With the recent addition of shipping addresses we decided that it was time to do a little refresh on the post auction flow.  This change will be pushed out fairly soon, but we wanted to give those of you that are following our blog a preview!  We hope this makes things a little easier for both new and experienced users.  On to the screenshots …

First up is the process a user will go through when they win an auction.

The first thing you’ll see when you win an auction is the shipping address selection form.  Select a saved address, “none” if no shipping address is need or you can add an address by clicking the link.  If the auction requires payment for shipping this information will still be delivered via email/message.

Once you’ve sent your address and payment (if applicable) the seller should be on their way to send out your item(s).  If you get the item be sure to notify the seller by clicking the “Got It!” button.  If you don’t get your item and a refund is available, there will be a link at the bottom right to initiate a refund request (see next screenshot).

After you get your item, leave feedback for the seller!  The link to request a refund will be at the bottom right corner.  Now, on to what the process will look like for a seller.

After your auction has ended if you don’t receive shipping information from the winner you should email them to remind them to send that information to you.  Be sure not to use any addresses sent to you via email or message as this will be taken into consideration if there is a dispute. Users are required to use the shipping address form.

After you get the winner’s shipping information you can send out their item(s) and leave feedback!  If there is a dispute on your auction this will also look a little different than what you may be used to.

If you win an auction and file a refund request you can now cancel this before the seller replies (previously not allowed).  The seller will be notified via email if you cancel your request.

We hope you enjoy the new changes and we’ll have a way for you to leave feedback and report any bugs that you see!  Overall we’re hoping that this is an improvement from what we have today, thanks for reading!

We’re happy to announce our newest team member, Shane! He is the latest addition to our engineering team and will be helping us roll out exciting features and improvements to our site.

It’s only his first day, so to get to know Shane a bit better, we asked him to share 5 random facts with us:

1. He grew up in Alabama (Roll tide!)
2. He drove across the country to get to Listia headquarters in California and made a few stops along the way (Zion National Park was his favorite pit stop)
3. He’s a huge board game nerd
4. He started programming video games in high school
5. He prefers biking over driving, so he bikes to work

Listia was founded with the idea that it should be fun, easy and rewarding to trade things that you don’t use anymore, and get things that you want in return. The site has really evolved since we launched in 2009, and our community is growing faster than ever. If you’re interested in job opportunities with us, visit more details here: www.listia.com/jobs

Leave a comment for Shane and welcome him to the Listia community!

Summer always reminds me of having fun and being out and about. The three day holiday break last week encouraged me to make this summer season memorable and adventurous (while watching my wallet). That’s why I came up with some cool goals to hit this summer: To explore inexpensive local activities.

1. Visit a local Farmer’s Market
Most cities regularly hold a weekend farmer’s market, so if you’ve never explored one before, it’s worth checking out. Not only does it bring a community of people together, but farmer’s markets host local vendors with fresh seasonal produce that can be more affordable than your average supermarket. I’ve been to a fair share of farmer’s markets in the past, so I always know to bring my reusable bag and cash with me.

2. Ride on two wheels – Bicycling
With the rise of gas prices in recent months, the amount of bike ridership has increased. Not only is it a cost effective mode of transportation, but it’s also a healthier alternative and reduces your carbon footprint. My goal this summer is to bike to work, which is roughly 3 miles one way. Whether you want to bike for pleasure or for purpose, change your pace and give bicycling a try. It’ll definitely be a rewarding workout.

3. Pick up a book from your local library
Visiting the library and joining the summer book club used to be an annual ritual when I was a kid. Nowadays, we have eBook readers, tablet devices, and other technology products that take us away from the physical copy of a book. Going to the library not only lets you explore and browse, but it’s also a rewarding experience of borrowing and reusing an item.

4. Take a day trip
Whether you live in a rural neighborhood or in a big metropolitan city, it’s always nice to step away from the familiar and go somewhere fun. I live close enough to lots of entertainment spots and dining, but far away enough from the big city life. Exploring what’s around you allows you to experience the city in ways you may not have before.

What goals would you like to reach this summer? Leave a comment and share with us your plans. Also if you’re a regular biker, what tips would you suggest for someone who hasn’t ridden in a while? Any tips would be helpful.

Until next time,
ListiaRosie

photo credit via Weed Whacker

Starting July 11, we will be enforcing a few new rules regarding shipping timeframes.  These rules are meant to improve communication between sellers and winners after an auction ends.  As always, we know most of you will send shipping info and ship items well before these deadlines, but they are here to help us in case of disputes.  More info will be posted on the site once the rules are in place.

Also, we wanted to thank everyone who filled out our shipping timeframe survey!  Hundreds of you responded, and the results were very eye opening. We read through everything and took all that advice to come up with the rules that you see below:

 Starting July 11, the following set of rules will limit the maximum amount of time given for communication and shipping after a listing ends. We do encourage everyone to communicate much faster than this to ensure a great experience for everyone involved, but here are the maximum timeframes.

