How To Gain Your Customer's Trust And Confidence On Ebay

As an eBay business seller, you have to comply with the Distance Selling Regulations and provide your customers with a 7 working day "cooling off" period in which they can cancel the contract. But, to differentiate you from your competitors, offer your customers more. NOTHING will make prospective buyers feel more comfortable, and therefore more confident about buying from you, than the offer of a no-quibble money-back guarantee.

So offer a guarantee and make it VERY OBVIOUS that you do. Write something in your listing like: "I'm so convinced that you will be absolutely delighted with your purchase that if you are not entirely satisfied, just return the item in good condition within 30 days and I will refund your money - no questions asked!"

If all your competitors are offering a 30 day guarantee, offer a 60 or even a 90 day guarantee. This will give you a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and make you stand out from your competition. Your customers will see that you have complete confidence in your product which will give them the confidence to buy from you.

Don't hide your guarantee away somewhere hoping no one will notice it. If you do that you might as well not offer one. Don't forget - few people will buy your product intending to return it - it's too much hassle. They are buying because they want it. They just want to be confident that you aren't going to rip them off. Most will never take advantage of your guarantee but offering it will give them the confidence to buy from you.

Offering a guarantee removes all the risk of buying from you. Buyers will feel more comfortable buying from you than from your competitor. Yes, the occasional buyer will be unscrupulous and use your product and then return it before the end of the guarantee. But your increased sales will more than compensate for that - providing that you are supplying a quality product of course! If you do get a lot of returns - there is something wrong with your product! Improve it or get a new product!

If someone does return your product - return their money immediately with a courteous letter or email saying: "I am sorry this product didn't meet your requirements". Be polite. Don't forget that they are still your customer - they are still on your list and may buy future products from you. You could even enclose a voucher for a discount off any future products that they buy from you.