I've read the help pages on setting up a shop. There are some additional
questions I'd like to ask if I may please.
1. I read in a BL shop that they photographed everything before posting as
a previous customer had said that the seller had not sent "all" the goods.
I realise BL doesn't function in the same way as (say) eBay by providing
policies and procedures for such occassions. I'm not so naive as to believe
the world is 100% honest and indeed supports such with the same amount of integrity.
Should I consider dishonesty in depth or should I put this down to "outside
of my control and suck up the cost"?
2. I've also seen a BL shop which had been set up with navigation buttons
in the lower right hand panel area. If I recall correctly they took buyers to
various polices and insights about the seller. I thought it was helpful. Is this
sort of "addition" allowed by B/L these days and if so does anyone know
what the coding language is please?
3. I've sort of asked this question before. I've no wish to be disengenuous
to those members who so kindly offered replies previously. In the event that
I am successful in opening a B/L shop do I have to start selling straight away?
I've a small amount of stock, (about 60K pieces) but wanted to build that
up a little more before I started selling. I also wanted to understand the mechanisms
of the shop fully ** - please see below.
Without wishing to be presumptive may I say thank you in advance for any replies.
Thank you
Kind regards
Nuttymutt
** I have ADHD & RLS/PLMD. I have medication to help me manage my conditions.
The meds aren't "silver bullets". One of the difficulties I still
encounter is an issue with my working memory. I can read information on a page
but I have to do so a few times for it to "sink-in". As such I simply
want to be able to do the same in a B/L shop. Once I have established a routine
I can manage as well as others.
1. I read in a BL shop that they photographed everything before posting as
a previous customer had said that the seller had not sent "all" the goods.
I realise BL doesn't function in the same way as (say) eBay by providing
policies and procedures for such occassions. I'm not so naive as to believe
the world is 100% honest and indeed supports such with the same amount of integrity.
Should I consider dishonesty in depth or should I put this down to "outside
of my control and suck up the cost"?
For a low value order, you could take a photo of tge whole thing. For a more
valuable order it might get worth taking a photo of what you have sent or a couple
of close ups of individual expensive parts.
2. I've also seen a BL shop which had been set up with navigation buttons
in the lower right hand panel area. If I recall correctly they took buyers to
various polices and insights about the seller. I thought it was helpful. Is this
sort of "addition" allowed by B/L these days and if so does anyone know
what the coding language is please?
I don't know what this is. Personally I prefer to see anything important
in the terms page.
3. I've sort of asked this question before. I've no wish to be disengenuous
to those members who so kindly offered replies previously. In the event that
I am successful in opening a B/L shop do I have to start selling straight away?
I've a small amount of stock, (about 60K pieces) but wanted to build that
up a little more before I started selling. I also wanted to understand the mechanisms
of the shop fully ** - please see below.
You can open it whenever you like once approved. You can close it whenever you
like, whether you are going on holiday, I'll, busy, or just wanting a break.
If anything, it might be best to start small anyway. That way you won't get
lots of orders at once if you mess up pricing and you can learn how long it takes
to pick an order, what you need to do to prepare it, and how to handle sales
in general.
I've read the help pages on setting up a shop. There are some additional
questions I'd like to ask if I may please.
1. I read in a BL shop that they photographed everything before posting as
a previous customer had said that the seller had not sent "all" the goods.
I realise BL doesn't function in the same way as (say) eBay by providing
policies and procedures for such occassions. I'm not so naive as to believe
the world is 100% honest and indeed supports such with the same amount of integrity.
Should I consider dishonesty in depth or should I put this down to "outside
of my control and suck up the cost"?
When I first started my store, a larger seller suggested I put away a small amount
from every order to cover lost/damaged packages. Maybe increase s&h by 50c?
I've shipped thousands of packages over the years - the number of lost packages
is under 10, the number of sketchy claims is less than that. Most people are
honest!
Pick an amount where you are comfortable with the loss and add insurance or signature
confirmation above that.
Do not waste your time taking photos orders - neither BL nor PayPal care.
If you are going to use it to fight back against a customer's claims, it
won't matter if they are dishonest.
After you have a reasonable number of successful orders, all will be fine.
Joe
After you have a reasonable number of successful orders, all will be fine.
Joe
Thank you Joe. I'm capable of "over-thinking" and "catastrophising".
I've found that asking others can be extremely helpful, especially when they
are speaking from their own experiences.
I appreciate the time you spent replying and the advice you have so kindly offered.
I've read the help pages on setting up a shop. There are some additional
questions I'd like to ask if I may please.
1. Lots of buyers are honest. In fact I can only think of one order out of all the orders I sent that a buyer may have tried to rip me off. So, I only do the photograph thing with orders that are significantly valuable. I've seen comments from many owners of new stores who get obsessed with the idea a buyer is going to rip them off. This results in terms, policies and practices, that in my view, are a bit ridiculous and excessive. I recommend instead that you focus on developing your systems and policies to providing the best service possible to everyone. (Oh yeah, check buyer's feedback)
2. Don't know.
3. You can keep your store closed. You can open it, and then close it again if necessary. You can keep certain items in your stockroom, and only release them in inventory when you are ready. On the other hand, it is OK to start small. There is always a learning curve, and it might be best to learn your chops when you are getting one order a week, rather than when you are going full tilt trying to fill multiple orders at the same time.
You can keep your store closed. You can open it, and then close it again if
necessary. You can keep certain items in your stockroom, and only release them
in inventory when you are ready. On the other hand, it is OK to start small.
There is always a learning curve, and it might be best to learn your chops when
you are getting one order a week, rather than when you are going full tilt trying
to fill multiple orders at the same time.
United Kingdom, England
USA, Florida
Canada, Ontario