If you’ve sold on eBay or another online selling platform before, you know the importance of your rating. Reviews help potential customers see how well you handled previous sales, and it helps them decide whether or not those customers trust you enough to buy from you again. It can take 40 positive reviews to balance out a single negative one.
Selling online comes with unique challenges, but there are several things that you can do to increase trust and your seller rating on any selling platform. Every step counts, from the accuracy of your listing to the mailers you send your products in.
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Make Sure Your Product Descriptions Are Clear and Accurate
They’ve clicked on your listing, and it’s up to you to get them the rest of the way to the sale. Accurate product descriptions and clear pictures will go a long way to ensuring your customer has the right expectations.
Most sellers exaggerate but don’t promise more than they know you can deliver. Make sure your pictures show details of the actual product and avoid using stock photos if possible. The more you do here, the fewer problems you’ll have going forward.
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Communicate With Your Buyers
When you communicate with your buyers when they first make your purchase, you set yourself apart from sellers who don’t engage with their customers. You can show your buyers that you care about their purchase and your relationship with them through communication.
Encourage your customers to contact you if they have any problems with their orders. Don’t leave them hanging. If you don’t reply to them promptly and courteously, don’t expect a positive review. At best, they may leave a neutral review or none at all. At worst, they’ll leave a negative one.
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Ship Items as Soon as You Can
Whether you’re selling clothes, toys, or a vintage Chanel purse, listing items ready to go is always preferable to those awaiting restocking or are otherwise not immediately available. It may not be realistic to ship a product the same day you get the order, but when you’re listing an item ready to ship, it’s a good idea to set a prompt, realistic shipping date.
Ensure your shipping packaging is appropriate and up to the task. Having customers receive a damaged product can be very disappointing for them. Negative reviews are given more often than positive reviews because a negative experience has a stronger impact on them. A positive online experience can quickly be reversed when they receive a mangled package with a damaged product.
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Don’t List Too Many Items at Once
This might seem obvious, but it’s essential. If you try to sell too much at once, you might be unable to ship items promptly or at all. Additionally, it can be hard to track which item has sold and which is still for sale if you have several identical items listed at once. Some customers may feel less excited to buy if they feel they’re buying the same thing everyone else is. It can also make your offer less desirable if people think you have so many on hand that you can’t get rid of them.
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Respond to All Comments and Questions From Buyers
If a buyer leaves feedback that isn’t positive, you might wonder what you should do next. Experts recommend responding to negative feedback, but it’s even more important to respond to all comments and questions, good or bad.
If a customer has a question or leaves a comment, responding quickly is a great way to let them know that you care and that you’re available to help. Nine out of 10 customers will overlook a negative review if the business stepped up and handled it gracefully.
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Avoid Cancelling or Refunding Sales
It’s not unheard of for a buyer to request a refund or a cancellation and a seller to give it to them, especially after a bad review has been left. While it might seem like a smart move to avoid a less-than-positive review, if you regularly cancel or refund sales, you’re also likely to lose trust and your seller rating will suffer. Customers may perceive that your product is so poor that the only course of action is a cancellation or refund.
Let’s Review
A seller rating is an important part of selling online and comes with a lot of responsibility. It is important to have accurate listings with clear pictures, reach out to your buyers, ship quickly and safely, don’t list too much at once, respond to questions and comments, and avoid falling into a refund trap. When you follow these guidelines, you’re likely to improve your seller rating and sell more items.
