In the last 10 years or so I’ve been involved in a few of the sales groups on Facebook as well as looking after our own Adspot page here on Philofaxy.
Through that experience I have seen a lot of things that have led to issues with sales. To make sure these issues don’t reoccur we have had to revise our guidelines and rules, these are to protect both parties, the seller and the buyer.
If you are selling on Facebook or any other site make sure you follow the rules of sale on which ever site/group. On Facebook we have tried to make the rules similar on each of the planner sales groups, but there might be some minor differences.
Always take plenty of photographs of the item, showing all sides of the planner, front back and inside and out. Include a name and date tag somewhere in your photos, this proves you own the item you are selling and when the photos were taken.
Remove all paperwork from the pockets and move the name/date tag to different parts of the planner so that you might repeat some photos with it in different positions.
Make sure the photos you submit are the correct way around, you don’t want potential buyers (and the admins) getting neck ache looking at your photos.
In the description of the article include details such as smell, is your house a smoking house as leather absorbs cigarette smoke very easily and it is impossible to remove. Likewise if any perfume has been sprayed on the item or pets have been near the item. Note it all in your advert.
Try to include details like you have owned it from new. If you have the original sales invoice include that in the sale, this can be a requirement if there is a warranty from the original supplier.
Be careful about using phrases like ‘Brand New’ ‘Never used’ especially if your photos show otherwise.
Point out any known defects in the leather or the rings, any pen marks etc.
As a seller if you have someone interested in your item check out the buyer as much as possible. Before they have paid you ask them for their name and address. Check out that address, make sure it actually exists, that it isn’t a forwarding service or similar. These can be problematic if the item is damaged in transit between the destination address you were given and the real address of the buyer.
Remember PayPal tends to side with the buyer not the seller in any disputes and so you can lose not only the item you have posted but also your money.
Always over pack the item with plenty of padding around the organiser, remove any inserts from the rings, use a strong box not just a paper/plastic wrapping. Yes it might cost a little more, but you should reflect the true cost of postage and packing in your price of the item.
Take photos of the item as it is packed, and send them to the buyer so they can see how to get in to the package when it arrives! People must curse me when they receive one from me, I was trained by the UK Foreign Office…. don’t you know!!!!
When paying via PayPal always pay via Goods and Services. Yes the seller will have to pay a small fee, but you gain protection should the item fail to arrive or is damaged on arrival or not as described. You lose all of that protection if you pay by ‘Friends and Family’ It is important that the seller pays the fees, they can’t ask the buyer to pay the fees on top of the item price as it is against the PayPal terms and conditions to do that.
Timely communications help both the buyer and seller. Don’t advertise something if you are about to go away on holiday and you don’t have the item with you! Delays in replying lead to suspicions that the buyer has been scammed. Keep your communications simple, remember the other party might not speak/read your language.
The overall success of your sales is dependent on many factors. Get it right and your item will sell quicker than you imagined, you will not be stressed out by the experience and you will get a great item for the money or the money if you are selling to spend on another item.
Good luck.