KUALA LUMPUR: Online marketplace eBay.com recognised two eBay sellers in Malaysia today for outstanding sales and outstanding customer satisfaction achievements in trading last year.
Jeffrey Lim, an eBay Platinum PowerSeller who runs IMx-com Sdn Bhd in Petaling Jaya, bagged the Outstanding Sales Award, having traded close to US$700,000 (RM2.4mil) worth of digital accessories and electronic gadgets on eBay in 2009.
George Barker, a 925-silver jewellery trader from Kuala Lumpur, took the Outstanding Customer Satisfaction Award, having achieved the best customer ratings from eBay buyers in the United States, Australia, Britain and Germany.
“I started an eBay store in 2004 with RM20,000. That was used primarily to buy my first batch of stock,” Lim said.
“I could have never become this successful so fast in the international marketplace had I started my own e-commerce site.
“Internet marketing and logistics are a very complex game but with eBay, all of that is already in place. All it takes is a product and you are set to trade on eBay.”
Today, Lim has achieved the necessary capital to start a brick-and-mortar store for electronic gadgets in Malaysia.
“The future of my business will see us running a retail shop while still continuing to take full advantage of eBay by expanding the categories we trade in internationally to include non-electronic items,” Lim said.
Be polite
Barker, an eBay Gold PowerSeller who trades in more than US$15,000 (RM51,000) worth of 925-silver merchandise per month, received more than 9,000 customer testimonials in the last 12 months with a 100% positive rating across all categories.
To achieve a 100% positive rating, the seller must provide excellent service in areas such as item description, dispatch time, communications with the buyer, as well as fair shipping and handling charges.
“eBay offers a long-term earning potential and the only way a seller can do that is to preserve a very high customer satisfaction rating,” Barker said.
“Sellers need to understand that when buyers order an item online, they are paying without having the item in their hands and naturally there will be some apprehension.
“Therefore, I always speak to my customers in a reassuring, polite manner and they appreciate it. Any potential issues can then be resolved easily and quickly,” he said.
Barker uses Pos Malaysia’s registered mail service and ships everyday to ensure that his customers receive their items as soon as possible. “The faster the buyers receive the item, the fewer queries there are to address,” he explained.
“It is easy to start a business on eBay,” Barker said. “How else can a small business owner like me reach millions of buyers worldwide easily and at such low overheads?”
Growing
Malaysia is one of the fastest growing markets for eBay in South-East Asia. The total value of goods sold to overseas markets like the United States and Europe by Malaysian eBay sellers alone, grew by 69% year-on-year in January, said Allis Ghim, head of eBay South-East Asia and Japan.
“Increasingly more individuals and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are taking advantage of eBay’s global online sales channel and exporting their products to potentially 89.5 million active users worldwide,” he said.
Guy Charusadhirakul, senior manager at eBay who oversees marketplace development in the region, said eBay is using the awards to recognise Malaysian sellers who have had significant achievements on eBay.
“The sellers also serve as inspiring examples for other sellers,” he added.
For enquiries on how to leverage eBay for your business, e-mail the eBay South-East Asia Seller Programme Team at seasupport2@ebay.com.
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