 

• Winner
  1. Unless otherwise agreed upon by both the winner and seller, you must contact the seller within 7 days and provide the lister with your shipping address (if applicable) and shipping payment (if applicable)
  2. For example, if a listing ends on Tuesday, you have until the next Tuesday to contact the seller with your shipping info
  3. If you fail to do so, the seller may re-list the item and keep any credits earned
  4. As always, we encourage you to contact the seller ASAP and well before the limit to ensure a smooth transaction
• Seller
  1. Unless otherwise agreed upon by both the winner and seller, you must ship items out within 7 days from the day you receive the winner’s shipping address and shipping payment (if applicable)
  2. For example, if you get the shipping address and payment on Tuesday, you have until the next Tuesday to ship
  3. If you fail to do so, the winner will be entitled to a refund in case of a dispute
  4. As always, we encourage you to ship items ASAP and well before the limit to ensure a smooth transaction

The ongoing labor dispute between Canada Post and the Canada Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have come to an end. Canada Post has resumed service on Monday, June 26, 2011.

For more information, visit here. 

We’re proud to announce a new layout of our Rules and Support (formerly “Help”) pages. We’ve reorganized the pages to provide a more streamlined way of getting information. Have a question? Go to Support. Want to know what the rules are, just click “Rules” and everything’s there . Check out these pages and let us know what you think!

We have a lot more in store as we continue improving Listia for everyone. Thanks!

Due to the ongoing labor dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Canada Post announced that operations are suspended until further notice. This impacts both buyers and sellers as mail will not be accepted or delivered to or from Canada. Other courier services, such as UPS or FedEx, can be an alternative solution during this time.

With this unforeseen incident, we ask that our users consider the following options:

CANADIAN SELLERS WITH AUCTIONS ALREADY ENDED:
Please communicate with all of your Winners to inform them of this issue and both parties can agree to:

• Wait for this lockout to resume service (unknown time)
• Use an alternative courier service to ship your items
• Refund the credits to the Winner per Seller’s request. If credits are given back to the Winner, a negative feedback rating cannot be granted to the Seller.

CANADIAN SELLERS WITH CURRENT AUCTIONS THAT ARE ENDING SOON:
If you have current auctions that will be ending soon, we ask that you inform the bidders of this situation and continue with the auction, or you may request to have Listia delete the auction. If you plan to resume your auction(s), please make note of the alternative courier services for shipping. Subsequently, auction deletion can be done through request by submitting at support ticket at www.listia.com/help

CANADIAN SELLERS WHO WANT TO LIST AUCTIONS:
Canadian sellers can continue to list auctions on our site, but please make modifications on your shipping methods (ex: using other courier services like FedEx or UPS)

DOMESTIC OR INTERNATIONAL SELLERS SHIPPING TO CANADIAN WINNERS:
Due to this unforeseen situation, we ask that our U.S. and/or international sellers communicate with your Canadian winners on one of these options:

• Sellers can wait until further notice to ship the item to the Canadian address using the United States Postal Service (USPS)
• Sellers can ship the auction item(s) to the Canadian residence using alternative courier services (ex: UPS or FedEx)
• Sellers can refund credits back to the Winner and then re-list the item. Negative feedback cannot be granted to either parties.

In response to this situation, if credits need to be refunded or auctions need to be deleted, send a support ticket at www.listia.com/help. We appreciate everyones cooperation!

Hi everyone! We’ve heard your feedback on our proposed shipping timeframe change and have decided to cancel the scheduled change.  In its place, we have created a survey that will let everyone voice their opinions on both buyer and seller timeframes.  Check out the survey by clicking the link:

Listia Shipping Times Survey

Please take a moment to complete the survey (should only take a minute) to let us know how you feel.  We’ll come out with a formal rule after we go through everyone’s responses.

Keep in mind that all we want to do is improve the overall experience for everyone involved, so think about how you would want to be treated in both cases (remember, we are all buyers AND sellers).  The most common complaint is that some buyers take too long to send shipping info and some sellers take too long to ship items.  In these cases, its hard to settle disputes… so we need something in place to help everyone give and get in a timely manner.

Thanks for everyone’s feedback thus far! It’s really opened our eyes on certain issues and hopefully this survey will make sure we are doing the best thing for everyone.

THIS POST IS OUT OF DATE – THE SCHEDULED CHANGE HAS BEEN CANCELLED – FOLLOW UPDATES HERE

Beginning Monday, June 20, 2011, we will be setting a deadline for a Seller’s shipping time frame. Items must be shipped within 3 business days from when the Seller receives the Winner’s shipping address and applicable payment information. Failure to do so may result in a refund to the winner if a dispute is filed after 3 business days, and the item has not been shipped.

