Smile, you are buying a camera

Seller: Coza1Digital
Name: Johan Smal

Coza1Digital attributes his successful selling record on bidorbuy to a few simple rules. One of them is – be ready to admit a mistake and work to correct it.

I was looking for a used camera that would be better than what I had. Living in a small town called Naboomspruit in Limpopo province limited the possibilities quite a bit. Since I was connected to the internet – at the time I ran an on-line tracing agency – I started looking around. I stumbled upon bidorbuy on 25 July 2006, saw the line-up of good used cameras and immediately registered. I bought my first camera on bidorbuy the very next day, and started selling shortly after that.

At first, selling on bidorbuy was no more than a game, later turning into a hobby. Eventually the hobby started growing into something of a part-time business. Before I knew it, the hobby was taking up so much of my time that the tracing business became a hobby.

Somewhere along the line my user name changed to Coza1Digital, when it became serious, full-time business selling photographic equipment and accessories. Coza1Digital was registered as a closed corporation in December 2007. We now import new and used photographic equipment from all over the world, and have offices in Naboomspruit, Limpopo province, as well as in Jackson, Tennessee in the USA, where we also trade on a well-known auction site.

We are presently expanding our office space, and as soon as that is completed more personnel will be appointed. We have also secured dealership rights of a number of products and suppliers, among them Digital Concepts in the USA, Sigma lenses, Velbon tripods, the range of Sandisk memory cards and other products, as well as Magic Lantern instructional DVD’s from Stirling Publishing in the USA. Coza1Digital is also one of only two approved resellers of Mack World Wide Warranties in South Africa.

Having made over a thousand sales, Coza1Digital has an excellent rating record. That does not mean we do not make mistakes, or never get it wrong. However, we do have a few simple rules to which we stick. The most salient ones regarding building good customer relations being:

• Always give feedback relating only to the buyer’s payment for the purchase, no matter how nasty the buyer gets;
• Never retaliate with a negative rating when given one;
• Admit the mistake and work to correct it;
• Never back out of a problem or pass the buck;
• Try to be honest at all times, no matter how hard it might be.

It is of utmost importance for sellers not to misrepresent or over-advertise an item in order to make a sale. We always try to use an image of the actual item on sale, or an image representing it as closely as possible. I would also recommend to new sellers not to try not to sell anything that they do not at least have some knowledge of. Buyers quickly lose interest if their questions cannot be answered.

Even though we are in it to make money, we never think twice to end an auction early when a fair price is reached, no matter how tempting it might be to wait for just one more bid. Rather take a little less, and conclude the transaction in a good spirit. That creates a customer base, and people tend to return for more purchases.

Several years ago, there was a discussion on the bidorbuy Forum about whether or not one could make a career or full-time business out of selling on bidorbuy. At the time, everybody including myself was very sceptical and the general consensus was that it would probably not be possible. I can now testify to the contrary. Coza1Digital has a turnover in excess of R2 million per year on bidorbuy alone. It can be done, but it takes time and dedication. There is no excuse for not trying.