Christmas Tart Auction

[comfortscents]

It's beginning to look like I'm going to pull all of my soap auctions from ebay and stick with soap which is what pays the bills..I thought this was such a cute auction and not even one hit...don't know if it's me or if it's ebay or my prices or my quality..just can't figure it out..thought I'd send a photo of the item, if you can come up with something I should be doing better any advice is appreciate:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=005&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=150055715411&rd=1&rd=1

[Candle Man]

IMO - Your Shipping, Payment & Terms may be the turn off. To me it's not very professional.

hhhhmmm terms, let's see, you bid, you pay, I send item, you receive item, you leave positive feedback, I leave positive feedback and we're all :-))) campers! My terms are my terms..please don't bid if can't see the humor in my words, I can guarantee you won't like me..and that would make both of us mucho :-(..if you're a fellow soaper you should make a wish that you have customers that are as great as mine..

I hate Drama, if you want drama join your local community theater..get the lead in Pippin I will come and give you a standing ovation..but just pay if you bid. I need you to contact me within 24 hours of auction's close to let me know your method of payment..Paypal is due within 3 days and snail mail 7. I'm a pretty simple gal with a dream..I sell, you buy, you pay, I'm thrilled, you leave feedback I leave feedback..you let me know there's a problem..I'll correct it if humanly possible. I like working in my home office in my pj's, I like how young my monitor lights make me look..I want to sell as long as you want to buy.

I'm a shipping fool. I make daily runs to the post office and soon will be announcing my engagement to the counter guy Ed. In my town instead of being called a bag lady I'm known as the box lady. I have decorated my office in Priority Mail motif but have no problem sending Parcel Post. Whatever works for you. I love to ship in bulk so combining shipping is a no-brainer (works for me). Now, we need to discuss the "I" word. I'm as pleasant as a puppy, and it's my goal to go thru life, short, fat and bumping into trees however,don't buy something fragile and not insure it..I mean c'mon..even short and fat people buy insurance before they bump into trees so think how upset you're gonna be if the item breaks and you didn't buy insurance..I think you would look like this :-( You won't need botox if you insure..you will look like this :-)

[silverm00n]

I agree, though I love humor, some people are downers. I'd stick to the point in a profesional way. The product looks great though!

Edited to add: the short, fat people thing probably isn't a good idea either.

[comfortscents]

interestingly enough..the business I do pick up is because of my terms..I have a folder full of emails with comments on my terms and only one negative comment from another soaper..these terms are mild compared to my old terms...lol

my terms guarantee a customer with a sense of humor..here are the old terms:

Okay here's the tuff part: I love to combine shipping. I'll send however many photos you need. I'll pack just like Tony Soprano packs his trunk for a trip to the Landfill and I'll correspond with you like you're at sleep away camp..HOWEVER If you choose not to buy insurance DO NOT SEND ME AN EMAIL WITH THIS GUY :-( saying there's been an oopsie what should you do? Ya see I hear ya when your package has been left on the porch and a traveling pack of wolf/dogs attack the box. I'm with ya when the del'y truck hits a pothole and box taps the ceiling and glass shatters, and boy oh boy I feel your pain when a non eng. speaking carrier can't read FRAGILE *but* it's no longer my problem. It WILL be my problem if you Insure. Let me repeat that INSURE, INSURE, INSURE..for a mere $1.35 you could have Cujo watching over your shipments. I will go mano et mano with the carriers to assure that you never feel :-( again!!! if you insure then we'll all be :-))))))))

Now..I'm not gonna rush ya, but you need to contact me within 24 hrs of auction's end. If paying thru paypal, ya got 5 days, if snail mail paym't ya got 7 days. I will report a non paying bidder and I don't leave feedback until you do. If you find my terms harsh, pls don't bid..you won't like me. If you think my terms are humorous..we can be best friends. If you can't spell humorous..hit exit immediately. Have a wonderful week and watch out for that pack of dogs!!!

With only one negative email from a competitor I think my terms are sometime what will bring a customer to me..I'm not a folksy kinda person..I'm a new yorker..lol

[blazerina]

Did I miss the part where it includes a tart burner as stated in the headline? I don't see it in the description or picture.

That would make me click out of it immediately- no matter how cute- and they are lovely! And it is a great presentation/idea- love the Christmas Mail box... but i'm cheap and i'm just wondering where the tart burner is, lol.

(or did I read something wrong?)

[dandelion garden]

I have often admired your creations when you've posted them here.

Now that I've gotten a little glimpse of you.....

you can expect to see some bids from me soon.

I just read some of your terms aloud to my co-worker and she asked me to invite you to lunch.

