My Name
1234 Main Street
Anywhere, TX 12345
Remember – your satisfaction is guaranteed – We try to describe/picture
our items as faithfully as possible, but because of the limitations of the
internet we understand that it is difficult for you to determine the
condition of our items listed on eBay. WE WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY
WITH YOUR PURCHASE! - You may return this item(s) for any reason (as
long as the item has not been materially changed or modified). We will
refund payment minus eBay listing fee/commission and postage.
By the way, We ALWAYS leave feedback! Normally within a few days of
receipt of payment or when a check clears.
Thanks, I appreciate your business!
XXXXX
How to stay organized
You may find that as the number of auctions you're running increases, it will
become increasingly difficult to stay organized. If you're only running one or two
auctions a week, you shouldn't have much trouble with the administration of your
auctions. But when you start running 10,20, or more auctions a week, you need
to adopt some type of system to stay organized.
Operating your eBay business without a basic administration system is likely to
get you into trouble - losing track of payments, or late mailing of items will result
in negative feedback. Here's how we handle the administration of auctions.
Even in this day of electronic media, we have found that the easiest way to stay
organized is by using printed copies of our eBay e-mail documents.
We use the “three-ring binder method". The binder is divided into five sections
"Closed awaiting payment", "Paid awaiting shipment", "Paid awaiting check
clearance", "Waiting for feedback", and "Complete". From what we've heard,
many eBay sellers use this method. At the close of our auctions, we print out a
copy of the eBay auction end notification and a copy of the e-mail that we send
to the buyer that has the total auction cost on it. These hard copies are an
excellent way of maintaining a record of your auction. After printing these
documents, we staple them together (let's call this an "invoice") and file them in
the “Closed awaiting payment” section of the three ring binder until we receive
payment. When we receive payment, the payment information (dollar amount
and type) is written on the invoice in the blank space in the upper right margin.
If payment is in the form of Paypal or a money order, the invoice is then filed in
the "Paid awaiting shipment" section of the binder. If payment is in the form of a
check, the buyers name, the dollar amount, check number, bank, and date are
recorded on the invoice and it is filed in the "Paid awaiting check clearance"
section for 10 days while the check clears. Then, when we ship the item, this
date is entered on the invoice and the invoice is moved to the "Waiting for
feedback" section. Finally, when we leave feedback for the buyer, we record that
date also and move the invoice to the "Complete" section of the binder.
We keep invoices in the "Complete" section for about a month in case the buyer
has any questions about the auction or about the date that we shipped the item.
By using printed copies of documents, the documents can easily be handled
and processed by multiple persons (say for instance if one person handles e-
mail and another handles mailing) throughout the entire process from auction
close to posting feedback.
The "binder method" makes it quick and easy to determine the status of an
auction and it doesn't take having your computer online to determine that status.
Later if a buyer inquires about when an item was shipped, that information can
easily be pulled from your files.
Ship your items promptly
Another topic that should not require much discussion, but unfortunately we see
lots of eBay sellers that do not necessarily ship upon receipt of payment. Some
of these eBay sellers openly state in their listings that they only mail on select
days such as "Tuesdays and Thursdays" because that fits into their schedule.
Perhaps YOU can’t ship on every day of the week, but keep in mind that
shipping faster results in happier customers. Shipping as quickly as possible
builds buyer loyalty and will garner glowing feedback.
Shipping cost calculations
We normally absorb the cost of shipping materials and handling and only charge
the buyer the actual USPS mail costs. This is just our opinion, but we figure that
it is part of the cost of doing business and puts pressure on us to find relatively
inexpensive sources of bulk shipping materials. This is not a big issue, but keep
in mind that many buyers are sensitive about paying too much in shipping. There
are sellers that charge USPS fees, materials costs, and "handling" costs, but we
would advise against doing that if you'd like to maintain an impeccable
feedback rating. Some of the negative or neutral eBay feedback that we have
seen posted for other sellers have included comments about high shipping
costs. If you absorb the cost of materials and handling, you'll remove another
possible source of negative feedback.
To calculate the actual USPS mailing cost, use the USPS web site. Enter the
weight of the package and the origination and destination zip codes along with
any insurance or other extras that you would like, and the online rate calculator
will provide you with the postage cost.
Don't attempt to make a profit by charging your customers inflated shipping or
"handling charges". Many buyers are very sensitive about shipping costs.
Usually, they are buying on eBay because they want a good deal. By adding an
additional charge, you'll eventually receive negative or neutral feedback
complaining about your shipping policy.
