eBay - 100% Rating does not indicate a ‘perfect seller’, ‘Mutually Withdrawn Feedback Junky’ anyone?
I have tried to not allow my business to interfere with my Blog. Then I realised I was missing out on a great opportunity to ‘help’ others who want to eBay with the benefit of my knowledge that I have in marketing, sales, graphic design and advertising.
With that in mind, I will be posting on certain aspects of eBay, points to consider, points not to even allow yourself to think about.
To start with…
Mutually Withdrawn Comments
It’s no coincidence that I have, so far, 100% rating with over 3500
Positive Feedback comments, a not so subtle link AudioCaffe.
This is not a fluke, this is hard work and
commitment, lots and lots of it and a understanding of what drives people to say and do the things they do when they are ecstatic, satisfied or deeply unsatisfied about their dealings with you. Life skills, emotional Intelligence, People skills, Psychology and Philosophy all take a part in ensuring you give what the customer expects and a whole lot more
For sure, there are others out there with substantially
higher rating scores, still at 100%, but the giveaway is to see how
many Negative Comment and Neutral Comments they have had but ‘mutually
withdrawn’. It can be a surprise to actually see that they have dozens of Negative and Neutral Comments, spanning recent months and further back.
Sadly there are buyers who prey on sellers with a perfect rating and will subtly or not so subtly use this to their advantage. These are times when you can choose to bite your tounge if they are being subtle about it, or you can choose to not give into their not so subtle threats and meet them head on. It can work and it can back fire.
It can be a easy, but costly exercise to ‘buy’ the customer out, give her/him something that will sweeten them up enough to consider ‘mutually withdrawing’ the comment. I know, I have done it, with the only Negative I have ever received, which happened to be a genuine mistake, unfortunately with a buyer who was not so genuine.
The point I am making is that dont be fooled by the apparent value of 100% and 10,000+ feedbacks. This in itself is no indicator that the seller is SUPER HOT CLIENT SATISFACTION DRIVEN. But instead happy to offer ‘ok’ service and buy out trouble as and when it happens.
This is my philosophy and I hope that my comments and low ‘buy-out’ score confirms my own integrity. There is a great eBay Blog called ‘eBay Strategies’ that is worth checking out.
Next time I will talk about the obvious implications and benefits of having a High and Genuine Feedback record.
2 comments ↓
We encourage sellers to get at least a few negatives. We’ve seen many sellers become “addicted” to the 100% feedback score to the point that they will refund upon any request. There are unscrupulous buyers out there who prey on these sellers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5b6wdLfaHE
Very true, and I do point this out in the post.
The trouble is that alot of people, both sellers and buyers, assume eBay has its own rules and regulations, especially when Refunds and Faulty items are concerned.
As a business seller, regardless if I want to p[rotect my 100% (which I work hard to achieve), I am obliged by law to refund, replace or exchange if the item is faulty, damaged or more importantly, not fit for purpose.’
I have a very flexible returns policy built on the legal obligation. Sure, you get people trying to take advantage, but if it is a genuine fault then a seller really has little option but to do somthing obout it, regardless if they are doing it primarily to protect their feedback, or if they feel obliged or threatened to do so.
I have no trouble being VERY firm with some buyers who blatantly take the p**s and I make a decision to risk my feedback on this instance. Usually 2-5 times a week I will have to call them, write a firm email or some other firm response.
With a arogant buyer, i try to call when i know there is a problem of any kind, this usualy nips it in the bud pretty quick. Thats why I advertise my number, more confidence. I will not be taken advantage of, but neither will I forget my legal obligations. The consumer has many rights, more than I feel is adequate, so I feel it’s best to pre empty it with a flexible returns and refund policy. INcreased business, positive word of mouth spreads… when people feel safe.
It is a tiny proportion that try it on, then they usually are so ignorant and naive that is pretty easy to subdue them round to some sort of sense.
Thanks for your super quick comment, literally minutes after I posted.
Regards
Graham
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