eBay Hacks, 2nd Edition

Master Expectation Management

A few carefully chosen words in your auction descriptions will help avoid unhappy buyers, returns, and negative feedback.

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

Most sellers would agree that an eBay transaction can be considered successful if the bidder pays promptly, leaves positive feedback, and then disappears. Naturally, this happens when the bidder is happy. Unhappy bidders, on the other hand, have complaints, want refunds, leave nasty feedback, and, all told, make themselves a general pain in the neck.

When a bidder is displeased, it’s usually because of a failure by the seller that occurred long before the customer even placed a bid. It’s the seller’s job to describe the item so that the eventual buyer will be pleased with it, even if it means pointing out the item’s flaws.

Think about it: every time you’re happy or unhappy with a transaction, it’s because the experience either met or failed to meet your expectations. The higher the expectations, the harder it is to meet them. The key is to strike a balance between making your product look good and setting reasonable expectations. Consider the following when writing your auction description:

How new is it?

If you would like to categorize an item as “like new,” say it’s in “mint condition” instead. The phrase “like new” means “indistinguishable from brand new.” No matter how good it looks to you, the person who’s just laid down $1, 500 of her hard-earned money ...