I was packing up some eBay items this morning and I noticed I was running low on my package inserts. These are the little postcard sized notes I put into every outgoing package. One side of this note is a “Thank you for purchasing, please contact if there are any issues, etc” type message with the company logo, url, email address, etc. The flip side is basically a very nice version of the usual DSR spiel. “You may not realize this but eBay penalizes sellers for anything below 5 stars. . . we work hard to earn all 5 stars by doing x, y and z. . . so if there is any reason you feel you cannot give us the full 5 stars please contact us so we can make it right. . . etc etc.”

As I moved to my desk to write myself a note to order more, I paused. Should I order more of the exact same insert? I have been using this same insert every since DSRs were introduced and have been pleased with the results but, with the new changes, should I change it? If so, how?

After all, technically, eBay no longer penalizes sellers for less than 5 stars, only for 1 or 2 star ratings. But I sure don’t want to only say, “rate me whatever but don’t give me one or two stars!” Not only does it make me seem like I don’t care about their satisfaction, I would sure prefer to keep my ratings higher than average.

Am I obsessing over the details on this? Are you going to change the wording on your package insert? If so, how? If you don’t have a package insert or don’t sell on eBay, I accept hypothetical advice.

I have a good handful left so we can debate this for a little while before I really need to order more. 😉