What To Do After Your eBay Auction Closes

So your auction closes. Now what?

Hopefully you made a sale or several sales. Now the important work begins. Here are some tips on what to do after your eBay auction closes.

Buyer Contact

Once your items have sold, be responsive to the buyer. Contact them in a quick manner, thank them for their purchase, and provide the required information for payment.

Professional Wrapping

When you wrap your items, wrap it professionally in nice, clean tissue paper. If breakable, be sure the item is wrapped with bubble wrap as well. Include a business card with your website information, name, address, or a printed out statement showing the items name, items number, price paid, and a small hand-written note thanking the buyer for their purchase.

Insurance

Insurance is usually a good idea but in general, it should be an optional feature, with the decision left to the buyer. Remember two important things about insurance. First, insurance is VERY inexpensive. Therefore, in your description, you should state how much insurance would cost and recommend it. Second, you should also state in the description that if insurance is not purchased, you are not responsible for lost or damaged items.

Go the Extra Mile

You want every customer to be a happy customer. If you have to do a little more research on shipping, or negotiate on price, remember that the customer is the reason you will have success. Therefore, be prepared to go the extra mile in providing them with superior service every single time.

Negative Feedback

Unlike other sites that use a feedback system, eBay's feedback is sacred and taken very seriously. Negative feedback is never removed. Therefore, if you leave negative feedback rather than trying to handle a tough situation between you and the seller, this could give you a bad reputation. If people see that you consistently leave negative feedback because your buyer did not pay as quickly as you like or whatever reason, buyers will be leery of buying from you in fear of getting negative feedback themselves should something go wrong.

Trustworthiness

It is extremely important that you handle your account with integrity. The number of positive comments and amount of stars earned are what will be the deciding factor for many buyers. Be professional, polite, and stand by what you sell.

Sending Items

In your description, provide accurate details regarding shipment. Make sure the item(s) are sent within the time you stated. In many cases, people purchase something for a specific purpose and if you do not ship it when stated, not only do you mess up their schedule for the item but you have probably lost a customer and opened the door for a negative feedback.

Communication with Buyer

It is your responsibility to contact the buyer at the end of the auction congratulating them on winning the item(s). Issue an e-mail requesting their shipping address. Once they provide that information to you, let them know when the shipment will go out, which should coordinate within the timeframe provided in your auction description. If you know the shipping charges, advise them in this same e-mail. Once payment has been made, send another e-mail to the buyer confirming that you received their payment and that the item(s) will be shipped on X day via (US priority mail, UPS, Fed-Ex, etc.). Once you have a tracking number, send that to the buyer as well. This will allow them to follow the tracking themselves.

Integrity

Regardless of whom the buyer, work with integrity and run your auctions accordingly. More than likely, you will run into some difficult buyers, although not often. Keep in mind that every buyer provides the best form of advertisement - word of mouth. Integrity is what will draw customers in and keep them coming back along with friends and family.

Openness

If a buyer makes a recommendation, listen. That does not always mean you will agree or even like their recommendations but if they have something to say, it might be something important to making your auction site better for future buyers. For example, if your shipping information seems muddled to the buyer but clear to you, you need to review what you have written. If the customer is struggling with understanding, that is truly what matters.

Lewis Leake helps people get started in a Work From Home business. His website at GrowNetProfits.com contains tools, resources, articles, newsletters, product reviews and traffic builders to help you make money from your home based business. Click here to read additional Online Auction articles.

