Tips for Sellers

Be complete in your descriptions

Try to anticipate questions people may have and be complete in your description of your item. This will save you the trouble of answering e-mail questions from potential bidders.

Don't forget to specify who will pay for shipping, and enter the location of the item in the field specified.

Don't use private or reserve auctions

Although in some cases these formats are appropriate, they are not very popular with bidders, because they don't give enough information. In private auctions, it is hard to keep track of who is the high bidder. In reserve price auctions, the bidder is taking a risk on a committment to purchase, when he/she doesn't get to find out if his bid price is high enough until the end of the auction.

Don't end your auction early

One of the things we've noticed is that many experienced AuctionWeb bidders wait until the very last minute to place a bid, so that they are ensured of winning the auction. Because of that, you may be missing out on some good bids if you end your auction early. Remember that your item will be placed on the Ending Today page for its final 24 hours.

Be courteous to bidders

Remember that as a seller, you have additional responsibility in any transaction, since you are advertising a particular item for sale, and are receiving money for that item when you make the sale. Also, your actions reflect directly on AuctionWeb itself.

A little bit of courtesy goes a long way, especially via e-mail. Simply taking the time to write in complete sentences, with a salutation and closing, can make a big difference in how you come across via e-mail. Be sure to treat everyone with the courtesy that you expect to receive.

See the bidders' reputations

If you see a number in parentheses next to a bidder's e-mail address, that number is the feedback rating. This rating is a summary of the comments that other users have made about this user. You can click on that number to take you to the actual comments, so you can review them to see what people are saying about that person.

It's a good idea to get an idea about the person behind the e-mail address, especially before you close the deal.

Talk on the phone

Be sure you actually take the time to talk on the phone with the buyer, especially if you have any discomfort about your e-mail exchanges with him/her. E-mail communication is a bit strange, and it is hard to get a good read on the other person's personality, honesty, etc., without having an actual conversation person-to-person.

Also, many people don't read their e-mail every day, so you shouldn't assume someone is ignoring you just because you haven't heard from them in a while. Pick up the phone and give a call. A $1.00 long distance call will pay for itself many times over by avoiding misunderstandings.