Section 5.7. Common Problems

5.7. Common Problems

If you sell on eBay, be prepared to deal with the problems that come with the territory. Most transactions go smoothly, but there are a few common problems that, sooner or later, all eBay sellers face. Knowing about them ahead of time will help you deal with them better.

5.7.1. Miscommunication

One of the biggest causes of negative feedback is miscommunication. Over and over again, those little red circles indicating negative feedback precede comments like "Never answered emails." So a simple way to avoid negs is to do your best to be in touch with your buyer every step of the way. Good communication assures both sides that a transaction is going smoothly.

What if you're communicating but the buyer isn't answering? Your email, or the buyer's, may be getting stuck in a spam filter. Spam filters are great at cutting down on electronic junk mail, but they sometimes catch emails you want to read. Check your spam filter regularly before you toss the accumulated junk mail. You might find a note from your buyer.

If you suspect that your emails are getting trapped in the buyer's spam filter, try sending a message through eBay. On your My eBay page, click the buyer's ID to go to their member profile. Click the Contact Member button, and then send a message. Sometimes, messages that go through eBay escape the spam filter that traps other emails. Messages sent through eBay will also appear in the My Messages section of the recipient's My eBay page.

If you still can't get an answer, the next step is to pull the buyer's contact information and try a phone call. Figure 5-16 tells you how to get the 411. When you request an eBayer's contact info , eBay sends them the same information about you.

Figure 5-16. To get a buyer's phone number, you'll need her eBay ID and the item number. You can get both of these from the auction page. Click Advanced Search Find Contact Information, then type in the ID and item number and click Search. eBay will email you the email address, street address, and phone number on file for that person.

5.7.2. Deadbeat Bidders

Sooner or later, it happens to every seller: someone bids and wins your auction, then disappears without paying. In the meantime, eBay is charging you listing fees and FVFs. What recourse do you have when the auction didn't go as planned?

5.7.2.1 Report a UPI

File an Unpaid Item (UPI) dispute , a formal report telling eBay that the buyer didn't follow through. You can report a deadbeat bidder for not paying any time between seven and 45 days after the auction's end. (Of course, you should try to contact the winning bidder via email and phone before you report him or her to eBay.)

Note: If the deadbeat bidder is NARU'd (no longer a registered user ) or registered in an area you don't ship to, you don't have to wait seven days before opening the UPI dispute. (When an eBayer is NARU'd, the words no longer a registered user appear next to his eBay ID.)

Here's how a UPI works:

1. Open an Unpaid Item dispute .

   From your My eBay page, click Dispute Console Unpaid Items Report an Unpaid Item. The page that opens asks for the item number, which you can find in the end-of-auction email or the auction page. The Dispute Console is shown in Figure 5-17.

   

   Figure 5-17. The Dispute Console keeps track of both disputes initiated by the buyer (Items Not Received) and those initiated by the seller (Unpaid Items). To open a dispute, click the far-right Report link. Information about open disputes appears here: transaction date, the filing date of the dispute, the other person involved, whether the dispute is open or closed.

   
   

2. eBay contacts the bidder .

   Often a reminder from eBay is all that's needed to nudge a reluctant buyer into paying. eBay gives the bidder three response options: she can say she's already paid, she can pay now, or she can communicate with you. eBay even provides an onsite message area where you and the buyer can leave messages for each other without having to worry about email going astray. If the buyer pays, then everyone's happy and you can close the dispute (jump to step 5).

   Tip: Don't close a dispute on the mere promise of payment. Wait until you have the money in hand. Once you've closed a UPI dispute, you can't file it a second time, so don't let the buyer off the hook until she's coughed up the cash.

3. The bidder respondsmaybe .

   Disputes are often resolved during this phase. Sometimes, though, the bidder simply ignores eBay's email. Or the bidder might get in touch, only to let you know that she can't or won't pay. In that case, you need to move forward with the UPI process.

