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Thanks to the advent of auction sites and online listings, making a profit off of unwanted items has become a relatively simple undertaking. However, because of the anonymity the internet provides, many sellers fail to conduct themselves in a polite and professional manner. Whether you’re dealing directly with buyers or preparing an item for shipment, it’s important to approach every facet of a transaction from a place of seriousness. By accepting a customer’s money, you’ve committed yourself to uphold your end of the bargain, and failing to do so can land you in hot water with various websites. To ensure that your online sales go off without a hitch, take care to avoid the following blunders when selling online.
Improper Packing
As a seller, it behooves you to make sure your items reach their destinations unscathed. While it’s true that some packages are damaged as a result of negligence on the part of delivery personnel, smart packing can prove invaluable in keeping your shipments safe. With this in mind, make a point of providing your merchandise with ample insulation and cushioning. If you don’t have any insulated boxes on hand, consider equipping regular shipping boxes with removable insulation pouches. Additionally, when shipping items that are weak against extreme heat, the convenient temperature indicators and loggers from SpotSee.io are sure to come in handy.
Concealing an Item’s Flaws
When selling unwanted items online, many sellers won’t hesitate to actively downplay or outright conceal any noteworthy flaws or defects. Since their goal is to sell their merchandise in as timely a manner as possible, these types of sellers have no qualms about lying about omission. Not only is this extremely unscrupulous, it can also draw the ire of customers and get you in trouble with many listing sites. While covering up an item’s flaws may make you a little bit of money in the short term, the consequences you’re likely to face as a result aren’t worth the fleeting satisfaction.
Late Shipping
The digital age is also the age of instant gratification. Unsurprisingly, after making a purchase online, most consumers expect to receive their item(s) as fast as reasonably possible. As such, you should make a point of shipping orders immediately after the payments are processed. Most listing sites require sellers to provide potential buyers with delivery windows, and if a shipment fails to arrive within a specified window, you’re liable to receive an angry email. In some cases, late shipments are purely the fault of delivery companies. More often than not, however, they can be traced back to procrastination on the part of sellers.
Selling your unwanted items online can be a very profitable venture. However, regardless of how sought-after the items you’re selling are, failure to conduct yourself in a professional manner is sure to draw the ire of many buyers. Fortunately, being a model online seller doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. In your quest to become the perfect seller, avoiding the previously discussed mistakes will do you a world of good.
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