--
Online Buying/Selling Guidance
-- 10.22.2000
-- By: Zach29
We have collected a couple of tips and tricks to
make your online purchasing and selling experience a whole lot
smoother. These are all written
by people who have experience in dealing with these issues, which
can be applied to trades and deals on EBay or many of the other
trading communities. Good luck!
TRADING GUIDANCE
see also:
Roger's
Trading and Troll Guidance
These were submitted to us by "Underclocked",
and should be quite helpful for both buyers and sellers:
1: Be honest, be honest, be honest. Enhance this with total clarity
and be sure the other trader(s) have the same understanding of a
deal's particulars.
2: Clearly represent your exact product or offering, be sure to
include any cosmetic or functional problems. Check your thread for
responses frequently or let others know how best to contact you.
3: Make sure any item you ship is well packaged and preferably use a
shipping means which carries insurance and tracking. Some shipping
tips:
- Always use order confirmation when sending via USPS. For any
item sent via Priority Mail it is only 35 cents. That way you
can always see when the item has been delivered.
- Include a card of some sort listing the sender’s and
recipient’s address information INSIDE the package.
- Use anti-static packaging to contain any sensitive computer
parts.
- When sending breakable items, use plenty of good padding on
each side.
- Use block caps in addresses, avoid punctuation, and leave 2
spaces between state and zip code. Use a ZIP+4 code whenever
possible. http://www.usps.gov/ncsc/lookups/lookups.htm
4: There are NO excuses for being late or unable to fulfill a
deal. Occasionally, there might be a legitimate REASON, but never an
excuse.
5: Always honor your word.
6: Post a price for the item(s) you may be selling. This is not an
auction site! Further, should someone meet your asking price or
trade offer, you are obliged to make the deal and not quibble for
more.
7: Promptly communicate with the other party at the different stages
of the deal, i.e. when the money is received, when you ship the
package, and a follow-up e-mail to see if the trade is satisfactory.
IT IS A VERY GOOD IDEA to use the same e-mail by just replying each
time. Be sure to identify yourself from the start with your BBS
Username, the BBS you post on, and your real name. This avoids a lot
of confusion (especially true for us older traders!)
8: Trader references for many can be found at http://heatware.elitehardware.com/
. Check to see if the person you are trading with is listed and
read any feedback. In addition to the HeatWare ratings check you
should ask for references, use the BBS search feature to check other
posts by the trader, check with other reputable traders for
additional info, and finally if you still have qualms - ask the
other trader to ship first. Trust your gut instinct on close calls.
Once you complete a trade, add your feedback to HeatWare so others
might benefit from your experience. Post the bad as well as the
good!
9: Get a phone number, and talk to them over the phone (if needed).
It's a lot harder to be taken advantage of when you have their phone
number, and it also makes it easier to find a person that violates.
10: Please, update your thread when an item is gone and maybe state
to whom it went.
11: Stick to the terms of the Deal!!!!! Avoid becoming a trader that
gets involved in misunderstandings. Don't try to do so many trades
that you cannot give proper attention to each deal.
12: Make a printed copy of the deal and save it until the
transaction is complete. This will prevent confusion and prevent the
problem of lost information due to a crashed system.
13: If there's no legitimate e-mail in your profile, your
credibility suffers from the start.
14: If you're going put up a WTB thread, be prepared to pay a little
more.
15: If you're offering less than 50% of what the items are worth on
this board....you're a LOW_BALLER !
16: If you make an offer of goods or cash, be positive you will be
able to deliver same in a timely manner within the framework of the
deal. Postponed delivery of any cash or goods should be arranged on
the front side of the deal, not after one party has shipped!
17: If you are new to the boards and would like to play it safe, and
since you're going to be expected to ship or pay 1st, try to deal
with the long term established traders here for the first couple of
trades. You'll quickly build a really good rep without the risk.
Then later you can deal with unknowns and ask them to ship or pay
you 1st. This is in no way intended to imply that new people are
less honest than the older members, it's rather just a safety net
suggestion.
18: Try to conduct yourselves as gentlemen and ladies here. If you
have no interest in purchasing an item someone is selling, do not
interfere with the sale by posting ridicule or derogatory remarks.
19: In line with the above, TRY VERY HARD to resolve any issues
relevant to your trades away from this board and preferably by
e-mail. Occasionally, things can happen beyond one's control which
might cause suspicion or misunderstanding. Please don't have an
itchy finger when you suspect a misdeed. Make every effort to
resolve the issue by confidential communications before decrying the
situation publicly!! Misunderstandings posted on the board can cause
undeserved damage to BOTH traders' credibility.
20: Expect the absolute worst treatment if you violate your deals.
Your first trade could be your last.
Good luck!
Check out more of his tips over at
Anandtech's
Forums!
Next: Rogers
Trading and Troll Guidance > |
