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The Guide to Being a Good Seller & Buyer

Sep 3, 2014

    1. [​IMG]

      The Guide to Being a Good Seller & Buyer
      - In an effort to maintain happy and healthy BJD second market -​


      **Disclaimer: These are my personal opinions gained from personal experiences. I repeat, these are PERSONAL opinions! I do not mean to offend anybody. I just wish to bring the topic out in open for discussion, because I have experienced less than satisfactory transactions more often than ever recently, both as buyer and seller.**

      **Disclaimer 2: DoA Marketplace already has good rules. What I want to discuss here is more about marketplace etiquettes.**


      The big part of this hobby depends on trading second hand goods around.
      I have joined the BJD hobby since 2007, and have sold and bought in second market countless times.
      Over the years, I have dealt with both amazing and shitty sellers and buyers, some were intentional and some were unintentional.
      Having said that, I am not perfect either!
      I have also made my share of mistakes too. I probably still make these mistakes without knowing.
      From those experiences, I have learned so much.
      Isn’t that what life is all about, learning from mistakes?
      The best we can do is to raise awareness about marketplace etiquettes, and hopefully we can enjoy this hobby even more pleasantly.
      So, these are what I believe to be the guide to become a great seller and/or buyer.

      Let’s go!




      A GUIDE TO BEING A GOOD SELLER:

      1. Be aware of your responsibility as a seller. Whether you are selling your own products or used products by others, always remember that buyers are paying money to you, and it is your job to deliver good service and product.

      2. Be responsive. It is best to be able to send reply within 24 hours. If you are too busy with everyday life to even reply to a message, you should re-consider selling stuff on the market. Because if you are that busy, you probably don’t have time to ship items either.

      3. Be punctual with shipping. It is best to be able to ship item within 3 days after a confirmed payments. I know sometimes life gets in the way unexpectedly, so the least you can do is to inform the buyer about why shipment has been delayed and exactly when you can deliver them.

      4. Pack the item as secure as you can. For example, tape all corners of the envelope, bubble wrap the hands and feet separately, bubble wrap each ankles and wrists, bubble wrap fragile items, bubble wrap everything possible, and most importantly, provide extra cardboard box as a shipping box when shipping dolls!!!
      You can find cardboards everywhere and make your own box, if you try a little.
      Again, a buyer paid money to you, and it is your job to deliver the product safely.

      5. Always provide insurance when shipping. If somehow this isn’t possible, always ask buyers if they are okay shipping with no insurance. Without insurance, you should let them know the risks and that you will hold no responsibility on loss/damage during transit.

      6. If buyer requests a refund and the item has not been shipped, just refund. The buyer may have good reason or may have not. Either way, it is not worth the trouble. You can always find another buyer.

      7. Be honest. Provide all the little details about the products you are selling, such as damages, history, and any other information you know. You don’t have to be afraid of not being able to sell the item, because there will always be somebody interested.
      (FYI, the item could be in perfect condition and it is possible that no one express interest for a very long time. So the condition of the item is not always the selling factor.)

      8. If the buyer is not happy about something, apologize. It does not matter if the problem was unintentional. The point here is, buyer is not happy about something you did. So, apologize sincerely, and provide a solution. If it cannot be fixed, explain why, and apologize.

      9. Provide good product photos in good lighting. This will allow you to see condition of the item more clearly, and actually attract more potential buyers.

      10. Being a seller requires a lot of work. If you are a lazy person, please reconsider.




      A GUIDE TO BEING A GOOD BUYER:

      1. Don’t be so fickle. Know what you want before making payment to avoid headaches, troubles, and unpleasant experiences.

      2. Be punctual with payment. If the payment will be delayed let the seller know about it.

      3. Don’t start layaway if you cannot make the payments. You will most likely end up losing money you’ve already spent.

      4. Read the product information carefully! If the information is not sufficient, make sure to ask questions that are important to you. Always remember that everyone has different standard of what is acceptable, so ask for extra photos in good lighting, if necessary.

      5. Do not low-ball. It is okay to negotiate price if you think the item is over-priced or you had a reasonable budget in mind. However, know the market average and make suggestion accordingly. Often times, the seller is just an individual who wants to make back the money they spent on hobby. Be reasonable.

