Oz Round Table
The Oz Round Table boards => The Round Table => Topic started by: *CountessA* on February 02, 2010, 10:33:42 PM
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I recently had to ask an Italian seller what the postage would be for a book. Well, actually I asked two sellers.
One seller replied within 12 hours, and I bought the book promptly.
It made me realise how much I gauge a seller's general attitude by his communication skills. If I receive a reply within 24 hours, I'm perfectly happy. If it takes longer, I don't fret over it (unless the auction is fast drawing to a close!), but I think it makes me wonder how fast the seller will post the item, how responsibly he'd help if there were a problem, etc.
What do you find your expectations to be when communicating with a seller?
(And by the way, I mean communication during the week. We all understand that weekends happen...)
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I'd pretty much say the same...
Inside 24 hours is good - and before close of an auction.
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I think you are both way too lenient ,
sure on some occassions sellers may go 12 to 24 hours without checking their eBay or emails but on most occassions they would check them on numourous occassions throughout the day
mum and dad sellers perhaps should be given more leeway , but some larger scale sellers and in particular some of these so called 'power sellers' just dont bother answering at the earliest possible opportunity .... in short they want all the benefits of having an online business but fall way short of the mark with customer service .... and its not just ebay sellers , you try contacting businesses through their web pages the chances of ever getting a reply are slim , a lot of businesses dont upgrade the email address of their web page contact and often the messages get lost in cyber space as the emails are directed to a sales managers email address of whom was sales manager 10 years ago when the web site was set up but he left 8 years ago
I try to treat an email like a phone call ... as soon as I open it I reply if I know the answer , if I dont I still reply and say I havent got the info at hand but will get back to them within x hours ..... The longer you take to get back to a potential customer the least likely you are to convert the lead to a sale ...its basic business sense
I am sure some of you see it different and have had different experiences , but this is how I see it .... when I am the customer I expect prompt replies and efficient service so when I am the service provider or seller I try to extend my customers the same courtesy that I would expect !
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Smee, I am somewhat philosophical about the communication process - to a point. As you rightly say, there are some things that aren't as efficiently maintained as they should - and communication does suffer.
I would give a 24 hour period to allow for a full day's cycle of the seller's routine, in case they check emails only once a day. This means they DO need to check at least once a day and would, thus, have some measure of organisation in their business.
HOWEVER, if a seller were to respond in the manner you do, Smee, they would certainly demonstrate a quality that would encourage my confidence in their ability to look after me.... and they would likely get my custom.
The Countessa's example is a case in point.
At the 12 hour mark, a purchasing decision had been made - and actioned - based on effective communication from one seller.
You might say 12 hours is still too long, but from a buyer's perspective, our expectations have been lowered sufficiently to endure it.
From the seller's point of view, though, every second they delay replying is one more second they give their competition to beat them to the sale.
You'd think there would be more sellers who are conscious of this - but I might suggest one reason why they don't is that they are looking at the internet as 'easy money'. Just set up your items and sit back (or play golf or go surfing), waiting for the money. It is, perhaps, one of the greatest strengths and yet one of the greatest failings of internet sales ... it's just too easy. The work ethic essential in the running of a B&M store should be applied to an internet business - but people get sales without it being particularly strong.
From my observations, you can tell the difference between someone 'selling some stuff on the net' and those running an internet based business.
Repeat business is often a good barometer. Consistently good feedback is another.
But the one that matters most at the time of imminent purchase - is answering the customer's question ... before anyone else does.
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(And by the way, I mean communication during the week. We all understand that weekends happen...)
If sellers have their listings timed to finish over the weekend, I would expect "shop open". I don't think no communication would cut it for me. A lead as Smee rightly stated is a positive start to a sale, follow that through with some customer service, recognition of your question, and whole lot of confidence is instilled in me as a buyer. Yes, people must sleep and live, but to make time to check emails and questions prior to the sale must be a priority. Weekends surely MUST be a busy time for people browsing and potentially purchasing. Perhaps sellers can advise if this is the case or not, I see alot of evidence it is though with sellers on this forum having listings finishing Sunday evening.
" how responsibly he'd help if there were a problem, etc.
(((tut, tut, profiler takes note ))) ...lol
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Before the auction ends certainly but also within 24 hours.
I also think a smart seller times his auctions to end at a time where they have an hour before the auction ends, to sit there and answer messages quickly.
Most of the questions I ask within the last hour are when the seller has stated to contact them about postage. And as these are mainly Australian sellers - I wonder why they cant put the postage cost in - it costs the same to send a padded envelope within Australia - it annoys me so much as it is just a waste of my time as a buyer. **stands off soapbox**
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Yep, 24 hours.
That's how long it took for me to get 3 replies today!
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If that is something I want, I don't care how long it takes the seller to reply, as long as he/she reply before the item sold, I am happy.
If I know the seller, I can wait however long he/she need to takes to reply, though I may send a reminder after few days.
If I don't know the seller, I usually forget about the question asked after I hit the send button. If I get a reply, good. If not, that is fine.
Sometimes there is advantage to deal with slow seller, at least I feel it that way. It minimize chances of impulsive purchase.
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What sort of timeframe do you expect when you Ask Seller a Question?
within my lifetime (variable)
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24 hours.
Then it's Plan B.
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I expect within 24 hours. Any longer than that I would expect an explaination. Things do happen.