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by
Nancy L. Hix
When
an auction closes, the transaction leaves the Internet and
enters the real word. It's time for the buyer and the seller to
close the Web browser and contact each other via email. The
buyer's user ID becomes an actual name, and the seller reveals
his or her personality to the bidder who diligently won the
auction.
Your communication with
buyers or sellers is crucial to building a good online auction
reputation, and the biggest control factor you have that can
significantly affect the outcome of your online auctions is
carefully wording your email messages. The first step is to
remember what you learned in English class.
Let's
Talk About Writing
I say this in all my books: How you write is how you represent
yourself, especially when it comes to online auction
transactions. Since communication on the Web is about 95 percent
writing, and trust is an issue during person-to-person business,
you'll want to represent yourself as an honest person with good
business practices. This is especially true when you want
someone to send you money. Carefully crafted email is the best
way to make a positive first impression.
Correct
Spelling
Hopefully, you ran your auction description through a
spell-check program, or at least proofread it carefully, before
you started the auction. Carry this through to your email
correspondence when you're contacting the buyer. Spelling the
name of an item wrong can severely discredit you and cause a
wary buyer to wonder if you copied someone else's auction
wording.
Since you spelled
"Tibetan Kapala" correctly when you listed the
auction, do it again when you contact the buyer; if not,
questions may be raised about the authenticity of what you're
selling.
Everyone should forgive
the occasional typo, but be sure the typo doesn't fall in a
place that raises eyebrows. Don't omit the "r" in
"shirt," for instance.
Proper
Grammar
Some people don't care if you dangle your participles all over
the Internet, but many folks cringe at bad grammar. Maybe all
those sentence diagrams we did in school made more of an
impression on us than we realize. In a sense, we're still being
graded on our writing. An auction correspondent will find you a
lot more authentic if you express yourself clearly. Again,
proofread your email before you send it.
Email
Etiquette
Always assume that the person you're writing to is as nice as
you are. With this approach, whether you're making initial
contact with the high bidder or responding to the seller, you'll
start the transaction on the right timbre.
Here are a few tips to
consider when carrying out an online auction transaction via
email:
Remember good spelling,
grammar, and punctuation. Write as if your high school English
teacher is grading you. Never type in all uppercase or lowercase
letters. This type of writing is difficult to read because our
eyes are trained to read standard upper- and lowercase
sentences. Don't be demanding. Replace phrases like "you
must" with "I would appreciate if." Avoid
threats, such as "failure to respond will result in
negative feedback." Save that for email you'll need to send
if you don't receive payment after several weeks. Keep it
positive by mentioning that you leave positive feedback for all
successful transactions. Remember that you're dealing with
people from all walks of life. Is your message easy to
understand? Did you proofread your email? A small typo, such as
transposed numbers in your address, could adversely affect the
transaction. End the email message with your name. A simple
"Sincerely, George" is much warmer than abruptly
ending text. At least initially, avoid jokes and "just
kidding" smilies. It's better to remain upbeat and
professional when sending auction email to someone you don't
know. Always include the auction number or item name in the
subject line. This makes it easy to track the correspondence.
You can prepare your end-of-auction
messages in advance. Write your email template and then
copy, paste, and edit it with the appropriate information for
each transaction. This can save time and ensure that you treat
your online correspondents with all due respect.
Keep
an Even Temperament
Have you ever noticed that many user rating comments mention
"good communication, friendly email?" This hints at
what's important to online auction users. Be nice. That's all it
takes.
For people using
electronic communication for the first time, email can be a
tough transition. It's still a "faceless" medium. We
miss important components of human interaction such as body
language, voice inflections, and even handwriting. All we have
are words on a screen, so we must word our messages carefully to
avoid misunderstandings. If an email message seems demanding or
curt, resist responding in kind. Instead, reply politely and ask
for clarification.
Pleasant email sets the
stage for a good transaction and positive rating comments. If
you're terse or rude, there's a chance the payment--or the
item--will never arrive.
Provide
Necessary Details
As a seller, start by congratulating the buyer on the win,
especially if it involved some fancy last-minute
bidding. This adds a personal touch and shows appreciation
for someone who kept an online vigil to purchase your
item. Then reiterate the item name (copy and paste the auction
title right into your email, if necessary) and calculate the
total amount due, including shipping charges. Don't make your
buyers do their own math or offer confusing shipping options.
Tell them how much you want and where to send it. If you're
offering specific options, such as insurance coverage, provide
the totals both with and without the fee.
In addition, reiterate
your preferred payment method, such as personal check, money
order, credit card, or online payment.
Be sure to ask the
buyer everything you need to know in order to ship the item once
it's paid for. Also, ensure that the buyer has the right
information needed to get payment to you. I recently won an
auction for some personalized labels. The seller's email was so
confusing that I still don't know if I'll actually receive what
I ordered. He asked me to send my shipping information to one
address and the text to be imprinted to another address. I could
handle that, but when I tried to send payment via PayPal, the
last name I copied from the seller's email didn't match the one
for that account in PayPal's database. I had to contact the
seller for the correct name, which delayed the transaction. I
won't be bidding on any more of his auctions.
Handling
Transaction Troubles
On those rare occasions when you receive an item that isn't what
you expected, you need to contact the seller right away.
Remember two things when drafting your email:
If your email assumes
it's an honest mistake, you have a good chance of getting the
right item. A nasty-gram always makes the situation
worse.
Initial contact is
usually easy. Word your email as though the person you're
contacting will be willing to correct the situation. Remember,
too, that there's a person with feelings and emotions at the
other end reading the email. He or she might be upset or
embarrassed when your email arrives, especially if it was an
honest mistake.
Avoid
an E-War
Unfortunately, online auction transactions sometimes go bad.
Maybe the buyer's payment was lost in the mail, a check bounced,
or the seller misrepresented the item in the auction
description.
If the transaction
progresses in an unpleasant direction, try to keep your cool at
all times. Some folks let their guard down behind the sterility
of a computer monitor. With email, though, anything you send can
be saved--indefinitely--and used against you later. A furious
insult intended for an audience of one could end up in far wider
circulation than you intended.
Here are a few things
to think about when sending email, especially when tempers are
flaring:
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If this message were to be
displayed publicly, would it embarrass you?
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Would you say the same thing
face-to-face?
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Are you sending the equivalent of
an electronic punch in the stomach? This will only make the
recipient even angrier.
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Did you include the text of the
original message, so the person knows what raised your
hackles?
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If an email message provokes a
strong emotional response in you, did you take time to read
it over to be sure you clearly understood the intended
meaning?
-
How would this email sound if it
were read in court? It does happen.
Counting to ten now can
prevent hassles later, and don't be too proud to
apologize--especially if you "started it."
Based on my personal
experience, online auction transactions usually run very
smoothly. Most sales are completed with little or no trouble.
Discord between a buyer and seller does happen every now and
then, but it's definitely not the norm. Most transactions, even
those in which the buyer returns the item, finish without
problems if the email communication stays positive.
Back to Auction tips &
tactics
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