Believe it or not, your eBay home business is susceptible to theft by dishonest buyers. It may sound crazy, if not utterly impossible, but it happens every day to unsuspecting buyers. Unfortunately, there can be little to no recourse if you don't take the proper steps to protect yourself, even with eBay's method of dealing with fraudulent buyers. Besides that, it can sometimes take months to resolve these situations.
Believe it or not, your eBay home business is susceptible to theft by dishonest buyers. It may sound crazy, if not utterly impossible, but it happens every day to unsuspecting buyers. Unfortunately, there can be little to no recourse if you don't take the proper steps to protect yourself, even with eBay's method of dealing with fraudulent buyers. Besides that, it can sometimes take months to resolve these situations, leaving you without the money, the item, and wasting your precious time.
For starters, check your bidders before allowing them to win an auction. You have every right to cancel the bids of bidders that seem untrustworthy or who have a low feedback rating. Simply click on their feedback profile, and see what their feedback says about them. If they have a lot of negative responses for not paying for an item, or for causing trouble, you should probably cancel the bid. If they have no feedback or a low rating, you may want to rethink whether or not you want them to bid, or contact the bidder to ask why their rating is so low. If you feel uncomfortable with the bidder's response, then you can cancel the bid.
Insure all of your packages by requiring your bidders to pay for insurance. Insurance is relatively low - only $1.00 for up to $100 of value - so there really isn't a reason not to have insurance. This way, if a buyer claims an item was lost in the mail, you can have them handle the matter through the post office's insurance claims office instead of having to refund the buyer yourself. If the buyer is trying to pull a scam, the post office will be able to tell right away, and handle the matter appropriately.
Requiring signature confirmation on all of your packages. This also costs a little extra, but it is definitely worth it to protect both you and your buyer. Packages that require signatures upon delivery have no chance of being stolen off the buyer's doorstep, and it gives you a written and signed confirmation that the package was received. Then, if a buyer tries to claim that you didn't send the item, you have a signature that proves that you did, in fact, ship the item, and that the buyer received it and signed for it.
Whenever a buyer contacts you claiming that they received the wrong item or a broken item, require them to return the item to you first before you offer a refund or replacement. Some buyers will claim they received the wrong item, or a broken item, and request a refund for the purchase price, and will promise to return the item once they receive a refund. Then, they never actually send the item. Since there is no way to prove that the item wasn't "lost in the mail," you are out the money and the item. By requiring the buyer to send the item back first, you can be sure that they aren't trying to scam you, and refund the money after you have the item in hand.
Using Marketing Techniques to Make More Money on eBay
Marketing is the foundation of a good business. If customers do not know who you are or where to find you, they cannot purchase your products (regardless of how good those products may be). Creative marketing can create buzz about your store and have a very positive impact on your business.
How to Customize Your eBay Store
Once you have an official eBay store up and running, you will most likely see an increase in both traffic and business. As this happens, you will probably want to customize your store to reflect your own personality and business style (but remember, keeping the store looking clean, polished, and professional trumps all else). Fortunately, altering and customizing your store is very easy.
About Me Page Boosts Your eBay Business
Advertising is extremely important, especially when you are just starting a business. Buying ad space or starting a marketing campaign are certainly good options to getting your name out there, but there are also inexpensive and less time consuming ways to let people know about your eBay store. One of these methods is writing an About Me page.
