How To Be A Good Seller

Manny DelaCruz

Over the years, I've observed many kinds of sellers at Auction Arms. I've seen long-term success, and short-term failure with regard to setting up a business online. And invariably, the successfull seller that I've seen follows a few short rules that ensure the highest rates of success possible in the online auction marketplace. Rather than let you, the new seller to Auction Arms, stumble around in the dark, making simple mistakes that can damage your reputation (and more importantly, ours) here are some helpful guidelines that will lay the groundwork for a profitable and successful business relationship. Here we go:

• Take Care of your Customer.
  There is an old adage in business. "The customer is always right". This adage is as true on the internet as it is in any other market. From your own aspect, think about the merchants you trade with. Do you prefer to buy Craftsman tools where you know Sears will replace them for a lifetime with no questions asked, or do you buy the cheap Korean stuff from K-mart? Who do you prefer to do your business with when you have a choice? Someone who accepts your side of the story and works to make you happy or someone who tries every trick to deny you the outcome you deserve and expect - customer satisfaction? Guess what, your customer expects the same things you do. Customer satisfaction --- that is precisely what your customer wants, deserves and expects. Ok, so you don't make your expected profit on one sale. Heck, maybe you even take a small loss to make your customer happy. So what!?!

  In the long term your reputation and goodwill will get around and you'll become a successful and profitable seller. Look at it this way: by the time you've finally found a customer and made a sale, you've invested a lot of time and money in making that connection. You've signed up and paid for an account, you've toiled over getting your pictures just right, you've written and re-written your ad copy to get the description just right and to attract attention. You've launched the auction and you've answered all the inquiries. Finally you've made the sale. Now is your chance to not only complete a sale, but to develop a reputation, and acquire a return customer. You've got a chance to do 3 good things to make your business grow and prosper. Disappoint the customer and you have a real good chance to loose all 3 of those good things. Once you've got your customer, don't take a chance on loosing him. Keep him happy. He'll be back bidding on your items in confidence and so will his buddies. Piss in his boot, and you will quickly become the loneliest and most frustrated seller on the internet.

• Be Responsive.
  You would be surprised by how many people sign on to the Internet with the expectation that they are anonymous, and act in a way that their mothers would otherwise slap them to the deck for. Are you anonymous? No, you're not. Computer systems log everything, and it's very easy to correlate behavior with whomever was logged in at that time. You could completely destroy the computer used to access the Internet, and we could still track down your point of entry. If we've got your point of entry and time of entry, guess who we've got? That's right boys and girls - you!

  I'm not trying to instill a sense of paranoia, and give you visions of a Big-Brotheresque world where you have no privacy. I just want you to understand that you don't have a lot of privacy online. If you act illegally, or in a way that isn't polite, we have ways of tracing that behaviour to you. And you could lose you account at Auction Arms if you're not polite - or go to jail if you do something illegal. Basically, don't say or do anything to anyone at Auction Arms that you wouldn't want said or done to your daughter, OK?

  Being responsive also means answering emails in a timely manner, and basically making the customer feel like what he/she says is important to you. When a bidder sends you a payment, send them a short email explaining that you're received it. When you ship the product to the buyer, let them know of that fact and include a tracking number. Almost all of our disputes arise out of a lack of communication, or poor communication, between the buyer and seller.

  Being responsive also means being available. If you're going to be out of town, don't list auctions that are going to close when you can't respond. If you're going to list auctions during a time that you are gone, make sure you choose a closing time that will give the bidder a chance to ask you any questions, get the answers needed, and still bid on the item. In other words, a few days. Think about it a minute. How do you feel when your email containing important questions goes unanswered or un-acknowledged? Not being around to respond to the bidder is a sure way to ding your reputation - being around let's the bidder know that you care about their interest and makes them more inclined to buy your product.

• Be Accurate.
  When you list something for sale at Auction Arms, it behooves you to let the buyer know exactly what the condition of the item is. Point out clearly any and all flaws in your item. They don't heal themselves in the mail. In fact, many of our most successful sellers purposefully under grade their items so that buyers are pleasantly surprised with the items they get being better than described. If the buyer gets something that he/she didn't order, that buyer is going to be unhappy and probably bring it to our attention. Also, buyers have a way of retaliating to seller's that aren't honest, and that's through feedback. If you lie about the condition of your items, buyers will leave feedback and your reputation will be ruined. And if you get enough negative feedback for being dishonest, the Auction Arms staff will remove you from our site.

