[[help:faq_merchants]]
Differences
This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.
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help:faq_merchants [2012/08/06 12:49] neil added what not to post |
help:faq_merchants [2013/01/24 09:07] (current) moocher [Member Relations] |
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| === Can I post my products and submit my promotions as a merchant? === | === Can I post my products and submit my promotions as a merchant? === | ||
| - | Yes you can. | + | Yes, you can. |
| Unlike other online communities/forums, at OzBargain we //encourage// merchants, service providers or store owners to post their specials on OzBargain. The reason is simple -- if it is a good bargain, we want to know about it! However, there are a few points that a merchant might wish to consider. | Unlike other online communities/forums, at OzBargain we //encourage// merchants, service providers or store owners to post their specials on OzBargain. The reason is simple -- if it is a good bargain, we want to know about it! However, there are a few points that a merchant might wish to consider. | ||
| - | * [[Sockpuppeting]] is **strictly forbidden** and may result in //permanent ban// from OzBargain. **You should not** create multiple accounts and pose as a customer. **You should not** ask your existing clients/customers to sign up on OzBargain to post positive reviews. | + | * [[Sockpuppeting]] is **strictly forbidden** and may result in a //permanent ban// from OzBargain. **You should not** create multiple accounts or pose as a customer. **You should not** ask your existing clients/customers to sign up on OzBargain to post positive reviews. |
| - | * Posting as a merchant does not give your offer any special treatment, and it will be voted by our members in the same way that member-posted offers will be voted. If the offer you posted is not really a bargain, it will be voted down (which may result in a temporary ban for your site). [[deal posting guidelines|Guidelines for posting deals can be found here]]. Too many negatively voted offers may result in more ban/penalty in the future. | + | * Posting as a merchant does not give your offer any special treatment, and it will be voted by our members in the same way that member-posted offers will be voted. If the offer you post is not a bargain, it will be voted down (which may result in a temporary ban for your site). [[deal posting guidelines|Guidelines for posting deals can be found here]]. Too many negatively voted offers may result in a permanent ban in the future. |
| - | * Remember to declare your relationship with a store. You can this when you are posting a deal by checking the 'I am a Store Representative' checkbox, and when commenting on a deal by checking the 'I work for <store>' checkbox. | + | * Remember to declare your relationship with a store. You can do this when you are posting a deal by checking the 'I am a Store Representative' checkbox, and when commenting on a deal by checking the 'I work for <store>' checkbox. |
| + | |||
| + | * On OzBargain, vendors make a better impression when they post good deals that are open and honest by disclosing all conditions necessary for a sale. Make sure your deal is better than your competitors. | ||
| + | * OzBargain members are price sensitive and each has their own sense of value, for example some rate service highly - others not. | ||
| === What shouldn't I post? === | === What shouldn't I post? === | ||
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| General promotions (eg new store, 40% off sale etc) tend to be poorly received on OzBargain. Listing item(s) that are [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/list_of_price_comparison_sites|cheaper]] than your competition is a plus. | General promotions (eg new store, 40% off sale etc) tend to be poorly received on OzBargain. Listing item(s) that are [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/list_of_price_comparison_sites|cheaper]] than your competition is a plus. | ||
| - | The following products or services are not well received: | + | The following products or services are not well received and shouldn't be posted: |
| Services: | Services: | ||
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| * Photo shoots | * Photo shoots | ||
| * Wedding related items | * Wedding related items | ||
| + | * SEO services | ||
| Products: | Products: | ||
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| * [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/76248|Expensive iPhone/Android phone cases]] | * [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/76248|Expensive iPhone/Android phone cases]] | ||
| * [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/76419|Expensive HDMI cables]] | * [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/76419|Expensive HDMI cables]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | === How much does it cost to post on OzBargain? === | ||
| + | |||
| + | OzBargain is a free service for everyone. There is no charge for anyone to post, vote or comment. | ||
