As anyone who reads this blog regularly, like the President of Hair Club for Men, I’m not just an eBay seller, I’m also a buyer. I have been on both sides of the fence and, if you aren’t a buyer on the same marketplace you sell on, you are making a big mistake.

Take a moment and look at your listings. Try to turn off your emotions and ownership and look at it as a potential buyer.

In your listing text are you making threats (about bad feedback, non-paying bidders, or anything else)? Excuses (I have a bad back so I only ship on Tuesdays, etc)? Demands (you better leave me 5 stars)? Complaints (I have to charge a handling fee because eBay fees are ridiculous)?

Worst yet.. are you whining?

Look, I am The Whine Seller and I whine a blue streak sometimes. But I do it on my blog. The blog that is totally separate from my business. I sure as hell don’t whine about my customers to my customers.

We all need a place to vent our frustrations but the listing text is the very first thing your customer sees about you and, trust me, nothing is more off putting than a seller with a chip on his/her shoulder.

I don’t care if you chip is about bad buyers (you got burned in the past and preemptively hate all buyers since you assume they will burn you) or if your chip is about eBay changes, it turns a potential buyer off. Period. It is not only unprofessional but shows you to be petty, angry and, in some cases, a little nuts.

I was doing some eBay shopping a few weeks ago and encountered a listing with a full out rant in the middle of the description about how eBay used to be a fun hobby and now its so much money and work and DSRs are ruining their business and blah blah blah, wah wah wah, Mommy, eBay is being mean to me!

There is no way for this to reflect positively on you as a seller. What are you hoping to gain by airing your issues in an item you are trying to sell? Lose it.

Trust me. If you are making threats, excuses, demands, or complaints, I can tell you one thing you won’t be making…. money from me.