How not to write an ad

[springyzone]

Just musing here, I have no complaint or anything.

I recently (well, yesterday) bought an item off a big volume seller with quite a classy, professional looking ad.

Excellent, clear photos Tick

Dimensions clearly listed Tick

Quick communication Tick

But I noticed a couple of things about the ad & wondered what your thoughts are on these?

Firstly, the ads were quite long. They were divided into sections eg product details/payment/shipping etc (big tick) but each section was quite wordy.

I would have said that usually I read ads carefully but I overlooked one bit in the shipping info where it said to provide a contact phone number or else shipping would be delayed. It is all good as I have done it now but I would have thought if a buyer paid and didn't provide some necessary detail, a seller should probably message to ask.

And it's probably not a great idea to put a condition like that in the middle of shipping details with about 4 or 5 other paragraphs, it can get lost. Sometimes brief is better (says I-but then, this is a message board, not an ad)

Secondly, I seriously wonder about the wisdom of putting unenforceable terms & conditions into an ad. From my perspective as a buyer, it comes across as confrontational to some extent and puts my back up a bit. Plus I tend to think-rubbish, you would have no way to enforce that.

eg  Serious buyer only, DO NOT bid if you don't intend to buy, non purchases after a winning bid will require 20% for management and eBay re-listing fees.

There was a lot more, paragraphs more, but you get the picture.

To me, it would make more sense to shorten ads  & concentrate on more relevant details.

But,, the seller has thousands of sales behind him, so maybe I am wrong.

[*tippy*toes*]

I'd like to know how he's going to get 20% from the buyer. If he can't get payment for the item, he's got buckley's chance of getting 20%! Maybe it's a scare tactic? Although a pretty watery one at that.

[curraone]

not to do with nothing, but I hate ads like that with black background in the description.

and I also hate  listings that say 'free postage" but the description says otherwise.

[thesoulyearns]

I think some people like to make long descriptions with lots of terms is because of experience. Especially for large sellers, although they sell alot, they also have alot more negative feedback and non-payers. So as part of their descriptions about the actual product, they just feel it's worth adding things about 'serious bidders' to try and lower the potential non-payers.

[digital*ghost]

Requiring a phone number is enforceable, there's a setting that will not allow payment to go through unless a phone number is included, so any seller who genuinely requires that for postage purposes has a means to require it.

I tend to think many sellers don't expect a buyer will read all of their T&Cs, but they put them there to cover themselves if certain things eventuate (eg buyer approaches seller with an issue, seller can refer to terms if need be). The other thing to remember is that just because eBay can't enforce certain terms, it doesn't mean the terms are actually unenforceable (though attempting to enforce them via other means, legal or otherwise, can be unviable).

I think terms (should they be read) like fees for non-payment are intended to be more of a scare tactic than something the seller will genuinely attempt to collect, I don't see the point, to be honest. I'd rather concentrate on the benefits of buying from me than the consequences 🙂 and minimise the time and energy I spend on buyers who turn out not to be buyers after all.   

[shiver_me_shrimp]

I don't like the sellers who in regards to un-tracked items put, "I am not responsible for items lost in the post." I think PayPal would disagree. I will not buy from a seller who writes this, as it makes them sound as if they would be difficult to deal with.

[lyndal1838]

I just ignore it when sellers state they are not responsible for items lost in the mail.

In the unlikely event that the item does not arrive I notify the seller....if they are difficult to deal with I just go to a paypal dispute.

[springyzone]

not to do with nothing, but I hate ads like that with black background in the description.

and I also hate  listings that say 'free postage" but the description says otherwise.

-----------------------

How did you know which ad? Just curious as neither of us has given feedback yet so I wasn't sure how you could see what I bought or what the ad was like.

Yes, it did have a black background.

To me, a good ad has a detailed description but doesn't go into reams and reams of terms and conditions or threats.

Probably the clearer & less confusing it is, the better.

[digital*ghost]

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@springyzone wrote:

How did you know which ad? Just curious as neither of us has given feedback yet so I wasn't sure how you could see what I bought or what the ad was like.

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Advanced search can include text from the description, so if you have an exact copy of unique wording found in someone's description, a search on ebay will turn it up (hence why I never mention my TOS verbatim when posting on the forum ). 

[*tippy*toes*]

I like the bit where they say they only post to the eBay address and to update that before buying. I know they've got 100% feedback, but I wonder how many disputes they've had open against them because it was sent to the eBay address and not the one in PayPal. I'm also wondering if they use postage labels, aren't they printed from the details you'd see in the order details? Meaning if they change the address in checkout to where they want it delivered, isn't that what would show up to print?