Wednesday, March 31, 2010

4 Quick & Easy Tips on How to Improve eBay DSRs and Feedback by Frooition

Article from the Frooition Blog

1. Item as Described
Write full product/item descriptions including all relevant details. Especially the condition of the item and any defects. Use Item specifics and include multiple pictures to help buyers see exactly what they’re about to purchase. Don’t use generic stock product shots, especially for used items – show the buyer the product they are actually going to purchase.

2. Communication
Make sure buyers know how to reach you by providing contact details in your listings, emails and shipping invoices. You can use automated emails through Selling Manager Pro to keep buyers informed of when you receive payment and when their product has been shipped.

3. Postage time
Ship items as quickly as possible once it is sold and paid for. The sooner a buyer receives their item the happier they’ll be. Offer premium postage options to enable buyers to select a low cost, slow delivery or a next day service at a higher price. Remember to confirm the shipping method used and inform buyers when they should receive their item to set their expectations.

4. Postage and Packaging charges
Offer the most competitive postage rates possible. If you can, consider free postage and include the cost in the purchase price of the item. Don't forget to offer discounted postage for sending multiple items which may also increase sales.

Frooition is a leading provider of eBay store and listing designs. Frooition provide design services for most other online sales channels as well as website design. Frooition has been working with the eBay platform more than 4 years and has clients in the USA, Canada and Europe.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sellers are starting a bad habit of holding feedbacks backs from buyers until they receive there feedback. This is not a good trend to start that I see from a buyers veiw. If a buyer is fast at paying the post. It is the seller to make sure every thing goes right not the buyer. By Starting this practice it is my thought to leave neutral feed backs. I beleave this is the fault of E-bay them selves buy punishing the buyers for neutral feedbacks. Every one has there ups and downs.

Anonymous said...

"anonymous said"
makes a good point but from a seller's point of view, he or she has no other way to clear their name by the fault of some inexperienced buyer. Yes some sellers are as well as some buyers are bad. At least the seller has one opportunity at the end to let other seller's know to watch out for a buyer with a bad reputation.

Anonymous said...

Plain and simple, buyers should not be able to leave negative feedback without the seller being able to provide some sort of rebuttle. Now, whatever the feedback says stands, no matter if the buyer simply has a grudge; the seller will look unprofessional and unattractive regardless. Buyers are beginning to use feedback as a sort of a "ransom" for sellers to accomodate to unreasonable needs and expectations.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree. Buyers are allowed to leave abusive and insulting comments in feedback,including those of a personal nature. It is ransom. I feel EBAY needs to reconsider their current feedback policy, and back up their Sellers, who are the ones that make EBAY exist.

I am very disappointed in the lack of support for Sellers.

Anonymous said...

My problem as a seller on eBay has not been the DSRs. I have 100% positive feedback and 3 - 5.0 and 1 - 4.9 stars yet I have never been awarded a Power Seller Status or a Top Rated Seller seal. I do not think these ratings are that important - they have not done me much good. My biggest problem is eBay's constant changing everything. These changes have not helped me and they have severely altered my ability to sell. I ask eBay to stop the changes and let us sell without eBay's interference. Thank You

Anonymous said...

Selling and charging less than actual shipping cost & always posting the same day of the payment or the next day....does NOT seem to help the DSR. If it cost $12 with tracking, I've always charged a flat rate of $9 across the board. Have only received 3 or 4 ratings - which is not fair. So needless to say, as a volume seller - I've stopped paying $3 or $4 extra out of my pocket to help buyers. Now they will pay alot more but no handling is charged....just actual which is still alot. Buyers do not seem to understand that I have no control over international shipping time, all I can do is post the same day or the next day. All in all, this is the buyer's loss for not appreciating the discount that they have been receiving which is no more.

Anonymous said...

Leave a neutral for not getting a feedback - that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Sadly, it's happened to me. I've been selling on eBay for 10 years, I'm a top-rated seller, currently a 100% 13k+ feedback rating, and I don't leave feedback until it's left for me. eBay has never asked sellers to provide feedback based on payment and, in fact, lists a seller's right to feedback as the only option a seller has to stand up to a buyer - I've had buyers lie, try to cheat, and be just plain stupid. I provide pictures, descriptions, state shipping charges, and ship the same day. Why should I leave a buyer a + feedback for a great transaction (based solely on payment) only to have them give me a neutral for ... slow delivery (despite tracking showing it was a PO delay), international buyers complaining about a high shipping charge (any idea the risk and money involved with international sales? despite all S&H charges being clearly stated in the auctions, buyers still complain after they agree to purchase), buyers buy 2 eBay items but only one from me and then complain about not combining s&h (it happens), or receiving an item exactly as stated (but they thought it would be bigger despite exact measurements given). Just because a buyer pays doesn't make them a good buyer. When they complain about things that are beyond the seller's control or mistakes they themselves made, they don't deserve a + feedback.
Payment does not = a good buyer just like shipping does not = a good seller. If you have an issue with a purchase, you should contact the seller. If you don't have a problem, leave them a + feedback for a job well done. Most auction management software is set up to leave a + feedback as soon as one is received.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I agree. I am currently having this problem. I have a buyer who hasn't paid. This same buyer recently didn't pay another seller and left 2 negative feedbacks for the seller (who has over 3,000 transactions) when they opened 2 cases on them. Buyers can now leave NEGATIVE feedback just because a seller opens a case. When this same seller was nice and agreed to cancel the 2 transactions, which they didn't have to do, they were still stuck w/ the negative feedback. They took it up w/ eBay and they did not remove the feedback. This makes no sense. It seems there is little protection for sellers and buyers have now figured this out and are using it against them.

eBay Certified Provider Program said...

Hello,

We understand Feedback is an integral part of eBay and very important to both buyers and sellers. Adding a few points to clear up any potential confusion about Feedback.

1. Sellers cannot leave a negative feedback for a buyer that has paid for an item.

2. If a buyer has not paid for an item, a seller can file an Unpaid Item Claim and remove feedback that may have been left by the buyer or prevent the buyer from leaving feedback.

3. In some cases, sellers can file a Feedback Revision Request if they feel a buyer mistakenly left the wrong feedback. http://pages.ebay.com/help/feedback/questions/remove.html

4. If you are a U.S. seller, DSRs left by international buyers are not calculated into your overall DSR score.

Hope that helps give some guidance and opportunities in regards to eBay Feedback.

Thanks,

Ginger
eBay Certified Provider Program

Anonymous said...

From my understanding it is very hard for a "seller" to get NEGATIVE FEEDBACK removed if the "buyer" doesn't pay or if the transaction was cancelled. I have communicated w/ sellers who have said they couldn't get it removed by eBay and the seller was certainly at fault. Has anyone out there actually had their negative feedback removed successfully in these 2 cases? I would like to hear 1st hand.