Thank You Card Template?

[dwashnc]

I was wondering if anyone could share a template for thank you cards if they include them.  Ideally I am looking for a nice way to tell customers how to handle returns.

[Antique Frog]

Is it a good idea to include a card telling the customer how to return an item?

A friend last week sold a pair of brass candlesticks to somebody in the middle of Wales. Pair listed at £5, accepted an offer of £4 plus £3 postage. The customer unwraps one stick, tests it with a magnet, the magnet sticks, immediately claims his money back plus extra for the gas he used driving to and from the post office. Various threatening messages from the customer ensue (fuelled by a combination of sexism and racism.)

Now my friend digs her heels in, starts insisting to me that she wants the sticks returned. She’s actually got a no-returns policy, which she wasn’t aware of until I checked. Apparently, that doesn’t mean nothing to eBay, who sent her a message telling her either to refund the guy or to pay to have it returned, in addition to refunding him.

Returns cost more money and more psychological stress than just refunding and moving on.

[JasonK]

I’m actually working on something like this right now. I use canva.com and they have tons of free templates as well as premium ones that cost money. I recently setup a website for the business on Wix so my plan is to include a little card in each package with a basic thankyou note, a coupon code and direct the customer to visit our website. I’m sure you could include some basic return instructions in the thannkyou note part if you wanted.

@AntiqueFrog, I’m not sure intentionally keeping the return process a secret is the best idea either but I do agree that maybe saying something generic like “if you have any issues with your item please contact us right away” might be a better way of doing it, at least it encourages the customer to reach out to you for help before they file a case with ebay.

[Antique Frog]

Yes, I agree about not keeping the return process a secret; it’s on the listings anyway. I have ‘seller pays return postage’.

I had one return with this policy, a magazine returned with the reason “Didn’t like it. Wanted something on how to do embroidery”. It came back in the original envelope, unsealed, and I got charged something extortionate by eBay on the postage. The listing clearly mentioned that it was a periodical about artists working in embroidery; I had a whole run listed so how they picked that particular issue I’ve no idea. 🙂

 

 

 

 

[dwashnc]

I’m not sure if its a “good” idea or not, but at the moment eBay pretty much forces you to take returns even when you set no returns so I’d like it to be as pain free as possible.

[Temudgin]

I like the simple “please contact me if there are any issues” solution. On the buyer’s Purchase History page in their eBay account will be a big, blue, top-of-the-list button that is labeled “RETURN THIS ITEM” so I don’t think eBay could make it much easier. But returns very rare for me and I’d rather hear from the buyer first. Sometimes buyers are grumpy and won’t follow through on a return. If you sell in a category with frequent returns, don’t want to be bothered with buyer messages and just want items shipped back as quickly as possible, you could say something like: “If you need to return this item, please initiate a return through eBay on the Purchase History page of your account and you will be provided with a shipping label to return the item. Your refund will be processed once I receive the item in good order.”

[JasonK]

So I finished the post card that I’m going to include in our packages. Here is a view only link to the finished project. It includes an ebay coupon on one side and a little thankyou message on the other.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFIya5Zc7M/vcQQudNgeDAPOTc5QWdtvg/view?utm_content=DAFIya5Zc7M&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=homepage_design_menu

Now I just need to figure out the most cost effective way to get it printed. Canva wants $50 for 200 of them which seems steep.

[Temudgin]

Very nice! I would probably cheap out and just print it on paper myself until I got an idea of response. I would think it would be effective in your niche.

[dwashnc]

Thanks Jason for sharing the template.  Adding the coupon is a nice idea.

[Author]

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