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| + | === How often can I post a deal? === | ||
| + | |||
| + | - Posting limits were introduced because some vendors were trying to post too many deals at once. Some members voted against these merchants, regardless of the deal posted. Other members posted complaints against the vendor in the vendor's posts as well as with the moderators. | ||
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| + | - Representatives will be able to post a maximum 1 deal per 24 hours and maximum of maximum 2 deals per 7 days. Depending on how many votes you receive Please see the [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/help:store_representative#posting_limits|posting limits page]] for more details. | ||
| + | |||
| === Can I submit a datafeed to have all my inventories automatically posted? === | === Can I submit a datafeed to have all my inventories automatically posted? === | ||
| - | Short answer -- **NO**. | + | No. |
| - | OzBargain is primarily a bargain sharing community, and it is **not** a place for advertisement unless you have a special offer for our members. Automated or mass posting is not going to offer our members any value, and will likely to bring negative feedbacks to your company (which might result it banned). | + | OzBargain is a bargain sharing community, and it is **not** a place for advertisements unless you have a special offer for our members. Automated or mass postings do not offer our members any value and are likely to bring negative feedback to your company which may result in the store being banned. |
| === Why is my store banned/why can't I post any deal? === | === Why is my store banned/why can't I post any deal? === | ||
| - | In short, there are a few reasons why a store is "banned", i.e. you get an error message saying //"Posting deals from <your store's domain> has been banned..."//. There is also a distinction between //permanent ban// and //temporary ban//. Some of the reasons are: | + | There are a few reasons why a store is banned. When posting a deal you will receive an error message saying //"Posting deals from <your store's domain> has been banned..."//. Some reasons for being banned are: |
| - | * You have previously violated OzBargain's terms of services. For example, sock-puppeting, spamming, etc. | + | * You have violated OzBargain's terms of service. ([[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/help:sockpuppeting|Sockpuppeting]], spamming, etc.) |
| - | * You are posting from a URL shortening service or other social/sharing site. | + | |
| * You have previously requested nothing from your site can be posted on OzBargain. | * You have previously requested nothing from your site can be posted on OzBargain. | ||
| - | * Your store have received too many negative votes from bargains posted over the last 30 days. | + | * Your store has received [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/help:deal_posting_guidelines|too many negative votes]] from bargains posted over the last 30 days. |
| - | //For more explanation on why an account is unable to post deal, see [[posting ban|help on posting ban]].// | + | //For a more detailed explanation on why an account is unable to post deals, see [[posting ban|help on posting ban]].// |
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| + | ===== How do I remove my deal or can I have my deal deleted? ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | You can not remove the deal yourself. Please hit the report button and a moderator will assess your request. In most cases we do not remove deals especially if the deal is popular or if the deal has important value regarding discussions. By posting on OzBargain, you must accept that you will receive both positive and negative comments. | ||
| + | |||
| + | For further issues, please open a new thread on the [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/forum/10041|Talk with a Moderator forum]] and discuss why you would want to have your deal removed, even after reading the above FAQ item. Moderators will assess on a case by case basis to determine whether the posted deal should be removed. | ||
| ===== Store Representative ===== | ===== Store Representative ===== | ||
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| === Can I have a personal account as well as a merchant account on OzBargain? === | === Can I have a personal account as well as a merchant account on OzBargain? === | ||
| - | In theory -- yes. However, in practise we do not recommend merchants to have multiple account for different purposes. Our sock-puppeting and ghost account detection functionality might detect it, which then might result you store banned. | + | In theory -- yes. However, in practice we do not recommend merchants to have multiple account for different purposes. Our sockpuppeting and ghost account detection functionality may detect it, which then may result in your store banned. |
| Please [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/contact|contact us]] if you wish to have multiple accounts. | Please [[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/contact|contact us]] if you wish to have multiple accounts. | ||