Once you receive the Winner’s shipping and any applicable payment information, you have 3 business days to send your item. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

MONDAY: Item must be shipped by THURSDAY
TUESDAY: Item must be shipped by FRIDAY
WEDNESDAY: Item must be shipped by MONDAY
THURSDAY: Item must be shipped by TUESDAY
FRIDAY: Item must be shipped by WEDNESDAY
SATURDAY: Item must be shipped by WEDNESDAY
SUNDAY: Item must be shipped by WEDNESDAY

This rule has been put in place to provide a better time frame for delivery. As always, we encourage sellers to provide delivery confirmation on all items listed in an event that the auction is disputed or if the item is still en route to its destination.

As a reminder, the Seller is fully responsible for securely packaging and shipping the item to ensure against damage or loss from normal shipping practices. 

To help Sellers and Buyers understand this new rule, please read the Q&A information below:

Q: I offer free shipping, but only send out once a month. What are my options?
A: First off, thank you for offering free shipping on your listings! In cooperation with this new rule, we ask that Sellers list their auctions closer to when they are able to send out the item. For example, if you get paid once a month at the beginning of each month (ex: July 1st), and want to list a 7-day auction, then the earliest we’d suggest you begin your listing is June 24th. Planning when to list your auction will help eliminate situations like these.

Q: What about those who charge for shipping? How can I protect myself when we don’t hear back from the winner?
A: Sellers still have the option to charge shipping, however, once you receive the Winner’s shipping address and payment information (if applicable), then you must send the item within 3 business days.

Q: What if I don’t hear back from the winner?
A: You are not responsible for shipping an item until you receive shipping information from the Seller.  After 10 days from the close of an auction, if the winner has not responded or taken any action, then the seller can keep all the credits and you may re-list the item if you wish.

Q: Does the 3 business days deadline mean that I have to guarantee that the item will arrive within 3 business days?
A: No. The 3 business days applies from when the Seller receives the Winner’s shipping address and shipping payment (if applicable). Once that information is gathered, the Seller has to send the item within 3 business days. Depending where the item will be sent (whether domestically or internationally), it may take more than 3 days to arrive.

Q: Are Holidays considered in the 3 business day time frame?
A: No, if a Holiday lands on a weekday, then you get an extra day to ship your item (assuming you’ve received the Winner’s shipping address and applicable shipping information). For example, if you receive shipping info on a Friday and Monday is a Holiday, you have until Thursday to ship out the item.

We hope this information was helpful. We have a lot more in store as we continue improving Listia for everyone. Thanks!

photo credit via DafneCholet

We’ve all listed items on Listia either currently or in the past, and we’re always pleasantly surprised when an item goes for more credits than we think it will go for. Is there a secret formula to getting more credits on your listing? We’re dedicating this blog post to sharing tips on “how to earn more credits on your listings”. Here are the three basic concepts you should always keep in mind:

List: To ensure you get the most out of your listing, the first step is simple and straight forward, but also very important: Creating a great listing. When listing your item, you’ll want to make sure you have a clear and direct title, detailed description, and clear photos.

• A clear and direct title will help potential bidders find you through search or browse. Although it may look appealing, consider avoiding the use of symbols in your title (!@#$%^&*()=+[]{}). It’s hard to search when there are a lot of symbols in your title. (ex: “NEW” vs. “**^NeW!**”)
• The description is the meat of your listing. What is the condition of the item? What’s the dimension or size? What kind of shipping do you provide? Providing as much detail as possible will help potential bidders understand what you’re listing so they can better decide if they want it.  A good rule of thumb is to put as much information as you’d like to see if you were bidding on your own item, but at the same time keep it brief and concise.
• A picture is worth a thousand words and the same thing applies to your listings. A good picture can show off your item and attract more bidders. If you upload a blurry or out of focus picture, it won’t convey the item properly and may distract bidders. Experiment with your camera’s features (e.g. flash on/off, macro functions), make sure you’re not taking the photo in a dark or dim area, make sure your item is ready, and place your item  to see what provides the best results for you. 

Share: Exposing your listings will generate interest among other Listians and attract more bids! Connect your account to your Facebook and/or Twitter! It will expose your auctions to people outside of Listia and bring in a new group of bidders you may not have otherwise encountered.  You can also use the Bold and Premium listing features for even greater exposure.

Be Active:  We reward users regularly for being active members of the community! You will randomly receive bonus credits when you least expect it for doing activities such as listing, bidding, commenting, leaving feedback, and checking in.  However, you don’t receive credits every time, and there is a limit on how many you can get in one day.  The more you do an activity though, the more chances you have of gaining those bonus credits.  Remember, we do check for abuse of these features, so leaving comments randomly everywhere isn’t going to work.

Listing cool stuff, along with these helpful tips, is the fastest way to earn more credits. What other helpful tips or tactics have you used? What categories do you think are most popular? Leave a comment and share your ideas with others!

photo credit via Dave Dugdale