Selling online

Hi kas

What do you / do you not buy online? I tend to buy things online that I find it difficult to get in the local shops, or if I can make a considerable saving. We buy heaps of books and computer games, but also buy computer parts and software occasionally. We don't do our groceries online anymore because we like to support our local shops and when it comes to veg we like to see what we're buying (plus we used to get some crazy substitutions when we did - beef and bean burgers instead of bean burgers was a particular favourite). I also buy a lot of craft items online - beads for my beadwork and occasionally wool if I'm looking for something specific. That's because there tends to be a wider choice when shopping around online. I did try buying clothes online for a bit but without much success. Oh yes, and we do our Christmas shopping online - from the Traidcraft site because it's great for pressies and is much less stressful than fighting our way around the shops.

Is the location of the vendor important to you? Not really. Try to stick to the UK because of postage costs and delivery times.

What are acceptable delivery time frames? I'm very impatient so always want stuff straight away. When I shop on Amazon I get put off if the delivery time is any more the 24hrs! However, if it's something I really want/need I don't mind waiting a couple of weeks ... if I have to.

What are acceptable delivery costs? Depends on the item. Hmmm, it's really difficult to say. If we're buying a computer part it can be very offputting when delivery is in the region of £10.

Emily

work: www.webfooteddesigns.co.uk

blog: www.marblecake.org.uk

What do you / do you not buy online?
Books because I can get hold of out of print specialist books or have the latest releases sent to me.
DVD’s because they can be considerably cheaper.

What would you / would you not buy online?
I would buy most things online provided that I knew about the product, books & DVD’s are perfect, if it was something like a new gadget I would rather see it in a shop. I tend not to read reviews (but I do look at reputations heavily) so rely upon my own knowledge or that of my friends/family. Clothes are a definite offline purchase and I prefer to do my grocery shopping offline as I tend to buy what looks good on the day.

If you don't buy, what would make you change your mind?
Not much I’m afraid but maybe an easy free returns policy would make me more adventurous for larger purchases

Is the location of the vendor important to you?
The only criteria I use is delivery cost and reputation of the vendor, either brands that I trust such as Amazon etc. or a record of good service from eBay, paypal, etc. I often purchase books from the US.

What are acceptable delivery time frames?
I am quite easy on delivery times as most of my online purchases are indulgences. For time sensitive purchases I am strictly an offline buyer.

What are acceptable delivery costs?
I personally thing that there should be no delivery costs, they should be included in the price of the goods. I feel that it is the same as an offline shop charging you a rent cost.

Anything else you think I should know???
Online reputation is everything, I like Amazon’s approach which allows a detailed feedback. I am not that big a fan of ebay’s as it is very biased towards leaving a positive review and is not very detailed.

Hi Kas,

I thought I should add my comments in order to add to your required 'gizillions' of information.

1 - I tend to buy unusual items on-line, mostly vintage and antique fabric. Items that you are extremely unlikely to find elsewhere, except at a specialist Fair. I buy huge amounts of lavender through the internet and have purchased various gadgets and gizmos for the business. I also buy books - which I claim are for the business but often for me.

2. I do like to buy from this country when I can because I think that people in business should try to support each other - and postage is always cheaper within the U.K.! However, if it is something that I really want and it can't be found elswhere I will purchase it whether it is from Bradford or Bombay.

3. Delivery times - I accept that if something is coming from half way around the world that it will take some time to get to me but am always impressed by people who keep me informed as to an item's progress, or if there will be delays in postage etc. As I long as I am kept in the loop I am happy. In this country, I do really like fast service.

4. Acceptable costs- If something is coming from a long distance then it will cost - again as long as I have the information before I make the final decision to buy I am happy. - No hidden surprises, such as when an item of craft equipment I had purchased from the USA was stopped at customs and I had extra to pay as well as the delay in delivery. I didn't realise that this was going to happen - I would have still gone ahead with the purchase but would have liked to have known first.

Finally, another of the replies to your enquiries mention 'reputation' and I thoroughly go along with this. I do purchase from Ebay etc, but will not commit a lot of money until I have purchased from the same dealer a few times and know them to be trustworthy and their goods to be excellent.

Hope this helps.

Ruth (Sumptuosity)
www.sheer-sumptuosity.co.uk

> What do you / do you not buy online?

Currently I buy books/DVD's mainly from Amazon (new, and used). I've bought information from an unknown seller, and a small item on Ebay. I

>What would you / would you not buy online?

wouldn't buy anything expensive from a company I didn't know . . . I trust Amazon, but that's about it for bigger stuff. Basically, for anyone else, I wouldn't spend money unless I could live with not actually getting the product.

> If you don't buy, what would make you change your mind?

unprofessional website, anything which suggests lack of professionality or trustworthyness.

Is the location of the vendor important to you?

Yes, I trust some countries a lot more than others.

Anything else you think I should know???

Lots of clever tricks and flashy graphics on a website are just annoying. If I can't clearly find the info what I want, I'll go eleswhere. I will buy much easier with Paypal, just because it's money that is less easy to spend in conventional ways, so if I can spend it online it's like an added bonus (I get paid by Payal a lot). Make sure any errors give clear error messages . . . then at least I have a chance of figuring out what to do to make the purchase . . . the best sellers will put a clear message in red next to the problem, rather than just tell you there's some unspecified error. Allow people to use their email address for login name . . . it is SO much easier than all the different versions of a login-name you have to use because some accept underscore, some hyphens, some neither, etc.

Amazon.com is a mostly good example of how to make it easy to people to buy. Some of their information is hard to find (such as how to get the money when you sell something), but they're generally better than most.

Chris

it have so many reason that person don't wanna buy online!