After Sale Service

[irangana57-lk]

How important is follow-up communication after a sale, and what does that look like for you?

[fbusoni]

Sri Lanka.

I should have known.  

Seriously... you've sold 18 items in 12 years.   By this time, you should have figured out that distance and shipping times are dealbreakers for most American buyers.

[pickapaper]

You are selling things that are readily available at most grocery or health food or other stores in the U.S.   Most people are not going to order these things from halfway around the world and wait for them to be delivered. 

[irangana57-lk]

hi @pickapaper 

You are selling things that are readily available at most grocery or health food or other stores in the U.S.   Most people are not going to order these things from halfway around the world and wait for them to be delivered. 

can you give me any idea ?

[natoman777]

I don't follow up.  I let my prices and shipping speed to the talking for me 😃

[irangana57-lk]

@fbusoni 

I appreciate your feedback, and I understand your concerns about distance and shipping times. However, I want to clarify that I only started selling three months ago, so I’m still in the early stages of building my store and figuring out what works best.

I’m actively working on improving my offerings and exploring more competitive products that can attract buyers. Your insights are valuable, and I’ll take them into account as I develop my business strategy moving forward.

Thank you for your input!

[irangana57-lk]

@natoman777 

I appreciate your perspective, and I’ll keep it in mind as I continue to develop my store. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[fbusoni]

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@irangana57-lk wrote:

@fbusoni 

I appreciate your feedback, and I understand your concerns about distance and shipping times. However, I want to clarify that I only started selling three months ago, so I’m still in the early stages of building my store and figuring out what works best.

I’m actively working on improving my offerings and exploring more competitive products that can attract buyers. Your insights are valuable, and I’ll take them into account as I develop my business strategy moving forward.

Thank you for your input!

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Thanks, but those are not MY concerns.

They are yours.

"Improving your offerings and exploring more competitive products" will not necessarily compensate for the disadvantages you face as a seller located across the other side of the globe.

I'm curious: how did you find out about selling on eBay?  Did you do any research before starting to sell?  

To echo the comments of others, everything you offer can be purchased at a grocery store in my neighborhood for a fraction of the cost that you are asking.

[chevymontecarlo88 · Accepted solution]

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@irangana57-lk wrote:

How important is follow-up communication after a sale, and what does that look like for you?

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Many have different ways to approach their business. I like following up with my customers during and after the sale. (Thanking them while providing them with tracking info times and after the sale to qualify if there are any questions) That being said, i will follow up after the sale if it is a tech item or more importantly, an expensive item. For small inexpensive items, i put less energy into the follow-up. (items less than $100) YMMV

My advice would be to pick your battles. If your time is limited, know which items you should pay more attention to after the sale. (high-value items)

[pickapaper]

@pickapaper  wrote:

You are selling things that are readily available at most grocery or health food or other stores in the U.S.   Most people are not going to order these things from halfway around the world and wait for them to be delivered. 

@irangana57-lk wrote:

can you give me any idea ?

No, you will have to figure that out for yourself.   How did you decide to sell herbs and spices?  Most countries have these readily available locally.  Did you do research to see if this might be something people in other countries would be willing to pay a high price for and wait for a long time for it to be delivered?  Or did "someone" suggest to you that you would sell these very well and you believed them?

When I see sellers such as yourself, I always wonder why they don't sell things that are unique to their country.  Surely Sri Lanka has some antiques or even craft items, maybe even some unique clothing items or jewelry that people in other countries would enjoy buying (as long as the prices are reasonable).  

[irangana57-lk]

@pickapaper 

I appreciate your question! I’m definitely considering selling unique Sri Lankan items on eBay. The rich culture here offers so many beautiful antiques, crafts, and traditional clothing that I think people would love.

My focus so far has been on exploring what items are in demand and how to effectively market them. I believe that showcasing Sri Lanka’s uniqueness can really resonate with buyers, so I’m looking into sourcing some of these special products soon.

Thanks for the suggestion!

[irangana57-lk]

@chevymontecarlo88 

Thank you for sharing your insights! I really appreciate your approach to customer follow-up. It’s great to learn from different experiences.

[lakefor94]

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@irangana57-lk wrote:

How important is follow-up communication after a sale, and what does that look like for you?

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@irangana57-lk 

To answer your question, this is what my follow-up communication looks like for every purchase. I sell to mostly business customers and all they care about is when the item is shipping.

If you are shipping world wide or to the USA, it might be even more important for you with longer transit times.

I send this eBay message as soon as possible after the buyer pays. Most of the time, within the half hour after payment or sooner. I get a thank you note from the buyer, probably 25% of the time. Not so much from the repeat buyers as they know what to expect. 

"Thank you for your purchase. USPS will pick up your order tomorrow, Monday.

Best Regards,   ---  Seller"

That is what I send to every buyer. Nothing more, nothing less. Have not had a buyer inquire about a delivery or delayed delivery since Christmas time, 2021. 

I ship same day or next business day at the latest, which is probably even more important for you considering your transit times.

[gloryglorygifts]

To answer your question, I always send a follow up message, as soon as I ship an item. It thanks them for shopping with me, tells them tracking may be delayed in getting uploaded because of my location (NYC) and to contact us if there are any issues. Many times I get a nice response from the buyers or feedback mentioning us contacting us. I've always done this in all the years I've been in business and will continue to do so. 

Good luck to you!

[irangana57-lk]

@lakefor94 

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your valuable advice on improving after-sale service on eBay. Your insights on timely communication and shipping updates are truly appreciated!

I’m excited to implement these strategies and enhance the buying experience for my customers. Thanks again for your support!