4. Track the status of your dispute in the Dispute Console .

   If the buyer won't respond or refuses to pay up after a week has passed, you can close the dispute and request a credit of the auction's Final Value Fee. You can also relist the item for free (in the form of a relisting credit), as long as you relist it within 90 days using the "Relist your item" link, either from the closed auction page or in the Unsold Items view of My eBay. You won't get the insertion-fee credit if you start the new auction at a higher price than the original. You also can't get this credit if the deadbeat stiffed you in a Dutch auction.

   Note: The relisting credit applies only to the insertion fee, not to extras like highlighting or boldface.

5. Close the dispute .

   There are three ways you can close a dispute. If the buyer has paid for the item and everyone's happy now, you can let eBay know. If you've communicated with the bidder and agreed to let her off the hook, you can tell eBay that you've agreed not to complete the transaction. In this case, you get an FVF credit and the buyer gets out of the transaction without an Unpaid Item strike ; too many UPI strikes can suspend a buyer from eBay. The third way to close a dispute is to indicate that you're fed up with the buyer, who's not going to pay. You can do this a week after you've filed the dispute, or sooner if the buyer used the Dispute Console to indicate he's not going to pay. You get your FVF credit, and the deadbeat bidder gets an Unpaid Item strike.

Note: If you want your FVF back, you must close the dispute yourself. Disputes can stay open no more than 60 days after the auction, and if you haven't closed the dispute by then, eBay will close it for youand keep your FVF.

When you file a UPI, eBay lets the buyer know that the item may no longer be available. So as soon as you file, you can sell the item to one of the underbidders using a Second Chance Offer (Section 5.7.2.2), or you can relist the item immediately (but you won't get the relisting credit unless you wait and close the dispute). If the original buyer tries to pay after you've filed the UPI, you don't have to accept the payment.

5.7.2.2 Offer someone else a second chance

A Second Chance Offer (SCO) gives the bidders who lost out on your skateboard another shot to ride it off into the sunset. If the winning bidder backs out, you can send any nonwinning bidder an offer to buy the item at the price that they bid. SCOs are a good choice when an auction had a lot of bidding action but the top bidder turned into a deadbeat.

You can send an SCO from the Bid History of your closed auction, from a link at the top of the closed listing itself, or from My eBay: under Items I've Sold, find the closed auction, click the Action menu, and then select Send a Second Chance Offer. An SCO can last for one, three, five, or seven days before it expires . eBay sends the SCO to the nonwinning bidder you specified and sets up a special BIN listing page with a new item number and a new price. Only you and the buyer who received your SCO can view this page; other shoppers won't be able to find it. If the buyer accepts your offer (by going to the SCO page and clicking the BIN button), you complete the sale in the usual way. Sending a Second Chance Offer doesn't cost anything; if you make the sale, you pay FVFs based on the SCO price.

Note: Sellers can also send SCOs when an auction had bids but failed to meet the reserve price, or when they have duplicate items for sale but haven't chosen to run a Dutch auction.

5.7.3. The Item Doesn't Arrive

Always track your packagesand keep the tracking number handy until the transaction is over and done with. Buyers are happy when you send them a tracking number to let them know the package is on its way; they can follow its progress themselves on the shipper's Web site. And if the package doesn't make it to the buyer, you can get the shipper to track it down or, if a dispute arises, you can submit proof to eBay, PayPal, or a credit card company that the item really did arrive on the buyer's doorstep.

Many shippers offer free tracking as a part of the deal. Others, like the Postal Service, offer delivery confirmation for a small fee (although tracking is free if you're using USPS Global Express Mail). Check with your shipper if you're not sure.

Tip: If you print out your shipping label through eBay (from the navigation bar, My eBay Items Ive Sold Print Shipping Label), you can use My eBay to track the shipments progress. Look for the item under Items I've Sold, click the far-right arrow, and then choose View Shipment Status.

