What qualities do you want a seller to have?

[Stiletto]

I have bought many things online and I was thinking about what qualities I like to see in a seller.  We have all bought from sellers who lets face it, SUCKED, then there are the average/good sellers, and then we have the AMAZING seller!   When you have a great transaction with an amazing seller it makes life so much easier so I am interested in hear what qualities YOU like in a seller?  Here's mine:

1. Item described accurately
2. Friendly, thankful communication.  We don't need to be BFFs but acknowledge me.
3. Shipment within 24 hours
4. Items packaged appropriately.  Mint or MIB ponies should be packaged as such.
5. Feedback left within 24 hours of completed transaction

Anyone else have anything else to add?  The above comments are a little strict but I listed them because that's the type of seller I want in a perfect world 

[andibgoode]

I'm happy if it gets shipped out within a few days to a week, depending on the seller's other commitments. Shipping notification (i.e. marking an item as shipped or letting me know when it's sent). Accurate descriptions (though we're all human and can miss things at times). Reasonable response times to any messages and helpful answers to any concerns before buying or issues after but, again, I understand that everyone isn't online 24/7 and sometimes unforeseen circumstances arise and prevent sellers from responding with a day or so.

[nhal039]

I am fairly easily please just item has to be as described and if they are going to be late sending (like a week later or more) it I like them to message me, thats all

[ponylady]

I am fairly easy to please because let's face it most sellers are just like you and I.  I am just one person trying to make a living and not some giant corporation with hundreds of workers. It's me and only me, just like thousands of other people who sell out there.

So if they ship within 3 days, provide me with a tracking a number and I get the item as described I am happy.  I think this day and age, thanks to ebay people put to high of a standard on sellers. 

[Ringlets]

 I'm pretty easy to please  too, but these things I do like in a seller:
 Good communication is really important
 Accurate description of item (ok some people arent collectors and dont know much about pony conditions/flaws, so I'll send a message and ask certain questions about marks etc. As long as they do their best to send me an accurate answer than thats fine).
 Shipping when they said they'd ship . I prefer within 5 days of me paying,  but if it takes a bit longer than that and I know about it , its fine
Good manners! things dont always go to plan in every single sale and sometimes things need to be worked out.  If both parties have good manners it makes things soo much easier to solve and much less stressful for everyone! I've seen a shocking lack of manners from some sellers towards their buyers lately..
Good secure packaging - no-one wants items getting lost in the mail or damaged due to poor packaging.
Feedback once the sale is complete and the pony has arrived

[hathorcat]

Wow! Shipment within 24 hours and feedback within 24 hours? There are some national retailers who cant manage that kind of level of customer service on shipping And most ebay sellers and the majority of sellers on the Arena are like you and I - jobs, kids, commitments. I actually think an expectation level of shipping within 24 hours after payment is received can be unreasonable by a buyer and a little unfair to a seller - you have to consider international times, parcelling up an item and then physically getting to a post office.

For me if I have a seller who describes accurately, answers direct questions, is courteous and ships out "timely" [and by that I honestly can live with 5 to 7 days as long as I am told that] then that's a good seller for me.

[FantasticFirefly]

Easy to please.
I don't mind late shipping on ebay, so long as I get my item within the paypal window I'm happy. Tracking, honestly I never bother to look at it when given the #.

Because of what I collect and the shipping costs involved, accurate item descriptions and having items packaged properly are at the tops of my list. If I had to return an item damaged in transit from poor packaging, or horribly described I'm out at least 20-$100+ dollars. I get lots when possible, so shipping one of those suckers back is usually big shipping costs plus I don't get the customs fees I've paid back. thus far I've ended up just keeping poorly described items as they aren't worth being out more then $30 and me being empty handed, I lose less money selling off the items again honestly.

Feedback, I like it when they do, but I admit I've bought ebay items when I've had the time to pay promptly but not the time to leave FB myself.

[banditpony]

2 things that are important -- being honest, and being caring.

I do like my items to be shipped out within the stated time, but if that's not going to happen-- then a note to say hey it's a bit delayed without me prompting.

And I like them to care about how I feel about the item. If I have a big issue when I get the item.. then that they can resolve it properly. (I'm pretty easy going though! It's only been a handful of times where something went that wrong. One just happened, 5 out of 6 items were wrong )

^^ And these are my two biggest things I try to follow when I sell.

[ClosetAvalanche]

5. Feedback left within 24 hours of completed transaction

I don't think this should determine a good or bad seller. Most sellers cannot leave feedback right away. Many leave in batches once a month. The thing to remember is that feedback is voluntary.

[Stiletto]

Wow! Shipment within 24 hours and feedback within 24 hours? There are some national retailers who cant manage that kind of level of customer service on shipping And most ebay sellers and the majority of sellers on the Arena are like you and I - jobs, kids, commitments. I actually think an expectation level of shipping within 24 hours after payment is received can be unreasonable by a buyer and a little unfair to a seller - you have to consider international times, parcelling up an item and then physically getting to a post office.

I created and posted a "perfect world" scenario, not necessarily a 100% realistic one.  I don't mind waiting up to 5 days (or longer w/communication), but I've had sellers ship same day or next day and I LOVED it.  Lightening fast shipping like that is just something that I feel makes an AMAZING seller, not an average one.  Just today, I received a pleasent surprise from an Ebay seller who shipped out my Cool Breeze the same day I paid, and she is going to clean up to be a NM pony!  I couldn't be more excited!