More Resources

5 Secrets To Make A Killing on EBay
Secret #1: Find a 'real' wholesale and drop ship companyDo you know what one of the biggest problem is to be successful on eBay? 'What should I sell"? I can tell you, I get many emails per day from eBay sellers, asking me what they can sell. Let me explain this more in detail.
Selling on Ebay-Get Started in 7 Easy Steps
Ebay auctions are definitely the easiest and fastest way to start earning money online. Ebay.
eBay - Getting More Bids Using An Auction Preview
If you sell in small niches as I recommend and are organized enough that you know what you will be listing on eBay 1 to 2 weeks ahead of time, you should give serious thought to previewing your upcoming auctions for your customers. The result can be increased sales and higher final bids.
eBay Motors : Buy or Sell a Car on eBay
Are you having trouble finding a great deal on a car in your local area? Well, join the club. Using Online Bidding at eBay Motors can be the perfect answer you've been looking for.
Increase your eBay Profits the Easy Way
Sometimes the simplest things can boost the number of visitors and bids to your auction listings and increase your eBay profits.Robert G.
Starting an eBay Home Business
Do I need to explain what eBay is?If 'Yes', where have you been living for the past 5 years? On Mars?EBay is the world's largest Internet auction site. There are a reported 30,000,000 users, but that number has probably increased in the time delay between me writing this article and you reading it.
Top Secret Ebay Powerseller Technique: Classifieds Produce Auction Power
I was browsing through all of the classified sections, and stumbled on Wanted to Buy. I noticed that people were placing ads for items they wanted to purchase.
Online Auction Sellers - Seize Control Of Your Business!
As the online auction model of business continues to evolve toward a more commoditized, corporate marketplace, it is time for online auction sellers to seize control of their business, before it's too late.In this article we will highlight some effective steps you can take to shift control back to your own business.
Online Auctions Business
Online auction sites are a great way to find a bargain on almost anything and an excellent way of getting the best price for selling something of your own. Online auctions are different from their real-world counterparts.
Professional eBay Auctions Reap the Profits for Sellers
eBay offer an unbelievable amount of traffic for ANYONE wanting to sell on their auction site, so much so that millions of items are listed on it everyday. So with all this competition how do you make sure that your listing doesn't get lost amongst the rest and that customers keep coming back to you.
Are You an Ebay Shopper?
As I write this article, I am keeping an eye on an item on eBay. Do I have to keep an eye on it? No.
Online Auctions: The New Way of Shopping for Mauritians
Since their introduction several years ago, online auctions, such as eBay, have been one of the hottest destinations on the World Wide Web. Auction sellers are attracted by the prospect of a broad venue for their products and the possibility of high profits.
Learn How To Be A Successful eBay Seller
Anyone can sell anything on eBay. Open an account, list your product, and wait for the bids to start coming in.
Smart Ways Your Business Can Benefit From Online Auctions
It seems as if everyone is talking about online auctions. And why not.
2 Step Secret Reveals How You Can Find Wholesale Suppliers
Have you spent hours on the internet searching for a viable wholesale source? I did. I spent money on self-professed in-depth Wholesale Supplier directories and membership sites.
How To Find Tons of Hot Items Selling On EBay ...In Less Than 10 Minutes
There are many ways to start a home business online, and few are easier than eBay - the world's largest online auction site. However, there is one critical condition - you have to know what to sell and how to sell it.
Is it Antique and is it Worth Anything?
Is it an antique and is it worth anything?Would you know?At some point in our lives most of us are going to put in a position where we have to ask ourselves the question-Which of my treasured possesions should I keep because they might be worth something and which can I throw away?Would you know??We start our own homes full of enthusiasm and with all the lovely clutter that makes up our lives and that of the family, but as time goes on, the children leave home, we decide to move to a smaller house or maybe we decide to live abroad. At that stage we have to decide what to keep and what to part with.
Eating and Thriving On-Line
The Internet SHOULD be "the place to shop" for low-carb dieters, diabetics, celiacs, and anyone else on a special diet. The posted prices are well below those in retail stores, the variety is greater, you are dealing with firms whose specialty is dealing with your need, and the products for sale are described fully in type that is designed to be read (isn't that a pleasant contrast to the packages you see in your local store.
The Ins and Outs of Dropshipping on eBay
Dropshipping is an attractive marketing technique, but when you take it to eBay it becomes a real phenomenon. There are tens of thousands of people running dropshipping business as you are reading this article.
eBay Online Auction Sniping Secrets
Since their introduction several years ago, online auctions, such as eBay, have been one of the hottest destinations on the World Wide Web. Auction sellers are attracted by the prospect of a broad venue for their products and the possibility of high profits resulting from emotion-driven bidding wars.

