A look at some recent feedback…

By Sharon Fussell, October 16, 2014

 

Lately I noticed some feedback a seller on Amazon recently received and was amused, but felt sad for the seller.

The seller had described the product honestly, explaining that some of the product’s packaging was a little crushed, but the item inside was perfectly good. They reduced the price to compensate.

However, when the seller came to send out the order, they located the same product in much better condition than described, so sent that one instead.

Now, normally you would expect a buyer to perhaps make a comment thanking the seller for this great customer service, however, imagine the surprise when the buyer left negative feedback, stating the item was not in the condition described ‘but in better condition’!

Sometimes as a seller, you do get the impression that you are dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t – so to speak. Or you can’t do right for doing wrong.

But you just have to keep in mind that most buyers leave great feedback –  as long as you do the right thing…

• Send out the correct item.
• Describe product honestly.
• Post when promised.
• Use suitable packaging.
• Respond quickly to emails.

If you follow this path, even if you do receive a damaging feedback rating occasionally, in the main you will not, because your buyers will be very happy.

Here are some recent comments left on my feedback page:

5 – ‘The book was exactly as described. I am so pleased. It was a privilege doing business with you.’ P. 10 Oct

5 – ‘I was very pleased with the condition of the copy, as it matched the description.’ S.G. 10 Oct

Here are a few comments I have copied from a mega-seller’s feedback page on Amazon…

A major bug-bear with many buyers is that the condition of the book sent has not correlated with the description of the book on Amazon. This has happened to me, where I bought a book that was described as being in ‘very good condition’, but the item was actually very badly water-damaged.

I complained and was issued a refund on the spot: they didn’t even want me to send the book back. This was a mega-seller and it’s as if the fact that they’re willing to issue a refund on the spot for disgruntled customers is justification for them not listing the condition of their respective items properly.

So ALWAYS take time to correctly describe the condition of the products you sell.

2/5 ‘The Amazon website does not allow me to see the seller’s description. However I am sure I would not have bought a book as creased and soiled as this one is.’ H.

Here’s another feedback comment, which shows that the buyer has been disappointed once before, but has given the seller the benefit of the doubt, only to be disappointed again:

1/5 ‘As usual, book ordered from [seller name omitted] not as described! Sold as ‘Good’ but when it arrived it was badly battered, very badly creased spine, deep indentations on back cover and a sticker on the back you cannot remove! Shall not be using this seller again!!’ J.K.

And this customer quite rightly stresses the point that many issues can be sorted just by replying quickly and with the right spirit:

2/5 ‘The book I ordered was apparently dispatched by the seller. It should have arrived almost two weeks ago now. This could be a problem with being lost in the post, but I would’ve appreciated if the seller would have at least replied to my email send over a week ago. Communication – it keeps your customers happy and coming back for more; it’s not much to ask for.’ T.T.

But below this comment on the same page, this was posted:

5/5 ‘Excellent Amazon seller. I am 100% happy with the service I received. A+ I would 100% be happy to recommend and buy again from this seller. Thank you :)’ L.I.

Thus, you can please some people some of the time, but not all people all of the time, but stick to the rules in the bullet-points above and you’ll be fine.

Keep soldiering on: you are doing a great job!

Have a great week!