While benefits of these actions may not have an immediate effect, you can be sure that should I ever have another “item of interest!” these two gentlemen would not hesitate to purchase from me. They can count on me to accommodate their needs, instead of catering to my wants. Creating this type of good will instills trust, and knowledge that you have customers best interest in mind.

“Me thinketh thou doth protest too much!

Do you accentuate positive? Or, do you run on negativity? Negative Ebay feedback is a tool that everyone should use with restraint, or not at all. As a rule, I never leave negative feedback. Unless someone has blatantly lied about your product, or attacked you personally without merit, then I would not leave any feedback in “minus” side of isle!

“Flame” wars are not pretty. I have seen a lot of unnecessary back and forth “banter” that could have been avoided, if they (the seller) just resisted urge to make their “two cents” known. Sometimes it gives customers impression that you are more concerned about arguing, then conducting your business.

I have also witnessed seller feedback that has included some pretty foul language. Engaging in this type of verbal sparring is not much of a confidence builder either. It is more telling of what you are, then about revealing sins of your customers. Don’t go out of your way to register a negative response if you can help it. Heed sage advice that our Mother’s use to tell us: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!”

“What we have here is a failure to communicate!” Communication with your customers should not amount to sound one hand clapping! Bottom line, if someone e-mails you with a question--answer it! Here is an example of type of feedback I obtained by doing just that……

“He was very Helpful and cooperative in answering questions. Follow-up: Will DEFINITELY use his services anytime he has items of interest! Great Seller!”

The gentlemen who left this positive review, wanted to know about some of particulars of a “Mickey Mouse” clock I had up for auction. His wife is a collector of all things Disney, and thought it would be a nice surprise for her birthday. The clock, to say least, was in sad shape. It was incapable of keeping time, and only part of it in working order was second hand. I thought for sure that he would be disappointed with item despite full disclosure of all of it’s imperfections.

To my surprise, not only did I receive positive feedback, but he also told me that his wife absolutely loved it! In this instance, one man’s junk, truly, is another man’s treasure! I never thought this item was worthy of any praise! The time it took to answer his questions—all of five minutes!

I know that some of you will say that I am not being realistic. You just can’t answer e-mails all day; “I have a business to run!,” you might proclaim. If you plan on making a living on Ebay, then you better think about hiring someone to help you answer your daily inquires if it is just too overwhelming. If you specialize in a particular product, set up a Frequently Asked Questions page to any Auto-Responder.

If you use Ebay on an infrequent basis, and have less than thirty listings a month, then you really don't have any excuse not to provide great customer service and e-mail communication. You shouldn’t be inundated with questions regarding that many items, unless product you are selling is technical in nature.

If you ignore your customers, they will go away. Good customer service should be woven into fabric of every good business. I cannot overemphasis importance of this issue. I continue to be perplexed by fact that it is last on list of business priorities for some Ebay sellers!

Will good customer service and communication alone make you rich on Ebay? That would be a resounding "no”. You will have to understand your market, and provide products that Ebay community will bid on consistently. There will be “bidders & buyers” out there that will make mistakes and commit some auction sins! Forgive all Ebay sins and you will be rewarded with happy, repeat customers!

Robert C. Potter is a wholesale and retail surplus products specialist. He is the author of “The Ultimate Guide To Products For Resale!” Over 300 Wholesale & Surplus Supply Sources For Ebay Auction Sellers, E-Commerce Websites, Flea Market Vendors, and Retail Store Owners! You can find his 160 page ebook at: http://www.productsforresale.com

6. Your web developer should design website to display properly on all screen sizes. (800 by 600 pixels and 1024 by 768 pixels are most common screen size, while 1280 by 768 pixels, 1280 by 1024 pixels are least common)

7. Insist your web developer go over in detail their contract as well as exact details of your needs, before they begin working on your site.

8. Insist on your web developer keeping you abreast of every milestone accomplished, decisions made and unforeseen changes.

9. Hosting does not have to be expensive, and a reasonable hosting fee should start at approximately $6 per month.

10. Insist that your web developer offer a website maintenance package. If they design it, they should be willing to maintain it.

It is very important that before you sign on dotted line, don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are no stupid questions, ever. A hasty decision can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Designing a website is like a KISS, Keep It Simple…Seriously!