But just tracking a package doesn't guarantee the package will make it to its destination. When a package goes astray, the buyer will probably contact you, either directly though email (the usual route) or by filing an Item Not Received (INR) report with eBay (Section 2.4.3.2), which shows up in the Dispute Console view in My eBay). First, try to track down the package through the shipper. If that doesn't work, either file an insurance claim, following your shipper's procedure, or offer the buyer a replacement or a refund. As the seller, you're the one who's responsible for making sure the buyer receives the item she paid for. If her rainbow crystal wind chime never arrived, she deserves her money back.

5.7.4. The Item Arrives Damaged

If the item arrives damaged because you didn't pack it well, you have no choice but to refund the buyer's money or replace the item. As a seller, you're responsible for getting the item to the buyer in the same condition advertised in your auction.

As with items that disappear en route, buyers will probably email you first if their Cookie Monster nightlight arrived in pieces. Or they might head straight to the Dispute Console and file a report. (Reporting an item as "significantly not as described" is basically the same process as filing an INR report; see Section 2.4.3.2.)

If the damage is due to poor packingyou just rolled up the nightlight in last Sunday's comics and squeezed it into an almost big-enough boxyou're at fault. You owe the buyer a refund or a new Cookie.

If your packing was fine and the item was damaged by the shipper, insurance will take care of the problemthat is, if you insured the package. (Since you're the one who shipped the item, you're the one who files the insurance claim. The buyer paid you in advance for the insurance, but you're the one who purchased it from the shipper.) Without insurance, you're out of luck. Basically, when you didn't buy insurance, you took a gamble that the shipment would arrive OK. If it didn't, you still owe the buyer a refund or a replacement. Once again, it's sellersnot buyerswho are responsible for making sure that the item arrives in the condition advertised in the auction.

Tip: When a buyer claims that an item arrived damaged, don't issue a refund or a send replacement until the buyer has returned the damaged item. No retailer on this face of Earth will refund your money until they have the returned item in hand. Follow this policyinclude it in the terms of your auctionor you might find buyers " forgetting " to return the item after you've given their money back.

5.7.5. The Buyer Wants to Return the Item

Just when you thought the auction was over and everyone was happy, the buyer wants to return an item that you've paid eBay (and possibly PayPal) fees to sell. Whether or not the buyer's reason is legitimate , you want to develop a reputation for good customer service as you build your eBay business.

You have several options for handling a return:

• Accept the return and issue a full refund . If the buyer paid by check or money order, write the buyer a check. If the buyer paid using PayPal, you can get your PayPal fees back, as long as you issue the refund within 60 days of receiving the original payment. Log in to PayPal and click the History tab of My Account to find the transaction; click Details, and then click Refund. This process issues a full refund to the buyer and refunds any fees PayPal charged you for accepting the money. (You can also issue a partial refund if you're refunding the auction's purchase price but not the shipping, and PayPal prorates your refund accordingly .)

  Next, go to eBay and file a UPI (Section 5.7.2.1), stating you've given the buyer a refund; the process works the same as a " mutually agreed to cancel" UPI, so the buyer must agree to it. When the buyer agrees, you get your Final Value Fees refunded and a relisting credit with eBay if you decide to relist.

• Accept the return and charge a restocking fee . Many retailers charge a 10 to 15 percent fee when buyers return items, called a restocking fee . To charge a restocking fee, though, you need to have mentioned it as part of your return policy on your auction pages (Section 5.4.6.5).

• Refuse to accept the return . As eBay constantly reminds shoppers, a bid is a binding agreement to buy. If a buyer suffers a bout of buyer's remorse, you don't have to accept a return.

Note: If the return is due to some problem with the item that you failed to mention in your auction, you have to accept the return and refund the buyer's money. In this case, it doesn't matter if you said all over your auction page that the item was sold "as is" and that you have a no-return policy. If you didn't disclose a flaw or problem or missing part and the buyer complains that the item was "not as described," it doesn't matter what your return policy is. You'll lose the dispute. Better to accept the return graciously.

