As you widen the breath of your eBay business’s reach, communicating effectively across cultures is key to selling successfully.
Communications about Listings
When creating listings, ensure buyers from around the world understand what you're offering by:
- Using simple, clear language
- Avoiding colloquialisms or abbreviations international buyers may not understand
- Using local terms of your main target market
Example: In the US they usually use "cell phones" but in the UK it's more common to say "mobiles".
- Using measurement units and sizes of your target markets
Example: The unit for weight in the US is pounds while in the UK it's grammes.
- Include global product specifications if they're available
Example: Some electronics and media items may not work in all countries due to voltage, plugs or formats.
- If listing on a non-English site, consider getting your listing translated
Try using online translation tools to translate your listings.
TIP: Answer enquiries quickly and provide comprehensive answers. Effective communication helps overcome barriers in shopping internationally.
Learn more about how to create effective listings.
Post-Sale Communications
Never neglect buyer communications after the item is sold. You can impress your buyers and make them come back if you have good after-sale services and communications.
Managing Buyer Emails
Sellers can respond to buyer questions and manage your email with buyers easily.
- See the whole thread: Whether in eBay My Messages or in your own email inbox, you can reply to buyer emails by using "respond" in your email or in My Messages, or by clicking the yellow "respond" button in the email from the buyer. Either way, the conversations will be "threaded" so you can see the entire communication stream.
- User identity kept anonymous: Buyer identity will be kept anonymous until after the sale is complete.
- Post-transaction emails:Sellers can customise these emails through Selling Manager Pro. The improved post-transaction emails include Payment Reminder, Order Confirmation and Order Update.
Learn more about how to use My eBay to effectively handle buyers’ imails (English only).
TIP:
- • You can see the new emails through Selling Manager. If you send out your own post-transaction emails, make sure they don't duplicate messages coming directly from eBay.
- • Review, update and customise your emails by adding your own logo and messages through Selling Manager Pro
Get Selling Manager FREE now!
Learn more about Selling Manager Pro.
Practical Tips for Communications
Here are some tips that can help you work things out with your buyer or seller.
- Focus on the problem, not the person.
Start by assuming your trading partner is doing their best. Usually problems are a result of simple miscommunication. And anyone can have an emergency or a payment problem that's not their fault.
- Think about the big picture.
Rather than getting caught up in the feelings of the moment, remember this is just one transaction, with many more possible in the future. Try to see your trading partner's side too.
- Look for creative solutions.
Be flexible and find solutions where both you and your trading partner get what you're looking for. For example, if a buyer has a hardship that makes it difficult to pay you, rather than opening a case for an unpaid item (where the buyer can get an unpaid item strike on their eBay account), the seller might consider canceling the transaction and relisting the item.
- Avoid using Feedback as a threat
Every eBay member's reputation is dependent on Feedback left by their trading partners. Threatening someone with negative Feedback usually makes them less cooperative. It's also against our Feedback policy (English only) and can result in more problems for you.
Only leave negative Feedback once the issue is over, if you're unsatisfied with the outcome, and feel the other member acted unfairly.
- Remember that customer satisfaction is good business.
Research shows that buyers are 10 times as likely to talk about a negative buying experience as they are to talk about a positive buying experience.
Sellers, you can prevent problems by creating thorough listings, responding swiftly to buyers' questions using Q&A and by email, and ship your items quickly after you've received payment. This can get you great Feedback and bring buyers back for more.
If there's a transaction problem, respond quickly and fairly. Buyers tend to be even more loyal to sellers with whom they've resolved problems than if they had no problem.