Post Merge: January 26, 2013, 12:28:49 PM

5. Feedback left within 24 hours of completed transaction

I don't think this should determine a good or bad seller. Most sellers cannot leave feedback right away. Many leave in batches once a month. The thing to remember is that feedback is voluntary.

My goal for the post was not to determine what makes a good and bad seller, but to get opinions from others personal experience as to what actions/qualities they appreciate in a seller with whom they were VERY happy with.    And for me, I really appreciate when quick/prompt feedback is left.

[InkyMilk]

Communication and maturity. These are the biggest factors for me. I know sometimes shipping things out in a timely matter becomes difficult. I'm human too, sometimes things get delayed and life happens and there just isn't anything we can do about it. No biggie. And if a seller can just shoot me a quick message, say if it's been 2-33 days after they stated they would send my item out to explain the situation, then it's all good in my book. I don't need a huge life story, but just knowing that the seller hasn't dropped off the face of the planet with my money is enough to keep me calm.

Maturity is another big thing for me. We're basically putting a lot of faith by buying these things online, and sometimes problems WILL occur. I know it sucks. I've been a seller too where something happened to the item in the mail, but part of selling your things online is by treating the customer same way you would face to face in a retail store. Would you start yelling at them? Cussing them out? Turn the other cheek and completely ignore them? Not if you wish to keep your job longer than a day you wouldn't, and I don't see why common courtesy seems to go out the window just because one is communicating online. It's rude, disrespectful and makes me regret ever buying anything from such a person in the first place.

[hathorcat]

Wow! Shipment within 24 hours and feedback within 24 hours? There are some national retailers who cant manage that kind of level of customer service on shipping And most ebay sellers and the majority of sellers on the Arena are like you and I - jobs, kids, commitments. I actually think an expectation level of shipping within 24 hours after payment is received can be unreasonable by a buyer and a little unfair to a seller - you have to consider international times, parcelling up an item and then physically getting to a post office.

I created and posted a "perfect world" scenario, not necessarily a 100% realistic one.  I don't mind waiting up to 5 days (or longer w/communication), but I've had sellers ship same day or next day and I LOVED it.  Lightening fast shipping like that is just something that I feel makes an AMAZING seller, not an average one.

Fair enough of course As an ebay seller and buyer though, sometimes expectation levels worry me. I can assure you that people out there really do think they should have their items in a couple of days even if you state a longer shipping period. Unfortunately, I think in a perfect world there would be perfect sellers...but there would also be perfect buyers.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

After I send someone my money I expect:

A notification that my order is being processed
A notification of shipment with tracking number within 3 days of purchase
10-14 days of shipment
Acknowledgement of parcel receipt when tracking shows as "delivered"
Feedback left within a week of the transaction

Professional communication and handling of their products (no mailing MIB in bubble mailers)
To be experts in conflict negotiation

[Tiggums6]

friendly,  easy communication and appropriate packaging. I understand not everyone is super-handy to a post office so a wait doesn't bother me, within reason of course (like the 6-week wait for a G3 only 2 days drive away!)

[Shenanigans]

When I ask for a more detailed description of the item, I'd like to seller to go into more detail instead of saying, "just look at the picture." Sometimes it's hard to see details on the pony and there's not pictures of every angle. One grainy picture and "vintage pony" description aren't enough for me sometimes

I don't mind if shipping takes several days/a week, but I do love when it's shipped right away I love communicating with sellers. I asked a seller a few days ago if I could bid on some of her ponies and pay on the first when I get paid and she said, "Yes! Please do!" So she is holding them for me and we chatted a bit back and forth and she told me to keep my eyes peeled because she'll be listing more I love friendly sellers who respond quickly and are interested in my business

I won 6 or 7 ponies about a week ago and the seller emailed me and told me she was sorry but she couldn't find the SHS that I had won and was thinking she had already sold it to someone else. She apologized and gave me free shipping to compensate and I thought that was super nice of her

I'm VERY easy to please on ebay. I bought a baby pony and there was a nice accessory with it (the Bride Pony's ring) and the seller sent me a message and said she would not be sending the ring because she found the pony that it went with and wanted to keep it with the original pony. She apologized and told me I could cancel my order, but I told her I still wanted the pony and that I understood her wanting to keep the sets together. I don't know if I should have fussed about it since it was her mistake and the auction probably went a little higher due to the ring, but she's the one that said she would hold the ponies I won for me til I got paid so I couldn't complain really

So I think the biggest thing for me is friendly communication and accurate descriptions If the seller seems hostile in their descriptions then I will usually stay away from them.

Oh and I love when sellers leave me feedback right after I pay or when they leave feedback at all! There have been SO many times that I've had to message sellers and ask if they would leave me feedback several weeks after I've received my item and already left them positive feedback. 99% of the time I pay *immediately* after I win an auction and if I can't pay immediately, I contact them and tell them it will be in a few hours or the next day whenever I get money in the bank. I've sold stuff on ebay where the buyers will not pay for 4-7 days with no contact. I'm a good buyer I think, and feedback is very important to me