Understanding Auction Terms Instant Messaging: An instant risk of negative feedback
When is it OK to call a buyer or seller on the phone?
Saying Good Buy - Always leave Feedback after the deal
Who should leave the first feedback? Instant Messaging: Why risk negative feedback? Something that will really raise eyebrows and cause genuine annoyance among many sellers: uninvited Instant Messaging. Originally a pretty cool idea for contacting those closest of close friends, it should only be used with people you really know, or in business deals where both parties agree it's important for this level of contact and communication. It is not, however a good idea to IM someone a few minutes after an auction ends, to chat with them about the weather out there in Phoenix as you prepare to follow up with an onslaught of questions about how they package and ship and when you'll get the package. It is common courtesy to use regular e-mail for this kind of stuff. If you just barge in uninvited with an instant message, many auction users will think you're a newbie; at worst they will leave some unpleasant comments for you at the auction site when the deal is done. Due to the nature of instant messaging, if someone is online and can receive IM, you are literally reaching into their home, and electronically tapping them on the shoulder. So it better be REALLY important to both of you to have that conversation, or you better turn out to be there Aunt Mable or someone else they know personally. Now that instant messages are going out as text messaging to cell-phones, it's all the more reason to abide by the "emergencies only" conversation standard. Remember this and you won't go wrong: instant messaging is basically the text equivalent of a phone call... Which brings us to our next subject: Phone calls. When is it OK to call a buyer or seller on the phone?  Basically never- except only in very special circumstances. It really depends on the individuals conducting the deal.
For example: If a buyer e-mails the seller about payment or shipping questions, and asks for a phone call back, then the seller should consider it OK to call. If a seller posts a phone number to the buyer on a large deal, and asks them to call before sending payment- again, no problem. But for all other routine deals, the business of online auctions should be conducted in just that manner: online. A phone call really should occur only after a specific e-mail request from one party to the other, either in the auction description, a PayPal or auction management auto-notification, or at some other stage of the auction process. I went through just the same experience with a seller who was parting with a collection of pulp magazines from the 20's, 30's and 40's, for an unbelievably small sum. Fearing the deal was too good to be true, I e-mailed and asked them if it would be OK for a brief phone chat to discuss the lot and their packing methods before I placed my bid. I also asked what time and date I should call. They consented, and during a brief 2 or 3 minute call, I was able to tell that they were the genuine article. Plus, I was able to request certain packaging methods in advance, and was able to answer the seller's own questions about my intended method of payment. Thus, I was willing to take a chance on bidding and they were willing to go the extra mile with packaging, as the personal call had eased both of our concerns about each other. It ended up being a great deal for both of us, and this collection yielded far more than I would have imagined in profit. I may have even decided not to bid if not for the phone call; even at an unbelievable wholesale rate, I was putting up a pretty good chunk of money for this collection. Also, this was a deal on a small auction site in 1997 (not any where near as big as the still, relatively new ebay) and the seller was new with zero feedback. Because of these reasons, I felt it necessary to call before I would bid. However, that was one of the only phone calls I ever made over the last 7 or 8 years of online auctions and deals, and only because the situation seemed to absolutely warrant it. There is one situation where it's ALWAYS ok to make a phone-call, and this is when a buyer suspects fraud from a seller after a reasonable amount of time has passed (usually 4 weeks or longer). Lets suppose you held up your end of the bargain and made payment in a timely fashion right after the auction closed. Now, a month has passed and you haven't received a package from the seller, and are getting no answers to any of your e-mails. This person has tried your patience long enough and you now suspect them of fraud. In this instance, you should not only call, but you need to contact your auction house's complaint center and begin some documentation. You bet you can call under these circumstances! Heck, the seller is just lucky you aren't out looking for him with your cousin Bubba riding along. WARNING: Never, ever confront fraudulent sellers in person... It's an emotional situation, so serious physical altercations can occur, leading to tragedy or legal problems. See our Auction Fraud section for more info. Saying 'Good Buy' - Leave Feedback after the deal As a buyer or seller, when you enjoy the purchase, you should always leave kind words for the other user in the feedback section. At online auction sites, as in life, it's important to leave kind words after a job well-done. So if you enjoyed the transaction, please let the other party know with a positive feedback. And yes, if the deal went horribly bad or someone got ripped off, you should consider a neutral or even a negative feedback. This should only be a method of last resort, when all other reasonable attempts at communication have failed. (see feedback for more information). Who should leave the first feedback? It's our position that the SELLER should be required to leave the first positive feedback after a good deal. Some sellers leave feedback only after the buyer has left feedback, to insure against negative reprisals, in case there is a problem after they receive the package. This may seem logical on the surface, but if you consider it, its actually pretty rude. Why? Although many sellers might dispute us on this stance, we feel it's the correct thing to do; it's expected good form when a customer is leaving a shop to thank them and tell them to 'have a nice day', etc. So why should an auction site be any different? Think about it- when you leave that restaurant or shop out there in the real world, imagine how absurd it would be if you thanked them, and they just gave you a blank stare as the door closed behind you- but later that night, when you are at home watching the news, they suddenly call you on the phone to say 'Thanks, come again'. Remember this simple formula, and you can't go wrong:
Common sense=Common decency=more positive feedback. Don't know what feedback is or need more info? See our full discussion about auction feedback See the full Auction Etiquette article: Part 1: Intro │ Buyer Complaints │ Seller Complaints
Part 2: Bidder Guidelines
Part 3: Seller Guidelines
Part 4: Understanding Auction Terms
Part 5: Buyer & Seller Communication | 
