Costume Jewelry Online

Buying Costume Jewelry on Ebay, Part 2

In my previous post about buying costume jewelry on ebay, I focused on what you should look for in a seller. Now it's only fair that I talk about being a good buyer -- what are your responsibilities?

Before you bid on that auction or do a Buy It Now, know what can be expected of you, the buyer.

Read the Auction Terms of Sale

I'll raise my hand and be the first to admit that I haven't always read the auction description, including the terms of sale (TOS) all the way through before bidding. And I've been lucky that I haven't made any major blunders in doing so. But I've read through enough to know that I've been fortunate.

When you place a bid or BIN ("Buy it Now"), you are in essence agreeing to the sellers terms as stated in the auction. That means how fast you need to pay, the shipping charges, how fast the item ships, the return policy - the whole ball of wax. If you don't agree with the seller's terms, do not bid on or BIN that item.

Have a Question? Ask the Seller

If you have a question about the costume jewelry item or would like to see more photos, use the "Ask the Seller" link on the auction to make your request.

However, not all sellers can be near the computer constantly. If you ask a question in the last 12 hours of an auction, be aware that you might not get an answer back before it ends.

But don't decide to bid first then ask important questions later; it's not fair to the seller or other buyers.

When You Win an Auction or Buy it Now

When you place a bid or do a BIN, realize that you are entering into a contract. You're obligated to pay for what you've BIN'd or what you've won on an auction. No, you can't just decide that you don't want to pay for it after all - or at least not without implications like receiving a strike as a non-paying buyer. Too many of those strikes and you won't be able to bid on or buy anything on ebay.

Speaking of paying...please pay promptly. It doesn't mean you have to pay immediately after winning (unless that's part of the TOS), but within 24 hours is nice. But if you are waiting to pay because you're bidding on other auctions for the same seller, let them know -- most sellers will offer a combined shipping discount. And letting them know is good manners.

Leaving Feedback

When you receive your costume jewelry item, it's polite to leave the seller feedback. This serves two purposes.

First, it lets the seller know you have received the item. Second, it helps other future buyers know what to expect for their purchases.

If for some reason you are unhappy with your purchase, though, please contact the seller before leaving negative feedback. The vast majority of sellers want you to be happy, and will work with you to resolve any issues.

Besides, if you are unhappy with something, the seller needs to know. For example, if the packaging was poor, they need to know so they can pack more carefully in the future. If you feel the item was not as described, let the seller know why.

Most sellers want to be a 5-star seller (see the next section), but if they don't know a problem exists, they can't fix it.

The Ebay Star Rating

When you leave feedback, you will be asked to rate the seller on four aspects of the sale, with a rating of between 1 and 5 stars.

You need to be honest, but also considerate. If the seller let you down in a particular area, don't leave them 5 stars on that subject; it's not fair to future buyers. On the other hand, if everything was to your satisfaction, please do leave 5 stars.

Here's the scoop on the star ratings. In past years, ebay had a problem with sellers who would automatically leave a negative rating for a buyer if the buyer left a neutral or negative for the seller. Therefore, many buyers were afraid to leave negative feedback even when deserved, for fear of retribution.

So, ebay went and changed the feedback process. Now it works not only on a positive/neutral/negative feedback, but buyers can anonymously rate (using the stars) the seller on four specific points.

Here's what ebay does with those stars. If a seller falls to an average score of 4 or fewer stars in any one category, ebay can raise the seller fees until the score is raised above 4. If the seller averages 4 stars or fewer in more than one category, ebay can revoke the selling privileges.