The auction world is no different than any other business environment: The most successful businesses treat their customers with respect, provide as much information about products as possible, keep customers in the loop with frequent communication, and act ethically in all business dealings. Here are some great reminders to help improve your auction Netiquette (standard of online communication).

Give Accurate Information

When it comes to listing information, more is always better. Help your buyers visualize your item by providing precise and descriptive terms. Using complimentary adjectives such as "finely crafted" and "a rare find" is fine, but also make sure you work in specifics such as make, model number, quality, year of manufacture, materials, measurements, color, special markings, flaws, etc. Don't be misleading. "Nearly new" is not the same as "badly dented." "Gray" and "off-white" are not the same color.

Authenticate with a Photo

Think how frustrated you are when you try to order an item from a catalog that doesn't include a picture. Buyers want to see what an item looks like. Because online selling eliminates the possibility of "touching and feeling," you can get your buyers at least one step closer by providing them with a high-quality image. Digital cameras work best, but if you aren't yet ready to invest in this equipment, you can get by with a good quality photograph and a scanner. Before you take the photo, choose a solid color backdrop that highlights your item, and eliminate clutter from the shot, such as people or other products. Also, pay attention to the lighting surrounding the object. Bright sunlight or artificial light is the least conducive to a good shot. For best results, use natural light on an overcast day or less harsh indoor light. Finally, get as close to the item as possible to show details. After the photo is developed and scanned, take a look at the resulting size of the image you have created. Bidders do not like to wait for images to download, so if your image is over 35 KB to 50 KB, consider an automated tool such as GIF Wizard or GIF Optimizer to compact your image.

Take Time to Answer Questions

This may sound obvious, but providing timely answers to potential buyers' questions can be tough when you're holding down a day job. However, listing items in an auction requires a commitment to your prospective buyers. If they are serious enough to e-mail you with a question, good customer service mandates that you answer their e-mail promptly and courteously. You can save time by developing templates to answer frequently asked questions. For example, you could create a standard "shipping and handling" e-mail message that you send in response to requests for information about your shipping policy. Or you could put together a detailed product sheet for each of your items that you can send to people seeking more product information.

Contact Your Buyer Promptly

Online auctions move quickly, so it's crucial to respond to your customers quickly. Potential buyers who don't receive a response from you will move on. And successful bidders don't appreciate waiting weeks for their products to arrive. They may have purchased the item as a gift or have some other reason they want to receive the product promptly. Just as sellers are disappointed by slow payments, buyers don't like waiting too long for products they have already paid for. Contact buyers immediately after the sale's "end of auction" confirmation arrives to help assure them that the item is on the way and to encourage their repeat business.

Keep Detailed Records

Although this may seem like a personal administrative detail, it's worth mentioning as a Netiquette issue because it affects so many aspects of auction proceedings. Detailed records ensure that your items are shipped on the right date and that buyers are charged the correct amount. By keeping an accurate filing system, you can be sure that when your buyers' payments arrive or clear, you know how to ship the item. Also, keeping track of auction launches and closings helps you better manage your inventory. Try to keep your sales policies consistent among listings to decrease the chance of making an error.

Reduce Buyers' Shipping Costs

If someone is buying more than one item from you , save your buyer some money by shipping the items together in one package whenever possible, to reduce shipping and insurance costs.

Be Ethical

Arranging for your friends to help you by shilling (fraudulent bidding by your friend in order to inflate the price of an item), feedback padding (posting fraudulent positive feedback about another user and his or her auctions), or bid siphoning (contacting bidders and offering to sell them the same item they are currently bidding on, thus drawing bidders away from another seller's auction) will quickly cause you to lose favor among honest bidders. Unethical practices undermine the system of trust that is the backbone of online auctioning.

About the Author:
Julie Martin

Click here for more info from this author...