More Auction Information:

Related Articles

eBay and Dropshipping - A Perfect Fit!
eBay and Dropshipping go together like a hand in a glove. As you read this article, right now, thousands of eBayers are running there own auction business.
How to Double or Even Triple Your Net Profit Selling on eBay
eBay Search tips and secretsThis is an example of how I used the Ebay search tab to triple my sales and profit in 1 month!I had found a great supplier of computer liquidation products using my Ebay Power seller Cloning techniques. I was excited to be selling over $1000 a day in these products (laptop parts and accessories).
Auction Image Hosting for Ebay Auctions: Free Single Most Recommended Tip
It is a well known fact that the more pictures taken of an item, the better it will sell. Not only will you get more bids, but you will make a superior final profit.
How to Market with Niche Auction Sites
Online auctions are big business. But they can be big headaches.
Is Selling On eBay Just A Hobby Or A Real Business?
Q: I made extra money selling things on eBay last year. These were items I picked up at yardsales mostly.
Selling Effectively on Ebay Motors
Remember back when selling online was a new experience? Dealers tried everything to sell their vehicles online. Today's market has expanded to include several hot online marketplaces but there is the largest online marketplace, Ebay.
How To Find REAL Wholesale Dropshippers For Almost Any Product
With more and more people getting online, many of them are searching for information on specific products that they are interested in purchasing.Thus one of the best possible ways to turn a profit online is to find wholesale sources that will drop-ship thes products directlyto your customers who come to your website for more informatation.
How To Convert eBay Surfers into Bidders!
Do you know the phrase "A Call To Action"? Well, using "A Call To Action" on your eBay Auction could help increase your sales almost immediately. As outlined in my book "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak" having the right product, at the right price is crucial.
Multiple Income Streams on eBay within 30 Minutes!
POWERSELL Status, the secrets revealed.If like thousands of people you have been using eBay and wondering how to gain a regular income, and work from home, this article will help you.
5 Sure-Fire Ways to Make More Money on EBay
Have you ever dealt with a salesperson or a waiter who gave you unbelievably good service? How about someone who didn't seem to care about you one bit?Which of those people would you go back to the next time you needed to make another purchase or eat another meal?I'm willing to bet you would go back to the business or person who gave you great service. Have you ever considered that this same principle applies to your eBay sales?One of the easiest ways to get more sales on eBay is to make every buyer think "Wow, I've never had such a good experience buying on eBay!"Once someone has bought from you and had a good experience, they're much more likely to buy from you again.
How To Sell On Ebay & Keep Your Shirt
Have you ever been delighted after a huge sale on Ebay. .
Attract eBay Buyers Like Crazy!
As an ebay(TM) seller it happens very often (too often) that listings close without any bids. Did this happen to you? Many sellers are frustrated and quit their eBay(TM) business.
How To Sell Internationally On eBay Without Risk
Many people just getting started on eBay have reservations when it comes to selling to International buyers. Possibly they've heard a few second-hand horror stories, or they feel it's simply not worth the extra hassle.
How Pop-Culture Collectibles Can Increase Your Online Auction Profits
How Pop Culture collectibles can increase your Online Auction profitsWith the increasingly competitive environment for products to sell in the online auction arena, sellers are getting more creative as to the items they purchase for re-sale.While some of the Dutch Auction items that are frequently sold on eBay will always maintain their commodity status and always sell well, Pop Culture collectibles will usually generate a higher profit-per-item simply because of a combination of two forces.
How To Write a Traffic Pulling eBay Auction Title
Selling an item on eBay should be simple but it is surprising how many people make some very silly mistakes.As a buyer this is fantastic, you can pick up some absolute bargains by finding poorly listed items.
Negating Negative Feedback on eBay
Taking some pride in my one hundred percent positive feedback score on eBay, I was horrified to see a negative feedback appear against me.What had I done wrong? Had I overlooked an auction win and failed to deliver product as promised? Had I given poor, slow service? Was I rude to the auction winner?Certainly, if I had been guilty of any of these things, the negative feedback may have been deserved.
7 Simple Steps To Profit Without Your Own Product
Most people do not succeed on the internet because they are selling products no one desperately wants.If you want to be truly successful sell only things that people really really really want to buy!Sounds simple? It is.
Buying At Auction: 6 Hints to Make You a Successful Bidder
Buying at auction, be it for stamps or coins, antiques or even cattle, can be one of the most exciting and profitable experiences possible. It can also be expensive and utterly frustrating.
The Drop Shipping Business
You have suddenly found the perfect business and you are all geared up to make lots of money. You have see the ads about Drop shipping and it sounds great.
Effective Auction Listings - How To Create Them
Once you've created the best possible title for your item, you will move on to writing your auction description. Here, you have more space to give a detailed description of the item you are selling in the body of your auction.