@mjwl2006 wrote:
I'm thinking about offering a pre-order item listing on something I won't physically have in my hands until Aug. 1 with shipping as soon as Aug. 2/3. As a seller, what should I be cognizant of or worried about?
I've never risked a pre-sale listing (although I probably could for my new publications before I get them back from the printer's), but for what it's worth, if I were buying product to sell, I'd want to be darn certain I could rely on my supplier to get the items into my hands in good time. I'm not sure I'm accepting enough of risk to give it a try.
The advantage I can see is that for highly sought-after products, you will get a jump on your competition. Since eBay allows 30 days for delivery, if you have faith in your supplier that should be sufficient.
The downsides I can see? Are your buyers the type that will usually read descriptions carefully? If not, there is the risk a buyer will misconstrue the listing. Even if you point out after the fact that this was a pre-sale, the buyer could turn on you later in other ways (such as a bogus SNAD or nasty FB) -- or decide to cancel, which means you might as well have listed the item once it was actually in your hands.
On a slightly less nervous note, there is obviously the need to have a good accounting system in place to make sure the right buyer(s) get the right product(s) when they do arrive. But I'm sure you will have considered that.
Lastly, (and probably less likely), from a purely marketing point of view is the consideration of whether a pre-sale that goes nowhere is worse than listing the items when they're actually available. In other words, if not sold during the offering period, the listings could get "stale" before they're even openly available on the market.
The main calculus I see for the seller in this type of listing is highly desirable sale vs. defect risk. It's a tricky trade-off only if you're not 100% sure of your supplier(s) and/or your buyers.
From a buyer's point of view, there has to be 100% trust in the seller to follow through. I know you have the reputation to instill that trust in your buyers, but it also means the buyer him or herself has to believe it. Obviously, good communication with a buyer after a pre-sale is key.
Best of luck, good on you for trying, and let us know how it goes if you decide to forge ahead. -- "You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!"
