Sunday, August 25, 2013

Buying From A Small Online Second Hand Store

By Celina Heath


Purchasing items from a small online second hand store can be scary and intimidating. There is always that small worry that the items you bought will not be in the condition that you expected. Small storefronts often lack a solid buyer protection program, which makes these purchases even scarier.

Since small stores usually don't offer buyer protection, like the more well known sites do, they must put in more effort to earn your trust. This is done by typically offering an easy return policy, being completely transparent about item conditions and providing prompt and excellent customer service. Buyers usually feel more confident buying if they know exactly what to expect and have the added assurance of being able to return something if they aren't happy with it.

A small store attempting to sell an item that is broken or damaged will fully disclose that information if they are a reliable marketplace for consumers. Many people want to buy these types of items because they plan to use the in other projects or restore the item fully. Even if a particular store doesn't offer a return policy, you can still feel confident buying from them if they have a reputation for fully disclosing any and all problems with item they have posted.

Site owners do many things to earn return customers. Any sale is a good thing, but scamming people will lead to nothing but a bad reputation and result in the loss of all customers. Dishonesty in any aspect is bad for business.

Even when a return policy is available, sometimes items are still refused for return. This is usually because the business has a history of dealing with people buying, removing what they want and returning the rest for a full refund. Antique mechanical pieces of a big target for this type of scamming, making small store owners wary of these types of returns. If you expect honesty from the person you are buying from, you should also be honest with them in return.

If you have concerns about an item being sold that can't be answered by reading the description, a simple email is all it usually takes to find your answers. Most of these businesses are more than happy to communicate through email with you to answer any questions or concerns. This is because it makes you more confident in purchasing from them.

Many of these small businesses will have an option to request a particular item you have been looking for. It might take them a little time to find the item, but it is still a helpful option when you haven't had much luck anywhere else. Store owners typically have connections that others do not have and can easily locate an item that seemed impossible for the buyer to find on their own.

Purchasing from a small online second hand store can save you a lot of money and lead you to many unique items. Collectors especially love these types of storefronts because they can often find pieces for their collections there. You might actually be surprised by the things you will find listed for sale on these sites.




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