Weighing items
To provide your customers with a shipping cost estimate and because the
USPS bases its shipping charges on weight, you'll need a scale. You can use a
simple kitchen scale, or if you're mailing larger quantities of books, a bathroom
scale can be used. You're not weighing diamonds here, all you really need is
something that will get you in the ballpark. When weighing your items on a
bathroom scale, weigh yourself holding the item, and then subtract your body
weight. Round up a pound to ensure that you don't underestimate. If you'd rather
not invest a lot of money in a scale, you can usually find cheap kitchen scales at
thrift stores.
Packaging
I recommend two ways of packaging books for mailing: boxes, or padded
envelopes. Which of the two you use should be determined by the value of the
book. For expensive books, use a box with plenty of packing material such as
Styrofoam peanuts, newspaper or bubble wrap. We prefer bubble wrap
because it provides excellent cushioning, it's easy to use, and not very messy.
Depending upon the source however, bubble wrap can be relatively expensive.
A very economical source of bubble wrap is your local U-haul. You can buy it
there in 100 foot rolls for around $20. In addition to padding material, It is also
advisable to use an inner plastic bag to protect more valuable books from
moisture on the off chance that the box somehow becomes damp.
For inexpensive books such as paperbacks, a padded envelope should suffice.
There are a couple kinds of padded envelopes. The cheaper ones use recycled
shredded paper for the padding. The more expensive use a bubble wrap liner.
We prefer the bubble wrap type because it provides better cushioning. We
normally place a scrap piece of cardboard in these padded envelopes as a
stiffener when mailing soft cover books, magazines, or other flexible media.
Using a stiffener will discourage the US Mail delivery person from attempting to
fold the envelope in two to fit it into a mailbox.
Congratulations, you've made a sale - now what?
On eBay, it is customary for the seller to contact the buyer with terms of payment
and the final bid price. The seller should contact the buyer immediately. The
buyer should not have to contact the seller first. Send a congratulatory e-mail
listing the final auction price and your acceptable payment options. If you've
chosen to advertise a fixed shipping cost, provide the total payment required. If
you decided to use actual shipping costs, the communication exchange may
require an e-mail from the seller, a response from the buyer with a shipping
address, and then a follow-on e-mail from the seller that provides the buyer with
the grand total of the purchase price plus shipping and insurance. This is
admittedly inefficient for the seller, but a necessary cost of doing business. One
way to get around such superfluous e-mails, is to use a flat-rate shipping charge.
But unless the seller withholds their payment address, do not be surprised if a
significant number of buyers do not send an acknowledgment and a statement
of their intent to pay until you actually receive their payment. The drawback of a
flat-rate shipping charge is that the buyer can be overcharged (and if too high
you may drive away bidders) or the seller can undercharge for shipping, thus
eating into profits.
An example of a payment request e-mail is shown below. Feel free to copy and
modify for your use as you see fit.
Congratulations on your winning eBay bid for the (cut and paste item
title here)
Winning bid $xxxx
Shipping $xxxx
Total $xxxx
Paypal, money orders, cashier’s checks and personal checks are great.
(Payment with a personal check will require at least a ten day waiting
period to clear)
For PayPal, my account is: myemail@aol.com
If paying via check or money order please send payment to:
My Name
1234 Main Street
Anywhere, TX 12345
Remember – your satisfaction is guaranteed – We try to describe/picture
our items as faithfully as possible, but because of the limitations of the
internet we understand that it is difficult for you to determine the
condition of our items listed on eBay. WE WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY
WITH YOUR PURCHASE! - You may return this item(s) for any reason (as
long as the item has not been materially changed or modified). We will
refund payment minus eBay listing fee/commission and postage.
By the way, We ALWAYS leave feedback! Normally within a few days of
receipt of payment or when a check clears.
Thanks, I appreciate your business!
XXXXX
How to stay organized
You may find that as the number of auctions you're running increases, it will
become increasingly difficult to stay organized. If you're only running one or two
auctions a week, you shouldn't have much trouble with the administration of your
auctions. But when you start running 10,20, or more auctions a week, you need
to adopt some type of system to stay organized.
Operating your eBay business without a basic administration system is likely to
get you into trouble - losing track of payments, or late mailing of items will result
in negative feedback. Here's how we handle the administration of auctions.
Even in this day of electronic media, we have found that the easiest way to stay
organized is by using printed copies of our eBay e-mail documents.
We use the “three-ring binder method". The binder is divided into five sections
"Closed awaiting payment", "Paid awaiting shipment", "Paid awaiting check
clearance", "Waiting for feedback", and "Complete". From what we've heard,
many eBay sellers use this method. At the close of our auctions, we print out a
copy of the eBay auction end notification and a copy of the e-mail that we send
to the buyer that has the total auction cost on it. These hard copies are an
excellent way of maintaining a record of your auction. After printing these
documents, we staple them together (let's call this an "invoice") and file them in
the “Closed awaiting payment” section of the three ring binder until we receive
payment. When we receive payment, the payment information (dollar amount
and type) is written on the invoice in the blank space in the upper right margin.
