1926 Lincoln Logs Advertisment
(Hawaiian Odysseus Scanned Image)
I have much to be thankful for. And that's an understatement.
Not too long ago, I made a sale for the above vintage ad quite by unintentional error and through virtually no effort on my part.
On my eBay message site, I received word from a gentleman inquiring if a listing I'd made had the Lincoln Logs image. Apparently, what had happened was that I had posted the listing with the wrong image.
Red-faced and with the taste of crow in my mouth, I thanked the gentleman for bringing the error to my attention and made the necessary adjustment to the eBay listing.
Lo and behold! A couple of days later, that same individual bought the ad. After eBay and PayPal fees as well as postage (because I usually offer free shipping for my ads), I made $6.54. (I just started the vintage ads niche of my eBay business about two months ago, and--admittedly--I have so much to learn about this fun venture. So, always, I am especially appreciative of my customers, and I'll go out of my way any time to help them find what they're looking for.)
Having this eBay enterprise gives me even greater appreciation for the local, regional, national, and international small businesses and corporations I deal with each week. When I experience great customer service, I make it a point to ask to speak with or at least email their shift supervisors to let them know about the fine job their staff is doing.
Conversely, I never hesitate to assertively communicate with companies when I experience dreadful customer service. Just yesterday, in fact, I spoke with a corporate employee in Spokane about the poor service I received at a local bank in Walla Walla. My intention is never to unreasonably rail against a business enterprise. Rather, my goal is always win-win. If I speak up about things that can and need to be remedied, I help in part to improve that business.
Bringing this practice back to eBay interests, I make it a point to treat my customers well. I offer good products, and--in the case of vintage ads that show their age--I honestly describe the less than mint items and answer any questions customers might have to the best of my ability. This grass roots way of doing business hails in part from being reminded each time I excitedly find an old ad that this was the way our forefathers conducted their businesses...with old-fashioned but never outdated courtesy, integrity, and gratitude.
So, while it might seem trite to some, I quickly admitted my error and thanked the individual for pointing it out to me.
Who knows whether or not that civility contributed to the sale? It doesn't really matter. That's how I choose to conduct my business.
And it's growing. Slowly yet steadily as she goes.
One Lincoln log at a time...
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