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NimBid How To

Sell Safely

Best practices for sellers

Read NimBid’s tips on selling safely
Offer PayPal as a payment method
Make your listings as clear as possible
Use an insured or tracked postal service

If something goes wrong

Get your buyer's contact details so you can speak to them about the problem
Report a buyer who backs out of a sale
Report a spoof (fake) email
Get help in the event of account takeover
Contact NimBid for help
Give NimBid's contact details to the police so we can help with an investigation
 

Payments

Don’t get caught by fake payment emails and always confirm you’ve received a PayPal payment before sending an item – check your PayPal account and ensure the payment icon in your My NimBid is highlighted
Don’t be fooled by buyers who say they need you to make payments into their accounts prior to them sending money – this approach is often associated with untrustworthy payments made through Western Union or MoneyGram
Make sure you understand the current requirements for PayPal Seller Protection – these may require you to send items using a track able delivery method
 

Listing

Manage the types of buyers who can bid on your items by using Buyer Requirements in My NimBid during the listing process
You can cancel suspicious bids if you need to – but remember that you have to have a valid reason for doing so
 

Identities

Fraudsters impersonate buyers asking for refunds – always check My NimBid Messages to validate any claim before refunding and always use the original payment method
Don’t become an accomplice to fraud – criminals approach NimBid users to sell items on their behalf, without any intention of sending the items. Remember, when buyers complain, it’s your reputation on the line, not the fraudster’s. If you sell an item on behalf of someone else, make sure you understand what you’re getting into
 

Safe delivery

Pack and weigh your item before setting your P&P charge to ensure you set the right cost to cover delivery – unreasonable P&P costs discourage buyers and reduces the likelihood of your item selling or achieving the best price
Offer a range of delivery services – a low cost option encourages buyers whilst a faster delivery service is attractive for buyers that are happy to pay more to receive an item more quickly
Remember that PayPal Seller Protection can provide extra safety cover against potential losses due to buyer claims, chargebacks or reversals
Use a delivery service that provides online trackable proof of delivery
Use My NimBid to print postage labels for delivery services that offer online trackable proof of delivery – simply tick the box next to each item sold
 

Search Friendly Listing

At NimBid We Promote Your Item to the World, Meaning that we list it in all the popular search engines. Most buyers use the Search Box to find items on NimBid, so make sure your item is easy to find and stands out in search results:

Write a great title Make a list of keywords that your buyers might use to find the item you're selling and use as many as you can in your title, up to a maximum of 55 characters. Don't waste space by using words like "l@@k!" - Buyers don't search for them. (Note that all the words in the title must be relevant to the item you're selling as it's against NimBid rules to include keywords for similar items in the title. Find out more about Keyword spamming.)

Use the Image feature The Image feature displays a picture of your item in search results. This gives your item a chance to stand out in the list and allows buyers to compare your item with the others on offer. Image Feature is free for everyone to use.

Write an accurate item description to reassure buyers and minimize the number of questions you'll receive during the listing:
Include as much detail as possible and be truthful about the product's condition. Making everything clear reduces the risk of confusing or disappointing your buyers. Include the product type, brand, condition, attributes, model number, size, style, measurements, colour, details of compatibility with other items and anything else you can think of. If these details are long or complicated, place them after more interesting information.

Highlight great value for example, if your Buy It Now price is half the manufacturer's recommended price, tell buyers they're saving 50%.

Make the description easy to read use bullet points for the product specification and remove unnecessary information. Don't add flashing text or animations. And use a spellchecker!
Use good quality, clear pictures - photograph the item in a well-lit place in front of a plain background. Take pictures from all angles and highlight any damage. Remember that buyers can't inspect the item in person. Make sure the best picture appears at the top of the listing. As a general rule, picture files should be no bigger than 50 KB if you want the item page to download quickly. Remember that you can't use other people's photos without getting their permission first.

Put yourself in a buyer’s shoes would you bid on or purchase the item? Does your listing look professional? Does it create confidence? Have you answered all likely buyer questions? Is it positive enough (e.g. do your policies come across as too restrictive)?
 

Clearly state your policies in every item description

Postage policy – where you post to and how much you charge, how quickly you will post, postage times, carriers you use and any other relevant information.

Payment methods - state details of the payment methods you accept. Try not to be negative about the payment methods you don't accept.

Return policy - all business sellers should accept returns by law. Add details of your policy to the item description and the Return Policy section. See Returns & the law.

VAT information - If you've added VAT to the price of the item, state this clearly in the description. We recommend that you incorporate VAT into the item price rather than adding it on at the point of transaction.

Warranty information - your warranty could be the deciding factor in whether a buyer purchases from you. If you choose to offer one, clearly describe your warranty in a prominent position in your listing. Remember that if you do offer a warranty, it will be legally binding.

Customer service – set buyers’ expectations on how long it will take you to respond to emails. If you only answer questions in office hours, make this clear.

Communicate, communicate and communicate with your buyers and prospective buyers:

Answer questions about your listings promptly - Use a polite, friendly tone to show the human face of your online business.

Use NimBid Messaging to communicate - It is a free way to talk to other people via the internet.  It is quick and easy for buyers to get answers to pre- and post-order questions.

Check your junk mail folder on your email account from time to time to make sure customer emails aren't being filtered into it.