If payment is in the form of Paypal or a money order, the invoice is then filed in
the "Paid awaiting shipment" section of the binder. If payment is in the form of a
check, the buyers name, the dollar amount, check number, bank, and date are
recorded on the invoice and it is filed in the "Paid awaiting check clearance"
section for 10 days while the check clears. Then, when we ship the item, this
date is entered on the invoice and the invoice is moved to the "Waiting for
feedback" section. Finally, when we leave feedback for the buyer, we record that
date also and move the invoice to the "Complete" section of the binder.
We keep invoices in the "Complete" section for about a month in case the buyer
has any questions about the auction or about the date that we shipped the item.
By using printed copies of documents, the documents can easily be handled
and processed by multiple persons (say for instance if one person handles e-
mail and another handles mailing) throughout the entire process from auction
close to posting feedback.
The "binder method" makes it quick and easy to determine the status of an
auction and it doesn't take having your computer online to determine that status.
Later if a buyer inquires about when an item was shipped, that information can
easily be pulled from your files.
Ship your items promptly
Another topic that should not require much discussion, but unfortunately we see
lots of eBay sellers that do not necessarily ship upon receipt of payment. Some
of these eBay sellers openly state in their listings that they only mail on select
days such as "Tuesdays and Thursdays" because that fits into their schedule.
Perhaps YOU can’t ship on every day of the week, but keep in mind that
shipping faster results in happier customers. Shipping as quickly as possible
builds buyer loyalty and will garner glowing feedback.
Shipping cost calculations
We normally absorb the cost of shipping materials and handling and only charge
the buyer the actual USPS mail costs. This is just our opinion, but we figure that
it is part of the cost of doing business and puts pressure on us to find relatively
inexpensive sources of bulk shipping materials. This is not a big issue, but keep
in mind that many buyers are sensitive about paying too much in shipping. There
are sellers that charge USPS fees, materials costs, and "handling" costs, but we
would advise against doing that if you'd like to maintain an impeccable
feedback rating. Some of the negative or neutral eBay feedback that we have
seen posted for other sellers have included comments about high shipping
costs. If you absorb the cost of materials and handling, you'll remove another
possible source of negative feedback.
To calculate the actual USPS mailing cost, use the USPS web site. Enter the
weight of the package and the origination and destination zip codes along with
any insurance or other extras that you would like, and the online rate calculator
will provide you with the postage cost.
Don't attempt to make a profit by charging your customers inflated shipping or
"handling charges". Many buyers are very sensitive about shipping costs.
Usually, they are buying on eBay because they want a good deal. By adding an
additional charge, you'll eventually receive negative or neutral feedback
complaining about your shipping policy.
Weighing items
To provide your customers with a shipping cost estimate and because the
USPS bases its shipping charges on weight, you'll need a scale. You can use a
simple kitchen scale, or if you're mailing larger quantities of books, a bathroom
scale can be used. You're not weighing diamonds here, all you really need is
something that will get you in the ballpark. When weighing your items on a
bathroom scale, weigh yourself holding the item, and then subtract your body
weight. Round up a pound to ensure that you don't underestimate. If you'd rather
not invest a lot of money in a scale, you can usually find cheap kitchen scales at
thrift stores.
Packaging
I recommend two ways of packaging books for mailing: boxes, or padded
envelopes. Which of the two you use should be determined by the value of the
book. For expensive books, use a box with plenty of packing material such as
Styrofoam peanuts, newspaper or bubble wrap. We prefer bubble wrap
because it provides excellent cushioning, it's easy to use, and not very messy.
Depending upon the source however, bubble wrap can be relatively expensive.
A very economical source of bubble wrap is your local U-haul. You can buy it
there in 100 foot rolls for around $20. In addition to padding material, It is also
advisable to use an inner plastic bag to protect more valuable books from
moisture on the off chance that the box somehow becomes damp.
For inexpensive books such as paperbacks, a padded envelope should suffice.
There are a couple kinds of padded envelopes. The cheaper ones use recycled
shredded paper for the padding. The more expensive use a bubble wrap liner.
We prefer the bubble wrap type because it provides better cushioning. We
normally place a scrap piece of cardboard in these padded envelopes as a
stiffener when mailing soft cover books, magazines, or other flexible media.
Using a stiffener will discourage the US Mail delivery person from attempting to
fold the envelope in two to fit it into a mailbox.
My Fashion Guru
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