Selling on eBay shares one thing with a regular business. At some point and time, you will have to deal with a tough customer. You will find that most of your customers on eBay are a treat to deal with, but there will be a few that really push your buttons. How do you deal with these customers and how do you turn a positive into a negative?

Probably the most common problem with buyers on eBay is failure to pay for an item. On eBay, when you bid on an item or "Buy It Now" you are responsible to pay for that item. That isn't always the case. When you do try and get payments from a slow-paying member, remember to remain professional at all times. eBay products like Selling Manager Pro send automated payment reminders and usually get the job done. After a certain amount of time, if payment isn't sent by the buyer you can follow eBay's procedure to get a credit on your lost fees and will put an unpaid item strike against the non paying member's account.

There will also be a certain amount of customers that will not be happy with the product they purchased from you. Just as in life, you can't make everyone happy. Clearly state your refund policy in your auction listings and adhere to it. It is much easier to click 3 buttons in PayPal to issue a refund than fight to remove a negative feedback from your account. The first thing to do is say you are sorry when a customer isn't happy with their item from you. Then offer to do whatever it takes to make it right, including an alternate item or free gift. At that time, offer a refund and issue it if requested.

The speed that an eBay buyer gets the item remains a concern, as well. Do whatever you can to ship your item quickly. If you are sending items from your home or business, don't wait to send them once a week. Make a trip to the post office every day you have a sale. If you are selling items via dropshipping on eBay, do all you can to get that item sent fast. Some dropshipping facilities are located in foriegn countries, meaning it will take quite a while for shipment. If you do have lengthy shipment times because of your dropshipping supplier, explain that fully inside your auction description. Sometimes there is just nothing you can do about shipping complaints. I sell eBooks on eBay. eBooks are delivered instantly through a download link in eBay. It is not uncommon for me to get complaints by customers of not getting their item, when the download is sitting in their eBay account. I am sure that sellers with other types of goods have other problems related to their specific products.

Remember to always guard your feedback rating on eBay. It is the way that customers see you and decide to buy from you or not. Also, in the eBay PowerSeller program, your feedback ratings can lead to fee discounts.

Just like in the real world, there are tough customers to deal with on eBay. Some people are just that way. It is how you deal with these tough customers that makes or breaks you as a seller on eBay. Remember to remain professional at all times and you will be able to deal with almost all the problems that come up while selling on eBay.