5.7.6. You Dealt with a Problemand Got Negative Feedback for Your Trouble

Sad but true: you can bend over backwards to make your customers happy, but sooner or later you'll still get hit with negative feedback. When a problem arises, some buyers don't take into account whether or not that problem was resolved; they leave a neg for any transaction that wasn't flawless from start to finish. (You see this kind of behavior mostly from newbies who don't yet understand how feedback works.)

Feedback is your reputation on eBay, and it affects your bottom line. Small wonder that an ugly red mark on your otherwise unblemished record can really make you see red. But before you shoot off a nasty email or leave a retaliatory neg, consider these options:

• Mutual feedback withdrawal . Contact the buyer and explain that you're disappointed to get negative feedback after you worked so hard to resolve the problem. Point out that problems are inevitable, but you're committed to making buyers happy. Suggest that you start the mutual feedback withdrawal process (Section 2.3.3.5) and see whether the buyer agrees.

• Respond to the feedback . You can respond to feedback your buyers leave for you (Section 2.3.3.4). A seller who responds to negative feedback calmly and factually looks professional. If the buyer says you were slow to ship the item, respondwith something like Pd 3/22 , shipped 3/23 . Or if the buyer complains about the item, you can respond Refund issued 4/1 or Pls contact me for a refund . Smart eBayers read feedback and will look at both sides of the story, so tell yours in a professional manner, and you'll come out looking like a pro.

  Tip: Many sellers leave positive feedback right after they receive payment, because they feel that the buyer has satisfactorily completed their part of the deal when they pay. Think about waiting, though, until the whole transaction is complete before you leave feedback. That way, if any problems come up and the buyer becomes difficult, you still have recourse.

• Leave a little feedback of your own . When you get an unfair neg, it's tempting to leave one in return. Of course, feedback that's purely retaliatory is also unfair, so take a minute to decide on the professional thing to do. You might leave neutral feedback or not leave feedback at all for this transaction. If you must leave negative feedback, don't type in all caps, call names , or use exclamation marks. Just explain what the buyer did wrong.

  Leaving negative feedback in return for receiving a neg might make the buyer more amenable to mutual feedback withdrawalor it might just make the buyer angry . Don't use feedback as blackmail.

WORKAROUND WORKSHOP
No-Hassle Selling

What if you have some things you want to sell on eBay, but you don't want to go through all the work of registering, building a feedback score, taking photos, writing item descriptions, and watching your auctions? You don't have to give up on eBay and head for the local pawn shop or call your newspaper's classifieds department. You can hire a trading assistant to sell stuff on eBay on your behalf . Trading assistants are experienced eBay sellers who sell for others on consignment .

Here's how it works. First, find a trading assistant in your area by zipping to eBay's navigation bar, choosing Services Trading Assistants, and then typing in your Zip code. When you click the Search button, you get a list of trading assistants near you. (If your search comes back with fewer than 20 results, eBay automatically expands the area to find more trading assistants a little farther afield.) The results page gives you each trading assistants eBay ID, feedback score, city, and Zip code; you can sort by any of these categories. Some have drop-off locations; others will pick the item up at your home. To learn more about particular trading assistants, click their eBay IDs.

Besides saving you time, a big advantage to using a trading assistant is that you use their reputation to sell your items. You're invisible in the transaction, so if your feedback rating has recently taken a hit or you have no feedback score at all, these issues won't affect the sale. To the buyer, the trading assistant is the one selling the item.

For this reason, check out the trading assistant's feedback yourself. Look for someone with at least a few hundred feedback comments and a 98 percent or better positive rating. These are the sellers that eBayers trustthe sellers who know how to close sales and keep buyers happy.

When choosing a trading assistant, keep a few things in mind. Fees vary widely. Most charge a percentage of the final sales price, but commissions can vary from 10 percent to 50 percent, and some charge a flat fee per item, as well. Many will not accept items likely to sell for less than $50. Expect to pay all eBay and PayPal fees related to the sale. Be sure that you understand all charges before you hire a trading assistantand sign a contract so you're sure of the services you're getting and how much they'll cost you.