How to Answer Your Customer’s Questions

Customers ask questions. How you interact with your customers via email and/or eBay’s My Messages system will greatly reflect how you are perceived as an eBay seller.

You will need to make sure you answer all customer inquiries in a professional, concise and timely fashion. Unfortunately, this might be a bit difficult if you have a full-time job and are starting your eBay business in your “spare” time. Do the best you can to answer all inquiries as quickly as possible; it will go a long way to impress that potential customer if they receive an almost immediate response to their question. Don’t give them time to find the answer, or a better price, elsewhere; close the sale while they are still looking at your item.

Answer all inquiries in a professional manner. Now, we are not here to give you a lesson on proper letter writing etiquette, though from what we have seen on eBay, there is definitely a need for such a class. All we can say on the matter is be smart.

Address your customer by their name or eBay user ID, be polite and concise in the body of your letter and close the email by thanking the customer for doing business with you. Be sure to keep an eye on your grammar and spelling; always proofread before you hit the send button.

It’s interesting to see how customers write questions; it is almost like all rules of grammar do not apply on the Internet and eBay. It’s also amazing how unprofessional some sellers are when we inquire about one of their products we are interested in purchasing. We usually get a one or two line answer to our question, never mind a greeting or salutation. That’s if we even get an answer at all!

It is incredibly unprofessional to be so carefree with your letter writing style when you are trying to make a living selling online. Would you like your doctor or lawyer to write to you in a style that mimics a second grader? You are no less of a professional just because you sell online for a living.

Come across as a professional and you will stand out from the crowd. This will assist you in building trust with your potential/return customer. That trust is crucial to your business!

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