[comfortscents]

It would be impossible to know how many people have not purchased from me because of my terms..however, I can track people who've singled me out of the hundreds of people who may sell candles and soaps on ebay. I have never not made a refund, I've have had one customer leave me negative feedback in almost 3,000 transactions..the one neg I have is from one buyer who said the biscotti jar I listed didn't have the word biscotti on it..lol..my return business is almost 90 percent...Do I think I lack the folksy charm of some sellers..you betcha..however, I'm so tired of reading that someones cinnamon buns look so real their neighbors almost took a bite of out of one..I would move if I had that person as a neighor..I started with candles on ebay but my sales have just been mainly in soap..part of me wants to stop listing candles, at least on ebay..retail wise they do quite well..I just can't get a handle on candle buying on ebay..which is why I posted..my terms will be my terms, they are the clearest representation of who I am..

[jes432]

Although I think they're cute here are the things about this listing that would deter me from bidding. IMO I would like to see pictures with a bit more detail of the tarts. They sound really cute, but they pretty much just look white. I know I personally wouldn't want to buy the set for myself because the mailbox although cute is no use to me. I would be looking for tarts I can burn and I wouldn't want to pay to ship this set with the added weight of a mailbox. If I was buying it as a gift though It would be cute packaging. The scent is also a bit confusing as to what you are getting. I'd also suggest putting the name of the scent in your title (for searches).

Oh and as far as the terms I don't think it would deter me from bidding, or most people. Lets face it only half of the people out there actually read this stuff and mainly people are just skimming through it to find out only necessary details.

[PaulaR]

Well the terms grabbed my attention and I loved every minute of them, Heck I would prolly buy them just because of the terms. Guess my kinda humor.

As for the mail box I loved it, Cute idea. Wish I had some suggestions as why they didnt sell. Maybe relist and see what happens?!!? But whatever you do dont change your terms !!!

JMO

Paula

[prairieannie]

Love your terms! I highly doubt there are many people perusing ebay searching for sellers with "professional" terms. And if they are, well, i'm sure that you would much rather they go on their merry way, i know I would!

[candlesprite7]

I love the terms too, they kept me laughing...lol

[CathyinME]

I also noticed it said tart burner in the headline but no mention of it in description. Is one included? I love the mailbox idea.

[comfortscents]

That was a typo..I had listed several other auctions that included tartburners and just missed it when I was typing in the description..although with a tart burner I would charge $2.00 more...I just bought a case of em..lol

[Aspencreek]

I have always loved your terms, but you are asking for advice and there are people here giving you their honest advice.

[comfortscents]

absolutely and I took their advice seriously enough to send out an email to all of my new and first time bidders over the last month asking them about my terms..In a previous life I was a writer, obviously I didn't write dramas..lol..but I took the time to email my buyers a questionairre and got the responses that I pretty much thought I would get..Ebay is tough, I wanted to stand out..most of my auctions have a subtitle that reads.."the crankiest seller on ebay"...people remember that..but I accepted any and all advice and am still willing to do so. Unless candle buyers are more conservative than soap buyers I really can't figure out what I'm doing wrong..I even tried to rephotograph the auction but I can't get the details on the snowflakes to show up.

[Ahuff]

I think a clearer photo of the tarts would really help. Personally if an auction has a fuzzy or small photo, I don't even bother reading the ad.

HTH,

Alex

[creativegems]

You could send the tarts to me and I'll take a pic for you.

I like your wording cranky.

Janet

[debscent]

I got a kick out of your terms, etc. It made me laugh...I think timing is wrong. We just got through Halloween, give it 2 weeks and try again. Not everyone is in a big hurry to rush Christmas this year (hell, it's going to be 68 degrees tomorrow here in Delaware).

[Jordan]

Absolutely, its just timing. I used to do a lot on Ebay, and there were times when a product would sell like hotcakes, and then the next week just sit there. I'd relist it in a couple weeks, like Deb suggested. Terms are cool, don't change them. In fact, you better watch it, someone is gonna copy them!

[chris77]

I'm with candleman on this one. Neither my wife or myself found the terms and shipping to be funny. To me as a consumer it was a turn off. As rude and sarcastic as it sounded, I would question the integrity of the product, the company, and would not trust you as a salesperson. Not trying to be rude back by any means....in my full time job I would lose customers and my job if I were to be like that to customers...."I sell, you buy, want to return?..read the receipt...if you can't read, have someone else read it for you....return after 30 days?...should have learned to read, it's on the receipt!"

To people that know you in RL it's probably hillarious, as a consumer and business manager I would pass on your site no matter how awesome your product or prices were.

My 2 cents....take care,

Chris