So you are ready to start selling on eBay. Great! Are you ready to deal with customers from all over the world? You better be! eBay is a global marketplace and your customers will come from every corner of the globe. Just like at a normal business, some of these customers will really make you hot under your collar. What advice should you follow when dealing with a tough customer?

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. Using eBay features like Selling Manager Pro with automated payment reminder emails will 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. When a customer is not happy with their purchase from you, first offer an apology. 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 sell through a dropshipping company with your eBay listings, do whatever you can to ensure speedy delivery. 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. There are many other problems experienced by sellers on eBay that are more related to the type of items they sell.

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.