      6. Provide correct shipping information. Do I even need to explain why?

      7. Be responsive. If you placed an item on hold, let seller know even if you don’t want the item anymore. It’s okay to say ‘no longer interested’ or if you ‘need more time to think about it’. Don’t leave them hanging.

      8. Before leaving negative feedback, if you are unsatisfied with something, let the seller know in a respectful & reasonable manner. Most likely seller will provide compensation. The angry or passive-aggressive letters will not solve anything.

      9. If you are happy with the transaction, it is always nice to hear them too!

      10. Be respectful. Often times you are dealing with a real person who just wants to enjoy the hobby like you. Please consider their time and effort as well.



      And last but not least, be nice!
      This applies to everyone!
      BJD community grew and flourished over the years but it is still quite a niche hobby.
      So if you act like a jerk, somebody will remember you, and that somebody will also tell their friends about you, which creates drama, and no one likes sappy drama, and kind of kills the joy of this beautiful hobby… yadda yadda.
      We don’t want that, do we?




      Please leave comments if you want to add something to the list!
      You can also share them if you agree!
      << visit here to share original posting in flickr >>


      I wish this serves useful to someone.
      I hope this was either a good information for new comers or a good reminder to an existing members.

      LET US ALL BE HAPPY DOLLY ^^


      -sasurin
       
      #1 sasurin, Sep 3, 2014
    2. I agree with most of what you've said, other than the "ship within 3 days" thing. In my case, as a seller, my work hours are the same hours as the post office's hours during the week, and it's impossible for me to ship large packages except on Saturdays. however, I do state that upfront in all of my sales threads. So if someone pays on a Saturday night, it'll be a week before I can ship. But if they buy Friday, it'll only be a day.


      Also, I'd like to add for buyers, please let your seller know when you receive the item! It gets difficult to keep up with shipping receipts for everything, wondering if it arrived safely, and buyers not letting you know.
       
      #2 CloakedSchemer, Sep 4, 2014
    3. I really like this guide! Also sellers, please leave buyers good feedback when you have a good transaction :D As someone who only buys and never sells, this is important to me to have good feedback in order to show other sellers I am reliable with my payments.

      I absolutely agree about the reply time. Communication is so important to me as a buyer! Generally I give 2 days. If no response I will drop it because it seems like too much hassle when someone can't reply, especially with today's technologies there should be no excuses.

      Also Buyer's don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions and request additional pictures! It is your money you are sending and the buyer should always be accommodating if they wish to sell you the item.

      Seller's please calculate paypal fee's and include them in the price. I don't wish to send my money via personal payment.
       
      #3 Bambi Darling, Sep 4, 2014
    4. @ClockedSchemer : agreed! good communication is the key ^^

      @Bambi Darling : thank you! calculating PP fees are indeed important, and saves time too. i think it's nice to give the "purchase" or "personal" paypal options, but im sure everyone has different policy for that ^^
       
      #4 sasurin, Sep 4, 2014
    5. I agree, but I also agree with the additions made by CloakedSchemer and Bambi Darling.

      Let's not forget to:
      -Figure out what sculpt you are trying to sell, before putting up a sales thread.
      -Take clear pictures. It will definitely help sell quicker.
      -Use the right prefixes. Don't state FS/WTT when you don't want to trade (anymore).
      -Put US / EU / insert country or continent, in the title, when you don't ship internationally.
      -Let the buyer know when you shipped (in addition to letting the seller know when it arrives).
      -You are in your right to determine your own prices, but look around to see what others are asking, to help determine the price.
       
      #5 Shirelae, Sep 4, 2014
    6. Shirelae- I agree so much with using the right prefix! I hate when I find a "FS/WTT" thread with something I'd like to trade for, only to find out they won't accept trades. Equally bad to just list "FS" if you will trade. If I only have items and no cash, I may totally skip over something I would have loved to trade for, but didn't look because it was listed only as "FS".

      I didn't think about putting US in the title of my threads, but that's a really good idea, thanks!
       
      #6 CloakedSchemer, Sep 5, 2014
    7. This bit:

      6. If buyer requests a refund and the item has not been shipped, just refund. The buyer may have good reason or may have not. Either way, it is not worth the trouble. You can always find another buyer.

      Most sellers won't refund if it states in the sales thread that all payments are non-refundable.
      mostly this is done to discourage Flaky buyers.
       
