15p in every pound now spent online, eBay has pinpointed great customer service as the biggest contributor to the success of an online entrepreneur, and the company is now introducing fundamental changes to its site to champion those sellers who provide the best.
Mark Lewis, of eBay UK, commented:
“More and more individuals are establishing themselves as internet retailers. The start-up costs are almost non-existent and the opportunities to create and grow a business from nothing are enormous.
“Whilst trends in the internet economy are often thought of as distinct or different than the offline economy the opposite is now true. As more and more people shop online and customers’ expectations grow, increasingly the key to successful online trading lies in providing good, old-fashioned customer service”
Evolving the online marketplace
With a UK community of 20m users, 10m live listings at any one time and around 15m visitors to the UK site every month, eBay is today announcing the biggest changes to its marketplace in a decade.
These changes are designed to champion sellers with the best service standards, ensuring buyers continue to have a great experience every time they shop on the site.
The changes include:
- Reduced up-front fees for listing an item
- Better visibility for the best sellers, with those who provide poor service dropping to the bottom of search results
- Giving the best sellers volume discounts – up to 40% off final value fees
- Buyers will decide who are the best sellers through an improved Feedback system
Tips for the internet business self-starter:
- The customer’s always right – All too often sellers expand and forget the important stuff that got them there in the first place – their buyers. Keep a close eye on what your customers are telling you and act quickly on their feedback.
- Check out the competition - See what they do differently and what you would improve. If your competitor’s postage costs are high, undercut them.
- Make the most of your shop window – clear photos, detailed descriptions and complete transparency on any faults are the key to a successful sale. Put yourself in your buyer’s shoes and make sure there are no surprises in store
- Don’t be afraid of change – eBay is a great place for diversification – you can sell hard drives along with hosepipes without it damaging your reputation. The ability to move fast, spot a trend and milk it marks out the winners from the losers.
- Starting your own business means you need to master a whole load of skills from basic accounting to marketing. Keep one eye on the clock and use your time well. For example, most buyers are trawling eBay for bargains on a Sunday night – that’s when you need to be listing