Over the last year, we’ve received notifications that several Zibbet sellers have passed away. Those notifications have come from friends and family members of the deceased Zibbeters. We’ve also received inquiries from buyers who’ve not received their purchases or responses from messages sent to the sellers of the items they purchased. Several of these inquiries have come from buyers whose purchases were made from shops with excellent feedback regarding shipping quickly and communicating well with their buyers. Such inquiries cause me to wonder if the sellers have experienced some sort of emergency or other circumstance making it impossible for them to tend their shops. Our only way of communicating with our sellers is via the email address that is listed on their accounts. Often, in situations like these, we never hear from a seller when we attempt to reach them on behalf of a buyer. This raises the question, “What’s your back up plan in case of an emergency?”
Over a year ago, I addressed this question in the Success on Zibbet article In Case of an Emergency. Please take a look at that article for some suggestions on developing a plan that will help your family and/or friends manage your shop in the event of an emergency.
Here are a couple of reminders for keeping your shop information current:
If your email address changes, please update that information in your account. You can do this by going to your Account Info page. Before saving your changes, double check to make sure you’ve typed your address correctly. This is the address to which notifications of sales, Zibbet message system messages and messages from Zibbet Support are sent. Do the same with your PayPal email address. You can change this address by going to your Payment Method page.
If you’re going to be away for a while, please place your shop in Vacation Mode. Vacation Mode 1 is the preferred choice if you’ll be closed for an extended period of time. Vacation Mode 2 is appropriate when you’ll just be gone for a couple of days. Remember that while your shop is in Vacation Mode 2, sales can still be made on your account. If you’ll be gone to a craft show or other event where you may sell an item listed in your shop, Vacation Mode 1 is probably the better choice, even for short periods of time.
Make sure that your Shop Policies are stated clearly. It’s also a good idea to state unique policies in the descriptions for certain items. For example, if an item is ‘made to order’ let potential buyers know how long it will take 
for the item to be made and shipped. Be realistic about your time constraints. PayPal requires that disputes be filed within 45 days of the original transaction date. If completion of the order will take longer than this, it’s good business to let a buyer know this before they’ve made the purchase. As a seller, put yourself in the place of your buyer and provide the same information you would want to know before making a purchase.
Respond to inquires from buyers and potential buyers in a timely and polite manner. Excellent customer service combined with wonderful products is what will bring repeat sales and referrals to your shop. If you find yourself in a dispute situation, seek a compromise that is good for your buyer, you and Zibbet.
Best wishes for much success on Zibbet!
Vicki is committed to assisting her fellow Zibbeters improve their shops for successful online selling. She is the owner of five Zibbet shops: LOC Design Studio, Papa Spivey’s Trunk, A Stitch and a Prayer and Think Like a Fish. You can follow Vicki on Twitter and through her LOC Design Studio blog.
Tags: Back Up Plan, Customer Service, Email Address, In Case of an Emergency, Shop Policies, Success on Zibbet, Vacation Mode