      #7 Elysion gear, Sep 5, 2014
    8. One thing that I find myself wishing sellers would not do, is some sellers seem to fill out the form to submit a sales thread, then edit it later... and in the process of making those edits, they delete the information about where they're located. Or whether they live in a smoking household.

      These things are somewhat necessary for me to decide whether I want to buy something, and it's really frustrating to have to message someone asking them questions about things that I know should be there by default!
       
      #8 Layn, Sep 5, 2014
    9. Along with that... be sure you have information about where you're shipping from in your sales post, or if you're contacting someone about a WTB. It's all good and fun to have "Narnia" or "Under your bed" as your location on your profile, but if I'm looking to buy or sell, that doesn't tell me anything about whether your location is cost-effective for me. (And not all the marketplaces have a form that forces you to add it; or, as Layn mentioned, it may get deleted from the thread in an edit.)
       
      #9 vicemage, Sep 6, 2014
    10. I'd also like to request that sellers say upfront in their threads whether they charge paypal fees. I know that's a bit of a sticky issue with many people but I know a lot of people don't like paying them. So if a seller doesn't say upfront "hey, I don't charge fees" or "please add pp fee", are they losing potential sales from people who just don't want to bother sending a PM to confirm?
       
      #10 celticlady, Sep 6, 2014
    11. I would also add that if you are a seller and something comes up and you aren't able to fulfill your end of the deal (whether it be shipping times or anything else) just send your buyer a sincere apology and quickly complete what you said you would do on your end or find another solution. Getting long stories of personal mishaps and excuses about why you can't do something is stressful and a little awkward as a buyer. While I understand the sentiment, it's frankly just too much personal information.
       
      #11 StacheRabbit, Sep 6, 2014
    12. Yes. Not stating up front if you charge fees will lose buyers, who either are afraid to ask, or want to buy and back out when you add the extra fees privately, same for asking for personal payments. It is against PayPal's terms to charge fees (but that's a whole other discussion), and it's also against DoA's terms to add hidden fees/change payment terms not mentioned in the sales thread. Which falls under this rule:

       
      #12 CloakedSchemer, Sep 7, 2014
    13. There have been times when someone has gone "okay, now send this much extra for fees" after I sent payment for something already, that have made me want to tell them to just give me the non fee inclusive money I sent them back, I'm not interested, but I have no interest in being given flaky feedback, and some of those same people have no refund policies!
       
      #13 Layn, Sep 7, 2014
    14. I find this incredibly helpful as I recently started selling and I was a little nervous about it. All important notes to keep in mind. ^_^

      Would any of you know a handy thread concerning shipping for a noob like me? I ended up paying a lot to ship one of the girls I sold. Or any advice would also be helpful.
       
      #14 Dreaming, Sep 7, 2014
    15. Couple of things I'd like to add:

      First and foremost, sellers, when your item has sold, GRAVEYARD THE THREAD. Twice now in the past few months, I've inquired about an item that I really, really would have liked to have, but the item had already been sold. It was discouraging and really annoying.

      Also, as a buyer, when your item has arrived, it's really nice to inform your seller that it arrived. I often send pictures of the new doll with my others, and sellers have really appreciated that.
       
      #15 chanarivka, Sep 7, 2014
    16. I would like to add the following:

      Please update your thread(s) titles when you have sold something. I constantly bump into threads that have items listed that aren't even there anymore.
      Same goes for photo's with multiple items. Please mark the items with a big fat X or so when something is sold and remove the description as well.

      If you are selling/shipping internationally, please state the amount for that. It's nice to know such things before you are considering to buy something.
       
      #16 Toxic_nightmist, Sep 7, 2014
    17. I would like to add something for the buyers since no one has mentioned it:

      If you're happy with the transaction, please leave feedback to the seller...especially when the seller left you feedback already.

      I've been lucky most of the time, I have dealt with great buyers but some of them don't care to leave feedback after the transaction is done even when you ask them nicely. It's common courtesy people!

      As a buyer, as soon as I get the package I go to leave feedback. As a seller, I used to leave feedback first but after some buyers didn't care, I stopped leaving feedback first and now I wait for the buyer to do it...if they don't do it I won't either. I think it's fair.
       
      #17 yumi~, Jun 6, 2015