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| * //For more information on stats and advertising, please see our [[advertise|Advertise page]].// | * //For more information on stats and advertising, please see our [[advertise|Advertise page]].// | ||
| - | As of August 2009, OzBargain has **closed** all direct advertising on display banners (reason: too much effort for scotty). If you wish to advertise on OzBargain's display ads space, you can target OzBargain on [[http://adwords.google.com.au/|Google Adwords]]. | + | OzBargain has **closed** all direct advertising on display banners. If you wish to advertise on OzBargain's display ads space, you can target OzBargain on [[http://adwords.google.com.au/|Google Adwords]]. |
| ===== Voting ===== | ===== Voting ===== | ||
| - | Do not vote on deals where you have some relationship with the business, or if you are a competitor. | + | ===Can I vote for a deal if I have some affiliation with the poster or company?=== |
| - | You can put in positive **comments** which highlight benefits of a deal, provided you fully disclose your relationship with the business. | + | Do not vote on deals where you have some relationship with the business or if you are a competitor. |
| + | |||
| + | You can put in supportive **comments** which highlight the benefits of a deal, provided you fully disclose your relationship with the business. | ||
| ===== Member Relations ====== | ===== Member Relations ====== | ||
| - | - It's a good idea to watch the bargains posted on the site for a number of days, before your first post. Pay particular attention to what shoppers like about good deals and avoid doing what encourages negative voting | + | ===What should I do to keep the relationship between the rep and members harmonious?=== |
| - | - Shoppers are always entitled to make a vote on a Listing. We do have guidelines under which if they are not met we will revoke a negative vote - these are [[voting_guidelines|listed here]]. | + | |
| - | - Reps shouldn't argue with shoppers; they are potential customers. If you think they have rated you unfairly, use the REPORT button. That's the fastest way to call on the mods for help. | + | - It's a good idea to watch the bargains posted on the site for a number of days, before your first post. Pay particular attention to what shoppers like about good deals and avoid doing what encourages negative voting. |
| - | - This is a bargain site where people are looking for bargains. Unlike some sites, ours lets vendors post here too. | + | - Shoppers are always entitled to vote on a deal. We do have guidelines under which if they are not met we will revoke a negative vote - these are [[voting_guidelines|listed here]]. |
| - | - Some bargains do incredibly well. But *not all* bargains will become hits, no matter how good they are. A flood of posts can knock a deal off the front page before many people have seen it. Sometimes, a hotter deal is posted at the same time, which soaks up all the attention. Then other times, the readers just didn't think a particular bargain was of interest to them. | + | - Reps shouldn't argue with shoppers as they are potential customers. If you think members have rated you unfairly, use the \\report link\\ as that's the fastest way to call on the moderators for help. |
| - | - Limits were introduced because some vendors were shooting themselves in the foot, by trying to post too many deals at once. Some shoppers voted against them, regardless of the deal posted. Other shoppers lodged complaints against the vendor in the vendor's posts as well as with the moderators. | + | - This is a bargain site where people are looking for bargains. Unlike other sites, we let representatives post here as a privilege. |
| - | - On OzBargain, vendors tend to make a better impression when they post real deals and are open and honest, disclosing all conditions necessary for a sale. Make sure your deal is better than your most competitive rival. | + | - Posting unfavourable comments about a competitor is not permitted. Additionally, posting links to your products/deals in a competitors thread is also not acceptable. Both are considered as being conduct unbecoming and will invoke a penalty. |
| - | - Because they are bargain hunters they may not be the most loyal, each has their own sense of value, for example some rate service highly - others not.\\ \\ And its free to be here. If it works, great! :) If it doesn't then it's only cost you some time. | + | |
| + | ===I just posted a good deal. Why aren't more people liking the deal?=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | - Some bargains are well received but *not all* bargains will become hits, no matter how good they are. A flood of posts can knock a deal off the front page before many people have seen it. Sometimes, a hotter deal is posted at the same time, which soaks up all the attention. At other times, members don't think a particular bargain is of interest to them. | ||
Last edited by neil on 2012/08/06 12:49