Are Your Policies Ready?

Have you thought the sale all the way through? I have noticed on HandmadeArtists as well as other sites that sellers often time did not take the time to fill out their shop policies which leaves me wondering if it is an oversight, a matter of time, or something else; so I ask you, have you thought your sale all the way through?

Shop policies are too important to overlook both from an artists’ side as well as from a customer standpoint.  These policies are not meant to make meaningless work for the seller who is already pressed for time running their business, but rather as a bit of protection for both buyer and seller should something go wrong.  You don’t want to have to think fast to come up with an answer should a problem arise.  A bit of forethought will save you a lot of stress.

Return policy, do you have one?  Will you accept returns from a customer if the item doesn’t fit?  How about if they received it and just changed their mind?  What if the color is just a bit different than it showed on their monitor or the piece just not what they thought it was going to be. 

Be upfront about your policies, clearly spelling out whether or not you even offer to take back a product (some products are not contusive to refunds such as or lovely soap sellers!). 

Condition:   Clearly state that you expect the purchase returned in unworn/unused condition.  Or are you okay with a bit of wear and tear?  What about a piece that breaks or is damaged in shipping?  Do you offer to replace such a piece or fix it if possible?

Shipping:  Will you refund the shipping costs or just the purchase price of the item?  Who pays for the return shipping costs??   Spell this out clearly and if there is a question, you can always point the customer to you policy page where it is spelled out.  This usually eliminates questions.

Time:  What time frame do you expect?  How long will you give your customer to decide if an item is right for them?  Immediately, 2 weeks, 30 days?  You don’t want a customer coming back at you months down the road demanding their money back so set a reasonable time frame.  This can be flexible on a case by case basis such as when the piece is purchased as a gift and must be held for a time, but your policies should give a clear time line.

Time to refund:  When will you issue the refund, immediately or after the item is safely in your hand?  Do you require them to use tracking on the package so that you can see that the piece is actually on its way to you?

Spell each and every out clearly so that there are no surprises for you or your customer.  Sure, most of the time purchases go smoothly and everyone walks away happy, but there will be that time when the question comes up and you want to be professionally prepared to handle it.  Who knows, a few minutes of planning may allow you to keep a customer for the future.

 

 

 

Tags: handmadeartists, policy, proceedure, refund, shop set up

Posted in Handmade, Information, Selling Tips