  Pictures, use them: You should post pictures of your item in your auction. In fact, the more pictures the better. Pictures are really the only way on the internet that a potential buyer can examine your item. They help the buyer visualize the item, and they are a big factor in whether or not the buyer will place a bid. Be ready to take more pictures of the item as you get questions from potential buyers and add them to your auction while it is running. The simple fact is: auctions with pictures sell more often than auctions without. If you don't know how to get your pictures on to your computer, so that you can upload them when you create the auctions, run on down to your local computer shop and get educated. Don't be embarrassed by the fact that you don't know something - there's plenty of crap I don't know about. But one thing I do know is, if you want your items to sell get with the program, and learn to post some pictures. A buyer who sees pictures is a happy buyer. And a happy buyer is a return buyer. If they buy something from you and the transaction goes well, odds are, they're going to be following your auctions and will probably buy from you again. Keep that in mind as you interact with Auction Arms users.

• Don't List At Retail Prices.
  You're only hurting yourself. Buyers come to Auction Arms with the expectation that they might (and I'm emphasizing might) get a deal. If it's not possible for them to get a deal, they won't bid on your items. No bidding means no buying, which also means no profit for you. Now, I'm not telling you how to run your business. (Wait a minute, yes I am.) But your best bet for making money is through building a reputation that buyers can trust, and doing a regular business with return customers. If you're trying to make a killing through short-term scores that only create resentment, you'll quickly gain a reputation for being uninteresting, and buyers will start ignoring your stuff.
• Use Special Features.
  Special Features are a way to differentiate your listing from other listings at Auction Arms. For a small fee, we allow you to boldface, highlight, color, or list your item in the Featured Auctions section. Not every seller uses these options, hence their efficacy. But those sellers that do choose to use these options do have a better record selling what they're listing. It's that little something extra that makes your auctions stand out and more likely to sell.
• Package, Insure, and Ship.
  When something you list sells, and after you've received the buyer's payment, make sure you ship as soon as possible. Your buyer is anxiously waiting for their item to show up, and every day you sit on it increases the likelihood that the buyer is going to get frustrated and post negative feedback. Communication is important in this phase, so make sure to inform the buyer that you have their money, and are in the process of sending the item. When you send the item, make sure you use a reputable carrier, and get a tracking number that you can then send to the buyer. Preferably you've used a carrier that has a web site online that enables the recipient to track their incoming package. Make sure that when you pack the item, you use proper packing materials for that item. Don't wrap the gun in newspaper and duct tape - sans a box - and then expect that the item will arrive blemish free. Basically, put the same kind of care into packing the item as if you're sending a nice fragile gift to your mother, and you're buyer will be a happy camper. If you are selling a firearm, insure it. After all, under our 3-day inspection policy, the firearm is yours until the inspection period is over. Send it insured and require returns to be insured as well.

  Look, the reality is damages in shipment happen. Too many times failure to insure results in disputes between sellers and buyers. The buyer doesn't want damaged goods and the seller, not being insured, doesn't want to take the loss. Consequently disputes arise which are very often resolved in favor of the buyer. Bad feelings develop and the seller has just lost his most important asset. A satisfied buyer. Tell your buyer upfront in your auction that insurance is required on the shipment both to and from. Take "damage in transit" up with your carrier, not your customer... insure.

• Post Feedback - Request Feedback.
  Now that the transaction has been completed, post feedback on your successful buyer. When you send your last email to the buyer informing the buyer of the shipping details, make sure you ask for feedback. Your reputation is on display for all to see through the feedback you garner in these transactions. If you don't get feedback, don't throw a fit and post negative on the buyer. That will lead to the buyer posting negative on you. Politely remind the buyer to leave feedback, but don't wig out if it doesn't happen right away. Remember, it's better to get no feedback, rather than negative feedback. But you can still load the dice in your favor by reminding the buyer that feedback is the currency of your reputation.

That just about covers the subject of how to be a good seller at Auction Arms. By no means are these the only rules to live by - but I've seen a lot of business done, and this is how to best turn a profit while pleasing your customers and keeping yourself (and us) in business. Check back occasionally if you need a reminder about how to best accomplish you goal of becoming an Internet Gun Baron - and good luck!

Manny DelaCruz
CEO - AuctionArms.com, Inc.