The more customer-friendly your policies, the more you will be able to convert potential buyers into customers. A few policies of particular importance are:

Payment Method Postage Terms Return Policy

Warranty Services eBay Checkout Buyer Management

1. Payment Method

Buyers are more likely to bid on your items if your payment methods are clearly stated and easy to use.

Clearly spell out your postage costs and policies. Here are a few postage tips to make your item more attractive to buyers:

• Bundle postage into your item price and advertise "Free Postage" in your title and description.
• Offer a flat rate to a specified area (eg: $15 to anywhere within Southeast Asia).
• Embed a postage calculator directly in your listing if postage is a variable based on the buyer's location.
  
  

Clearly state your return policy on your listing in order to increase buyer confidence. Research shows that 21% of non-buyers cite “lack of return policy” as the reason they buy elsewhere. (eBay Consumer Research, July, 2005).

You can now give buyers assurance and peace of mind by offering them a standard warranty or extended warranty on electronics and computer items via the Warranty Services programme. The best part is that for every warranty sold on one of your items, you earn a cash bonus!

The simple, streamlined process of eBay Checkout ensures that buyers won't get worried or confused and stop before paying for the item they've won. If you use a third party service provider to manage your listings, eBay Checkout Redirect inserts a "Pay Now" button in your listings that routes customers through eBay Checkout. Please be sure to ask for eBay Checkout Redirect from your 3rd Party Service Provider.

The Buyer Management tool (available in "My eBay" under "My Account: eBay Preferences") enables sellers to have more control over who may bid on their listings. This feature helps to reduce post-transaction issues and potential unpaid items.

Buyers are more likely to bid on your items if your payment methods are clearly stated and easy to use. Listing with Buy It Now and the Immediate Payments option also ensures that your item will remain open until you get paid.

Buyer Management allows sellers to block bidders:

• From a country which they have not designated they will post to in Sell Your Item (or other listing tool).
• With a net negative feedback score.
• With two Unpaid Item strikes in the last 30 days.

Sellers can also add specific buyers to their Buyer Block Exemption List. For example, if a buyer attempts to bid on an item and gets blocked, they can contact the seller to request permission to bid. If the seller agrees, they can add the buyer to their Exemption List.

Note: Use buyer blocking wisely. While helpful in reducing the likelihood of Unpaid Items, it may also limit the amount of bidders on your listing.