Avoiding a Defect on eBay When You Can't Ship an Item

If you are an eBay seller, at some point one of these things will happen when an item sells:

1. You can't find it in your storage area.

2. You notice a stain, hole, or other defect when preparing it for shipping.

3. You accidentally break it (or otherwise damage it) when packing it for shipping.

If you don't ship the item, eBay will place a defect on your account. Seller canceled transactions are now a big no-no on eBay. The reason is because eBay wants the customer to have an exceptional buying experience and return to buy more. eBay looks bad when sellers can't fill orders.

The best way to avoid a defect if this happens to you is to explain the situation to the customer and offer them a replacement item. Let's say they bought a $50 sweater and you found a hole or stain - you don't want to ship a defective item. Ask the buyer to look through your store and choose $50 worth of product as a replacement. This way you don't have to cancel the transaction, you won't receive a defect, and the customer still gets something they want.

Your goal is 100% customer satisfaction as well as avoiding a defect on your account.

Learn more about the eBay defect system here.

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How to Reduce Returns on eBay

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Moomin Coffee Mugs a Hot Seller on eBay

Here is another item to add to your BOLO list. Moomin mugs.

These are whimsical ceramic coffee mugs with characters from "Moomin Valley." If you aren't familiar, Moomin Valley is a beautiful fictional place where the Moomins live a peaceful life amongst lush nature. Tove Jansson is the author and illustrator of several books about Moominvalley.

The mugs can sell for over $200 on eBay in used condition. Here are a few of the highest priced sales:

Rauha Peace Mug sold for $250 on 2/26/15

Green Moomin Mug Piirustus sold for $150 on 2/14/15

Rare Moomin Mug Muumitytto sold for $132.50 on 2/1/15

Now keep in mind these are the top sellers. eBay shows 24 listings for Moomin mugs which indicates this item is rare and hard to find. But these mugs are out there. And since these mugs are rare and valuable, make sure you price them high enough. If you run an auction, make sure you set the starting price high so that if you only get one bid, you are ok with the sale. Only 3 of the 24 listings are auctions. The rest are fixed price either with or without best offer.

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Are You Shipping to Hawaii and Alaska?

 

I often hear from eBay sellers that they only ship to the lower 48 - they don't ship to Alaska or Hawaii. There really is no reason to exclude Alaska and Hawaii - it is no more expensive to ship there than to any other state.


First Class and Flat Rate will be the same regardless of the destination. Calculated Priority and Parcel Select may cost a little more to go to Alaska and Hawaii - but as long as you set the shipping so that the buyer pays, it won't cost you as the seller any more. And remember your eBay shipping discounts - large or heavy packages often receive up to a 40% discount.

During a phone consultation last week with eBay seller Charmane who runs eBay Store YouStyle888, I got to hear first hand how frustrating it is for eBay buyers living in Hawaii to purchase from sellers on the mainland. Charmane explained that as a buyer, she often finds what she needs on eBay only to learn that the seller won't ship to her. Hawaii residents deal with a higher cost of living than most of us, and they often look to eBay to find deals. They may find the perfect item but then discover that the seller excludes their state. Back to square one.

Alaska is a little bit different situation as there is limited shopping and many people live in rural areas so they depend on the internet for shopping. Mail may not be delivered every day due to severe weather, but it gets there. According to this article on the University of Alaska's website, online shopping is a preferred way to get supplies for many Alaska residents.

If you are not shipping to Alaska and Hawaii, there is no reason not to. Hawaii has 1.4 million residents and Alaska has 736,000 residents. That is over 2 million people you aren't reaching if you exclude these states.

Related Articles:

Free Shipping Flow Chart

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Best Keywords for Selling Handbags on eBay

Keywords are everything on eBay - they are how your customer finds the product. So optimizing your keywords are essential in traffic to your items, and eventually sales.

Thanks to Shannon for posting this info-graphic on handbag keywords in my Facebook group:

Related Articles:

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72 Unique Items that Sold Big on eBay in 2014

And now for something completely different...

Year after year, I am always shocked at what sells on eBay and for how much! I share lots of these great finds on my blog, but these kind of “gems” come faster sometimes than I can write.

Over the last year, I have been keeping note of the unusual, unknown, oddest, and the highest moneymaker sales that have occurred on my personally eBay store. These 72 “gems” aren’t specific to any event that occurred in 2014. They are evergreen finds that many eBay sellers miss.

I will show you the real completed listings, the real numbers, and how you can make this real money yourself.

You will:

    Learn which categories have the best unsung, yet high profit finds

    Find which items (or parts) give you the best ROI

    View real screen shots of what has really sold and for how much

    Know exactly where and how you can source these items

    Discover how to think outside of the eBay box for the items most sellers miss

Grab your copy of my 72-page ebook here and find out what you have been missing!

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The eBay Free Shipping Dilemma

Years ago on eBay, offering free shipping helped sellers place higher in searches. In other words, eBay rewarded sellers who offered free shipping with a boost in search. That is not the case now.

Free shipping is now a big debate between sellers.

The positives:

1. Buyers respond to listings with free shipping. It is a marketing tool to attract buyers.

2. Free shipping is a guaranteed 5 stars on DSRs. It is somewhat of an insurance policy that helps guarantee 5 stars for shipping cost.

The negative:

If a buyer returns an item that had free shipping on it, the seller is usually out the shipping cost to the buyer because the cost of shipping was included in the sales price.

So which is the best way to go? It depends on what is most important to your unique business. I personally offer free shipping on items that can be shipped first class or in a padded flat rate envelope. (For my own items, not consignment items.) So if the item is returned, the cost of shipping lost is minimal.

What is your opinion on free shipping? Is it more important to get the 5 star DSR rating or not risk losing money if the item is returned?

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Free eBay Shipping Flow Chart

 

No need to worry anymore about how to figure out shipping when listing eBay items!

Understanding how to charge for shipping and what materials to use is the most overwhelming parts of  being a new eBay seller. Thousands of sellers ship items from home using USPS every day. Anyone can learn this - so don't be intimidated if you are one of those sellers who is stuggling but afraid to ask for help.

I have created a very simple step-by-step flow chart that walks you through the entire process of setting up shipping charges when listing an item. I also give you resources for what kind of scale to order, when to use your own packaging vs the free USPS supplies, and explanations of Media Mail and HAZMAT items.

This flowchart is a free download - print it out and post next to your computer to help you learn the ropes.You can do this, I promise! (Revised April 2016 - so it is current!)

Download my FREE eBay shipping flow chart here.

You will be directed to HighTail to download - just click the white button on the top right to download. You will want to download this from a computer rather than a mobile phone - it may not download or display properly on mobile devices.

This flow chart is for domestic shipping only. To learn about international shipping click here.

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How to Charge for Shipping on eBay

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Can it be Shipped Media Mail?