Monday, May 18, 2009

GigiOfCa's "Tips for a successful sell/swap experience" :)

GigiOfCa (check out her great blog: Gigi's Gone Shopping) has another fantastic post (click here) about purchasing/swapping in general, that is very informative:

Selling via JCA and thru the blogs has been great! Overall it's gone really well for me. However, one of the nuisances can be communication about the items. Since we are all busy, busy glaydies, we should discuss ways to foster successful swap/exchanges. This is my POV:
  1. Understand that you're engaging in a business transaction. Money is money. Most of us take it very seriously. I might come across as cryptic when responding to email because I try to get to the point. I don't mean to be unkind. I'm just focusing on the transaction and thinking about what I'm promising from my end to ensure I don't make a mistake. Don't we all have multiple email accounts with tons of volume coming thru each day? Let's honor each other's time in the small, easy ways we can. Yes, I actually *do* work.

  2. When contacting the seller, put the item name in the subject line. This is helpful for people who have a lot of items for sale and are receiving a large number of emails. Also leading with a specific subject line like 'dream cardi' rather than the more generic 'For Sale' will help keep emails out of Spam boxes.

  3. If you ask for pics and they're emailed to you, send a courtesy email confirming receipt. If you are no longer interested once you see pics, at least thank the person for the photo(s) and let them know it's not a match. No need to get specific on why you're passing. Just wrap things up so the seller is not left hanging.

  4. Don't complain about prices. We all have different goals when selling. Some people want to recoup what they paid and that may be more than what you see someone else selling it for. If you don't think it's fair -- if it's not a match, then keep moving past the ad. See Tip #1.

  5. If you contact the seller to see if she will take a lower price, don't tell the seller if/why you think her price is too high. Just ask if she will accept a lower price. If there isn't an agreement between you two on price, politely decline and move on. Be sure to respond and not leave her hanging. I much prefer to receive a, "Thanks, I'll pass." -- than to have people vanish into thin air, esp if multiple emails have been exchanged. Remember to communicate.

    I have had people express interest, disappear and then reappear a week later asking about the item again. I finally decided that if I don't hear from people within 24 hours, I move onto the next person who is interested. We're all different and I imagine some don't want to hurt the feelings of others. It's more respectful, imo, to let the seller know you're no longer interested than to just disappear.

  6. A seller may be open to a partial trade. Monica & I agreed to a swap where one of us owed the other a couple extra bucks. She send me a luscious pair of Juliets. I sent her a beautiful sweater and the difference was paid via Paypal. I think I initially approached her about purchasing and she returned with a proposal to swap. Or maybe vice versa. Point is, sellers & buyers may be more open than the ad states. If not, don't be offended.

  7. Paypal is the best method to use, imo. Of course you are free to work with money orders (m.o.) or checks, but I have never done so. Many of us read about the funky issue someone posted on JCA about not receiving an item paid for by m.o. Let that be a lesson for all.

  8. If an agreement has been made for an item, the seller should send an invoice through Paypal. In the past I have simply sent and accepted money. A seller recently asked me to wait for an invoice from her and I loved the idea. Before sending the invoice, it's good to ask the buyer what her Paypal email is, in case it differs.

    To send the invoice:

    Log into Paypal

    Click R
    equest Money (3rd tab)
    Look to the right-hand side of the screen

    Click Send an Invoice

    Click Select Template - I haven't saved a standard template, so I...

    Click Continue


    The rest should be self-explanatory. Under Item ID I choose to fill in the manufacturer (I.e. J Crew). In the Description field I briefly describe the item. I price my items to include shipping and don't enter an amount in the Shipping field.

Good luck w/your sales & exchanges!

I think this is all fantastic advice-- especially using the trusted third-party PayPal, to exchange money between buyer and seller. (This way both parties personal information remains private and both parties are protected if the transaction falls through somehow).

Are there any other suggestions or tips that you would include in GigiOfCa's {great} list? What advice would you offer to someone new to the "sell/sway experience"? :)

12 comments:

  1. Gigi, I love you! Thank you so much! This is one great community and feel so special to be part of it!

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  2. I couldn't agree more! I think you wrapped it up pretty nicely. Thanks for writing this out!

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  3. Gigi, thanks for the great read! I recently used www.barterquest.com to swap two of my old dresses for some nice new shoes. They even offer a trading engine for services, which my husband use, and real estate.

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  4. The only thing I would say is that paypal is not so great. You aren't really protected as either party can make a false claim and reverse charges or reverse a refund. Paying extra for signature confirmation is the only real way a seller is protected but buyers don't want the hassle of havng to be there when it is delivered or picking it up at the post office and they want to pay as cheap a shipping as possible. Also, if a seller has Bank of America (may have to be a business account) you can send invoices through your online baking and funds (even echecks) are transferred immediately vs having to clear through paypal. The buyer does not have to have a BOA account. Also, google checkout does invoicing also and their fee is 2% which is less than paypal.

    It is nice to see other companies competing with paypal as paypal thinks it has the monopoly and therefore is justified in its stupid policies and false offers of protection.

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  5. ummmm...is this not common sense?

    I am not quite sure why this was posted.

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  6. I agree with J, 3-Penny-Princess, & Michele Ark that GigiOfCa did a great job! :)

    Hayes Photography: You brought up a *great* point that there are other trusted third-party providers that offer similar services to PayPal. :)

    Cinderella: I get a lot of emails each week asking me how the "Great Weekly Exchange" works and what to do next. (Which is understandable.) That is why I thought it would be good to post GigiOfCa's list- which is a great starting point and to have a conversation if there are any other questions. :)

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  7. One thing I would add is for people to be realistic.

    Sellers - do you want to move something out or are you looking to score? Shoes that are listed as worn twice and EUC are no way worth close to $100 IMO.

    Buyers - do you honestly need to ask if someone will sell you a highly sought-after item that is NWT for less than the last listed price? Offering to pay a fraction is just ridiculous.

    It's not a charity drive. As Gigi says, it's a business transaction.

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  8. I totally agree on the subject of buyers letting you know they aren't interested after contacting you! I don't like being left hanging... esp after we've negotiated a price!!

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  9. Thanks for such a great blog!!! God knows us gals in Texas sure need all the help we can get!!!

    - Josephine L. Lagrimas

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