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What Buyers Need To Consider When Buying Online

By: Laura Thykeson - Ice Originals II-Collectibles, Vintage Jewelry, Sat Dec 10th, 2005 11:15:51 AM

More and more shoppers are buying online these days, and the majority of them are catching on quite quickly to the process. They realize that the convenience of online shopping saves them on travel costs, allows them to compare prices and items and search easily for the exact item they are looking for. They buy from large corporate retailers as well as the smaller shops located within online "malls", which consist of a mixture of personally owned smaller shops that offering a vast array of items from artisan made to collectibles, as well as new items. This variety and ease of shopping is what makes the online shopping experience so wonderful. There are some things that I personally, as an online seller have begun to notice when dealing with online sales. I would like to discuss these issues in order to help educate the potential buyers when buying online.

First of all, buying from a large, chain corporation is different from buying from a small shop within the online mall. The online malls consist, for the most part of people working from home, some having disabilities, some on social security, and others trying to supplement their household income while the spouse works fulltime. The majority of these shop owners are very hard working, honest people, not trying to get rich, just trying to get by. Which brings me to a situation that has been occurring more and more lately when online purchases are made. The majority of online shoppers do not want to pay for any shipping costs when buying from these smaller shops. They want the shop owner to charge them only the price of the item, then ship it for free. With the large corporations, this is more feasible, since the mark-up of their items is usually quite a bit more than that of the small shops, plus, they are not negotiable on their shipping charges. For a small shop owner, who normally does not add a large mark-up to items for sale, not charging for shipping can severely affect their profits over time. You have to consider that in order to ship your item safely and professionally, these shop owners have to purchase quality shipping materials. Sometimes free shipping is just not feasible for the shop owner, and the majority of the buyers I have run across lately can become very offended if not given free shipping. More and more often, the sale falls through, simply based on the shipping charges, which are not "padded", they are simply calculated on the weight of the packaged item, with a very small amount added in for the shipping supplies used, as they are not free ( this usually amounts to less than a dollar, which is very low).

Also, there is no need to initially approach the shop owner, if you do have a question about the shipping, in a defensive way. I have had many customers really "let me have it" from the very beginning of the sale over shipping costs, when all they had to do was send a cordial email letting me know of their concerns. There is no need for this. First of all, the majority of sellers are very ethical and honest, and also, human error can and does occur. Have a question? Ask it politely. No need to be belligerent, assuming immediately that the seller is trying to pull one over on you. If you cannot work things out to your satisfaction, politely decline to proceed with the sale. Sometimes I think that the advent of email has taken away our manners, allowing us all to forget the Golden Rule! Please approach the seller in the same way that you would like to be treated, with respect and in a pleasant manner. The majority of us are not out there to rip you off, we are here to establish a small but thriving business, based on a lot of hard work, professional ethics and an honest and trusting relationship with our customers. It does us no good whatsoever to "cheat" customers out of their money, as our businesses will only suffer and eventually fail. What good does that do us?

Of course, I realize that I am only speaking for myself, but if all the other smaller shop owners were polled, the majority would agree whole-heartedly! They aren't dishonest scam artists, they are housewives, middle aged or even elderly, disabled, unable to find work elsewhere due to downsizing of their particular career, college students trying to get through college, families trying to pay excessive medical bills for a chronically ill family member, and any number of other normal situations in the course of life. So the next time you feel the need to get defensive over a particular sale without knowing all the facts, try taking a deep breath, calming down, and then sending a nice note explaining your concerns. I bet that in the majority of cases, you will accomplish what you wished, without the stress. Life is stressful enough without adding anything else to the list!

Another problem occurring more often is online buyers proceeding through the checkout process after choosing an item, the seller goes through the process of figuring shipping costs, insurance, sending the final invoice to the buyer, perhaps even packing the item, and then - nothing happens. No contact is ever received from the buyer, no payment is ever received, even after several nice reminders, letting the buyer know that their item is going to be put back up for sale if they do not pay. All this time, the item in question is on hold, waiting for payment, so no other potential buyers can purchase it. Realizing that events can suddenly happen in life where the money isn't available, etc., this can be understood to a certain amount. Where the problem lies is the lack of consideration on the end of the buyer to kindly let the seller know that they have either changed their mind, or something came up and they won't be able to make the purchase after all. It is that simple, takes only a few seconds, and then the seller can place the item up for sale again! In the time it takes to forward that goofy joke email to all your friends, you can let the shop owner know of your situation. This is only a small thing to ask, but is of potentially great help to the shop owner!

When a buyer goes through a large, corporate or chain online buying procedure, they don't expect to be able to negotiate cost, shipping or anything else. The price and shipping are stated, and that is that, take it or leave it. Why then, do you think that you can persuade or even be impolite to a small shop owner over the same situation? We cannot buy our shipping supplies in bulk, as often we don't either have the capital or room to store it since we may work from home. With a small shop owner, you get to talk to a "real" person, get personalized service, some offer gift wrapping, drop shipping for gifts, will enclose cards for you, and generally work with you in any way they can to assure that you are happy with the sale. Is this not enough? Is there something else we need to do to make your experience better? What can we do to not only win your trust but your respect? Take the time to think about the actual weight of the item you ordered, the time and shipping costs involved, and please don't immediately assume you are being taken advantage of. We are people just like you, and deserve the same treatment in return as we try to offer to you. Let's work together, shall we?

About the author: Laura Thykeson Owner of:

Ice Originals II - Collectibles, Vintage Jewelry and Sheet Music http://www.tias.com/stores/iceorig

Ice Originals Toonz - Collectible and Hard to Find Vinly LP's, 45's, Cassettes and 8-Tracks http://www.iceorig.gemm.com

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