5 Ways to Damage Your Online Seller Reputation

Richard Clayton

May 11, 2015

1. Respond badly to negative comments

So, you screwed up. Something went wrong and you shipped your cat instead of a box of DVDs. The buyer isn’t happy so they give you a bad rating…2 out of 5. It was an honest mistake and you’re upset so you write the buyer an email asking them to remove their review, but don’t offer any apologies or solutions . The buyer feels attacked and posts a bad review: “She sent me the wrong product AND yelled at me via email. Don’t buy from her.” Your emotional reaction has just escalated the situation and now potential buyers are wary to buy from you.

If you find yourself on the receiving end of negative feedback, your first step should be to reach out to the customer and find out what has gone wrong. Try to negotiate a reasonable settlement: offer a refund or a replacement, find out what would turn your dissatisfied customer into a satisfied one. Often times, your ability to resolve an issue will create more loyal customers than if no issues ever occurred.

2. Don’t rate your buyers

At eRated, we know that the more positive reviews and ratings you get, the more you sell. It’s a fact. Unfortunately, only 20-40% of buyers leave a review. So how do you get MORE reviews? One way to NOT get reviews is not taking the time to rate your buyers. If they’ve paid you and it’s been a good sale, give them a positive rating or review.

Even if you’re making a dozen sales a day, take the time to rate every last one of your buyers. If you don’t, they’ll be much less likely to rate you … which means you’ll have fewer ratings … which means you’ll make less money.

3. Don’t take care in your packaging

You’ve got eight products to send out today. You are juggling a part-time job, a family, and your eCommerce business. You are pressed for time and instead of taking special care over each of your orders, you decide to chuck that book you’ve just sold into an oversize box without any filling. Unfortunately, it was a First Edition you sold for $400.00 and it arrives to the buyer in bad condition. They are understandably upset and they leave a terrible review.

Packaging a product specifically for delivery is a critical part of an eCommerce business. At its most basic level, packaging needs to ensure that orders are protected to minimize damage. More experienced sellers know the importance of not only careful packing, but take the extra step to invest in value-added packaging, which excites customers and can increase your reviews substantially.

4. Taking your time to respond to buyers

Have you ever posted on AirBnB and been hassled by AirBnB admin for not responding to potential buyers? They do that for a reason – because buyers hate waiting for answers.

When a potential buyer asks a question about a product, be sure to respond in at least 12 hours (the ideal time is within six). As soon as a buyer purchases a product, have the label printed and taped to the package, ready to go and in the mail ASAP.

5. Use unreliable parcel delivery

Buyers comment on two things most often: Speed and quality. If your product takes ages to arrive, it will take half that time for them to post a negative review about it. How can you manage this? Use a reliable parcel delivery service you can count on with a reputation as good as yours’ – because your success is tied to theirs’.

After you ship a package, send a message to the buyer letting him or her know the product is on the way. Make sure to offer your assistance if the product is delayed or they have any questions. Be sure to also tell them to leave feedback after they receive the product.

Are you a marketplace seller looking to manage your online identity?

eRated is a tool allowing sellers to import marketplace and social media identities into one online passport, helping them sell on average 27% more wherever they sell. For marketplaces, eRated adds multiple layers of ID verification for users who opt in to eRated and gives a boost to new marketplace users. eRated makes good sellers great and trusted marketplaces even safer.

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