Itâs become easier and easier to buy and sell secondhand items online. Here are some etiquette tips to help you have a smooth and enjoyable experience with your online marketplace pursuits!
Etiquette tips for buying and selling online
Using apps or websites to buy and sell online can be a rewarding way to get rid of unwanted items and an affordable alternative to buying everything brand new. If youâre buying or selling online, itâs important to make sure youâre savvy, communicative, and aware of some of the etiquette with these transactions. Ultimately, basic etiquette will help get you great reviews from your buyers and sellers and make your transactions more enjoyable for you and everyone else.
Also, remember to take precautions to keep yourself safe during these transactions.
Buying tips
- Read the post carefully. Comb through the details of the post before you message the seller a question. Thereâs a chance the information you need is in there somewhere.
- Skip the automated messages. Avoid âIs this available?â and âIâm interestedâ unless itâs paired with a legitimate question or a suggested time for pick up. This speeds-up the transaction and makes it clear to the seller that youâre genuinely interested.
- Reply promptly and be on time. If youâve expressed interest in an item, be prepared to reply to the seller quickly to organize pick up and make sure you’re on time.
- Bring the right amount of cash
- Don’t feign interest. If youâre not sure about an item, take some time to think about it. When youâre sure, contact the seller and suggest a time to pick it up.
- Don’t ghost people. If youâve changed your mind, let the seller know as soon as possible. No one likes to be left on âreadâ with no reply. Communicating a change of heart allows the seller to move on to a new buyer quickly.
Selling
- Use good pictures. Show items from different angles and take pictures of any imperfections. Natural lighting is usually better, especially for showcasing the accurate colour of an item. If you want to include generic product photos, ensure you include a real photo of the item so the quality and condition are apparent.
- Make paying a breeze. Use round numbers so itâs easy for people to pay you. State whether your price is negotiable or firm.
- Be honest about the condition of the item. Here are some common acronyms for buying and selling online:
- NWT = new with tags
- NWOT = new without tags
- EUC = excellent used condition
- GUC = good used condition
- Provide a good description of what you’re selling. Share measurements for furniture, sizing information for clothing, and make sure to disclose any imperfections. If you want buyers to pick up items from your home, consider sharing the general area of where you live (ex. Grouse Woods, North Vancouver).
- Don’t go rogue. Learn and follow the rules of the platform youâre selling on. If there are no specified rules, make sure to detail what your personal rules are for each sale. Make sure interested buyers know what to expect from the transaction. For example:
- Do you allow long holds?
- Does âfirst come first serveâ mean the first person who contacts you has dibs? Or is it the first person who picks up the item?
- Do you do drop-offs/are you willing to meet people? Is it pick-up only?
Did we miss anything? Share your suggestions for etiquette tips below!
Where to go for help
This information is purely educational and we can’t help with disputes about sales between consumers on sites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist under the laws we oversee.
If you encounter an issue with something you purchased on an online marketplace or website, there aren’t many protections or guarantees compared to buying something from a store. In most cases, if you’re unhappy with a sale, your options are limited to resolving it with the other person directly or taking the issue to court.
If you’re dealing with theft, that would be a matter for law enforcement. Make sure you keep this in mind and take precautions to keep yourself safe when buying and selling online.
Did you like this? You might like these posts too!
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Shopping online? 5 red flags to watch out for
About Consumer Protection BC
We are not-for-profit regulator responsible for overseeing certain industries and specific consumer transactions in British Columbia. If your concern is captured under the laws we enforce, we will use the tools at our disposal to assist you. If we canât help you directly, we will try to offer a referral to a relevant organization, if one exists. Other times, court or legal assistance may be the best option. Explore our website at www.consumerprotectionbc.ca
I suggest adding not to pay with a bag of coins.
That is a good suggestion, Maggie!
I purchased a San Matco with Tuscan finish bed with drawers, and spring mattress on Dec 29, 2020 and was told delivery could be 4 – 6 weeks. I have contacted Sisters Sleep Gallery in Kamloops, B.C on several occasions and have been told the item has still not arrived and could be held up because of Covid. I requested a refund, but the reply was, well you ordered it??? On July 5, Better Business Bureau received my complaint and on July 27 they replied back stating they have contacted the business on several occasions with no response from the business. What are the steps to be taken when a business is operating in this manner??
Hi Donna, I wasn’t completely clear from your message but if you bought the item on the store’s online shop, you can cancel your order using our form located on our website and ask for a refund. If you’ve placed an order at the retail location in person, you may want to contact your credit card company and see if they reverse the charge. Either way, we have more information about this particular topic in another blog post here. Please take a look and if you have any further questions, please let us know!
Add: be prompt at advising the item has been sold. If someone is interested, let the other interested party(ies) know! I can’t tell you the number of times people have sold an item and it’s still up on the site two days later.
Hi Cary Anne, thank you for the additional tip! This is an easy but important one that sometimes people overlook.
Remove your ad once the item is sold.
People have no decorum when it comes to first come, first served. I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve been in communication about purchasing an item, and then the next thing, they have sold it to someone else. SOOOO unprofessional and unkind. I always go back to my first people and give them the first right of refusal. These young people don’t give a flip about common courtesy.