Being a seller on eBay requires a lot of responsibility.  Sometimes you may feel as though you are not doing everything you should be. The following 9 points provide a simple checklist that will help you keep track of things.

1. Do you know everything that you need to know about the items you are selling? Keying their names into a search engine can reveal additional facts that you might not have known.  If other people are selling the same item as you, you should always try to provide more information your product than they do.

2. Do you monitor the competition? Keep an eye on the offer price for other items like or similar to yours.  There’s usually little point in starting a fixed price auction for $100 when someone else is selling the item for $90.

3. Have you got pictures of your items? It is worth taking the time to photograph your items, especially if you have a digital camera. If you get serious about eBay but don’t have a camera, then you should think about investing in one at some point.

4. Are you emailing your buyers? It is worth sending a brief email when transactions go through.  Something like a simple “Thank you for buying my item, please let me know when you have sent the payment” followed by “Thanks for your payment, I have posted your [item name] today” is sufficient. You will be surprised how many problems you will avoid just by communicating this way.

5. Do you check your emails regularly? Remember that potential buyers can send you emails about anything at any time. Failing to answer these emails in a timely fashion can cost you buyers who will just look elsewhere for the product they might otherwise have bought from you.

6. Does your item description pages contain all the information that buyers need to know? If you’re planning to offer international delivery, then it’s good to make a list of the charges to different counties and display it on each auction. If you have any special terms and conditions (for example, if you will give a refund on any item as long as it hasn’t been opened), then you should make sure these are included, too.

7. Are you wrapping your items correctly? Your wrapping should be professional to give a good impression.  Use appropriately sized envelopes or parcels, wrap the item in bubble wrap to stop it from getting damaged, and print labels instead of hand-writing addresses. You should always use first class post to ensure your items reach your buyer on time and in good working order.

8. Do you follow up? It is worth sending out an email a few days after you post an item, saying something along the lines of: “Is everything alright with your purchase? I hope you received it and it was as you expected.” This might sound like you are giving the customer an opportunity to complain, but you should be trying to help your customers, not take their money and run.

9. Being a really good eBay seller, more than anything else, is about providing genuinely good and honest customer service. That’s the only foolproof way to protect your reputation. Of course, you might be wondering by now whether it’s really worth all the hassle to get a good reputation on eBay. Won’t people buy from you anyway, and couldn’t you just open a new account if it really comes down to that? My next post will shed more light on this.