Buy, Buy, Buy – £1000+ unexpected sales on eBay
18/11/2008 at 13:38
Do you remember opening a new eBay ID? It’s a while since I’ve done so but some consultancy today reminded me just how exciting buying on eBay can be.
A company is looking to set up their first shop on eBay and like everyone else have started out with zero feedback. They need to open a shop (minimum 10 feedback or PayPal verified) and want to make use of fixed price listings (minimum 10 feedback and PayPal verified) so the quickest way to achieve this is from buying.
Needless to say when I advised them to get a budget from their manager and go spending they had no hesitation in doing just that. A spending spree on office funds, what could be better? I suggested mundane items such as paper, ink, toner and staples but they had much better ideas. £700 for a new CCTV system? Not a problem, we’ve been meaning to get one for ages!
Two hours and well over £1000 later and they’ve already got their first two feedback from sellers that leave feedback on payment. Just another eight to go which in all likelihood will come from sellers with automatic feedback left on receipt of feedback so it might take a couple of days. They’ve bought more than 10 items to make sure they get more than the 10 feedback needed
Buying is fun though, even when it’s at third hand it’s still exciting. Most sellers spend all their time on eBay selling – if you’ve not been on a buying spree for some time then Christmas is just the excuse you need to go spending.
There’s a good business justification for buying on eBay as well – how will you know the pitfalls your buyers have to face and how search works unless you genuinely use the site yourself as well? Buying is the perfect way to spend a morning and it’s justifiable as “work”.
Steve says
2:07 pm on 18/11/2008
I’ve helped a few people get started selling on eBay, and the first bit of advise I always give is “buy a few items to start with”.
When people understand and know what it is like to be a buyer, what satisfies themselves, what expectations they should have, and what experiences they encounter, it is the best grounding for becoming a decent and long term seller.
Buying consumables such as jiffy bags, bubble wrap etc, also looks good on a feedback record – it shows that you plan to take care in packaging the goods that you sell.
Much better than buying 1p ebooks to bulk feedback!!
northumbrian says
3:15 pm on 18/11/2008
Buying consumables such as jiffy bags, bubble wrap etc, also looks good on a feedback record – it shows that you plan to take care in packaging the goods that you sell.
*** makes mental note not to buy glue on ebay***
and a miniumum of 10 feedback should be for selling not buying ,
any guerkin can get 10 feedback overnight these days buying ,
especially as you cant get a negative for not paying either,
Swan says
3:47 pm on 18/11/2008
Then get them to leave their buyer feedback now.
Its fairly meaningless and they’ll get to their 10
Or for a lot less than £1000 i’d flog them the 800 odd fb ID that was set up 3 years ago and is now useless under the new fee structure.
Kate says
6:29 pm on 18/11/2008
I was a buyer a long time before I ever thought about selling. I think I had about 50 feedback from buying (and of course not everyone left me feedback) before I sold a thing. Since I started selling I started using a separate buying ID (and I don’t recommend buying supplies on your selling ID – do you really want your buyers to know how much your supplies cost?) and I still buy regularly as I’m an avid music collector as well as seller. Buying does of course help you to become a better seller – as I buy CDs as well as sell them I know exactly how the buyer feels if the CD is scratched rather than the “near mint” stated on the listing, and what it’s like to get the CD case mangled and broken in the mail.
Andy says
8:12 pm on 18/11/2008
Chris, we’d be happy to ‘help’ your client get their 10 feedback… we leave feedback on payment so whenever they’re ready…
Judy says
12:22 am on 19/11/2008
I’ve been doing quite a bit of buying on eBay and the WWW recently and I’ve gotta say, most sellers have no idea about communication. If I trust a seller or a website with my money, the least they can do is email me to either acknowledge payment or inform me that my order has been shipped. Out of 10 recent purchases I’ve received one email.
Sorry for the whinge – and now, back to our regular program.
ebuyerfb says
1:07 am on 19/11/2008
@ # 6
But out of all of those transactions how many did you receive the item as described and shipped when the listing stated it would be shipped? If you are paying via PayPal then PayPal should have emailed you telling you that the seller got their money. All my listings say I ship the next day so telling the person I shipped that day is just redundant.
northumbrian says
7:08 am on 19/11/2008
,
judy,s right
telling folks you have their money .and your contactable and real, is such a basic and simple thing to do its stupid not too
Josordoni says
2:17 pm on 19/11/2008
If I am buying, I don’t believe anything has been sent unless I hear that it has been sent.
So I always tell my own buyers a) when it is going to be sent b) when it has been sent. c) I add the tracking no to Paypal, so they get another message with that information as well.
Nobody has ever complained that they have had too much information, in fact, we get complimented for our level of communication.
Not rocket science is it…