Customer focus is important for eBay sellers
eBay recently made some changes to its non performance policy for sellers. The changes are highlighted here, and I had a good chat to my account manager about it when I called her earlier today.
Essentially, eBay now uses a metric to see whether or not you are performing well a a seller. They do this by adding together your neutrals and negatives. If that total is more than 5% of your feedbacks (over the last 90 days) you are at risk of having your account limited in some way (limiting number of listings).
I originally called my account manager to discuss some other items with her, but happened to ask about what happens if a seller falls into the new ‘non performance’ criteria if they happen to be a large seller.
Large eBay sellers have their own account manager. An account manager at eBay keeps you informed of the latest happenings, talks to you about ideas to grow your eBay business and can provide some advice. They also act as an interface with the (sometimes trigger happy) Trust and Safety team, and are generally nice people!
In any case, it seems that some of the larger sellers in Australia (both in volume of products sold, total turnover, or both) are in dangerous water at the moment, and at risk of having their listings limited. My account manager advised me that usually the account rep will be made aware of the situation, and call their customers to talk with them about their business and I guess mediate a little if their account has to be limited!
But smaller sellers may not get friendly service. You will get notified by email about what is transpiring and information why if happened. Clawing your feedback rating back might be tough though, especially given your listing capacity might e limited, hurting cashflow.
Is this happening already?
Some of the larger sellers on eBay Australia might need to pick up their game. Whether it is accurate item descriptions, item quality, customer service, excessive postage cost or delay or a mixture of all of these, there seem to be some sellers that need to do some work.
eBusiness Supplies seems to be running close to the allowable 5% total neutrals and negs over the last 90 days. Looking at their 6 month feedback then, they are sitting at 4.2% negs and neutrals, but the 30 day figure is worse at 6.5%.
I also note that their volume of items sold has slowed a lot in the last 90 days, from about 120 listings per day to around 60 now. This could well be to change in business strategy, lack of stock, or maybe seller non performance policy, I would only be guessing.
But it still reminds me how easy it is to get the rug pulled out from underneath you. eBay Trust and Safety has shut down many accounts in the past for varying reasons, often without warning at all. This has been a hot topic for members of PeSA, Top Sellers and Powersellers alike for a long time. It even happened to us once. Our main account was frozen on a Friday night. Of course, not everyone checks their listings during a weekend. Lucky we did, and it was resolved. Still, it cost us thousands.
Again, sellers have to be careful.
Act now to remove the risk
The bigger you are, the more costs in resources and infrastructure you usually have to run your business.
How would your business cope then, if you listings were throttled back, and your eBay sales were cut to only 50% of their previous volume because of this policy? ouch.
Don’t take shortcuts, and don’t be lazy.
Don’t settle for the attitude of ‘make more money, care a little less about the customer’, because it can bite you in the arse.
I wouldn’t want to have to tell my loyal and hard working staff that they had no job anymore because we got greedy or lazy and our accounts got shut down. Would you?
Your customer is OUR customer too
This is so important on eBay. Every transaction makes a difference to your sales and mine too. eBay customes buy from lots of different sellers.
We want eBay customers to find eBay an enjoyable and trusting experience. If you get greedy, and stop caring about customer service, then maybe that customer won’t come back and shop with ANY sellers on eBay.
So if a small refund will make a customer happy, even though you know you are right and they are wrong, think about making them happy. Apologise if it makes them happy (then grumble all you likeafter you hang up).
But do the right thing. It is everyone’s marketplace.
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Take care of the customer and the customer will take care of you. Don’t take care of the customer and you have no business…. not for long anyway