Chris Reynolds
of Tring, Hertfordshire
Hi There
Let me tell you something about myself and my ebay trading policy.
I am an early retired academic who does not know how to stop doing research - currently in the local history. I published The London Gunners come to Town (about Hemel Hempstead in the First World War) and currently have a particular interest in the Bernards Heath area of St Albans, Hertfordshire. I was born in St Albans, but brought up in Somerset and Devon, returning to Hertfordshire in 1962, moving to Tring in 1964. My ebay identity as a seller is Chris_from_Hertfordshire and I enjoy buying and selling on ebay as part of my hobby.
In addition to my own research I also help other people with their research and run the "Genealogy in Hertfordshire" web site which contains over 2,000 pages of information about family and local history research in Hertfordshire, and over 3,000 pictures. New pages and pictures are posted every month. There is also an "Ask Chris" facility where I give free information and advice relating to Hertfordshire - sometimes answering up to half a dozen queries a week. To enable me to improve the service I am building up a private library of material on Hertfordshire - and am funding this by selling off items from the dustier sections of my library - for instance my collection of caving books, built up in the 1950's and 60's.
Mind
The family has been struck by two major tragedies - as both my daughters died in psychiatric care. Following the first death much of my spare time has been devoted to working for better mental health services. I have been a trustess of Mind in Dacorum from 1992 until it became part of the Herts Mind Network in 2008 and for several years I represented the South East of England's local Mind associations on the Council of Management (a non-executive director position) of Mind, the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. I spent several years on the North West Herts Community Health Council and was the Lay Member on the Board of the Dacorum Primary Care Group. I was Vice-chairman of the Patient and Public Involvement Forum for mental health and learning difficulties in Hertfordshire and represent the Forum on several county-wide committees. Since August 2007 I have been a governor of the Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust.
I was brought up "under the counter" in a retail shop which was very dependent on regular customers - and I believe that quality of service is of paramount importance. I also regularly buy postcards, books, etc, on ebay (under a different name) and as a seller I try and give the kind of excellent service I expect as a buyer. I believe in good and accurate descriptions (however I am not a specialist in assessing quality and dates) and a speedy service. Most of my sales are designed to terminate in the evening (UK time) and if a customer pays electronically as soon as the sale is over the goods will normally be put the post when I walk the dog the following morning.
All books (together with some prints, maps and postcards) come from my personal library and one of the reasons for selling is to make space. (If any of you have seen the TV programmes such as "The Life Laundry" you will realise the dangers of keeping too many things.) Some books are duplicates while others were brought when I started accumulating books in my childhood over 50 years ago. Quite a few come from collections which I acquired because they included items of specific interest to me, and the extra unwanted items are now being sold off to defray the cost. However I never buy anything simply for resale and all the proceeds are invested in the specialist library I use to support the Genealogy in Hertfordshire web site at www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk
Postage and other Handling Charges
To enable immediate electronic payment with the minimum of fuss the post and packing charge by Royal Mail (First Class) is clearly indicated for all UK sales. I am very happy to sell to overseas buyers (usually by airmail) but the charges obviously be higher than for the UK.
All items will be securely packed - usually in stout card, with card backing, or in padded envelopes. To be environmentally friendly, recycled materials will be used rather than new materials whenever this can be done in a way that adequately protects the goods.
The shipping charges includes cover for loss or damage in transit, and if things go wrong the buyer will receive a full no hassle refund of the purchase and shipping price. If the goods are returned within 7 days (longer by arrangement for overseas buyers) the full bid price will be refunded. If the reason for return is due to an error on my part the return shipping costs will be refunded as well.
Because of the current size/weight rules applied by Royal Mail it is difficult to calculate the postage on multiple purchases automatically. For instance it can sometimes be significantly cheaper to send two "large letters" than one "packet" with the same total weight. I will apply the following rules:
- If you have purchased a postcard, book or magazine no charge is made for extra postcards paid for at the same time.
- For all other items I will reduce the combined charge by at least 50 pence for each extra item paid for at the same time. In many cases there could be greater savings - and sometimes I will make no charge at all for the extra item. Please ask or wait for a combined invoice.
| As a "bonus" I try to ensure that parcels and packages are posted with a variety of pictorial postage stamps, but this very much depends on availability, the actual cost of posting, and in some cases the size of the package. This may not be possible with the largest parcels. |
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My experience on selling has shown that about 95% of buyers prefer to pay using PayPal and that virtually all the problems and hassle come from the small percentage of people who insist on paying by cheque or other non-electronic means. Cheques also mean a lot of extra paperwork, visits to the bank, etc.
As a result I now only accept payment by PayPal.
If you have never used PayPal you will find it easy - and I will be happy to give advise. |
Returns and defaulting buyers
I do my best to give a full and accurate description but I am no expert and and things may occasionally go wrong. When this happens I will do my best to see you do not loose out when the problem is not your fault. However my patience is not unlimited and if, for example, you fail to pay or fail to reply to emails I may need to activate the standard ebay facilities to ensure that sellers do no loose out if a buyer defaults.
So far, in over 1000 sales, there have been few "problems" related to the goods supplied - all sorted out amicably without one return. In one case I accidentally "sold" a book twice and had to tell the buyer it was not available. In another case a buyer failed to notice the clear statement in the advert that the item was reproduction. I also admit to one excessive delay in delivery because I misread an overseas address, and the goods were fortunately "returned to sender" and had to be reposted.
When I prepare an item for dispatch I often send an email saying that it is is ready. I usually comment that it will go in the post box the next time I take the dog for a walk. Several people have asked me about the dog. So here is a picture.
"Franci the Lad" in competition in Jersey
In his youth Franci was one of the "village dogs" sitting outside the church during the wedding in Walt Disney's 101 Dalmations. With his first owner, Belinda, he competed in agility competitions all over the country and won about 100 rosettes and several trophies. He has now retired and has been living with us since Belinda died. He was 15 years old in the summer of 2007 and while he is showing some signs of old age he can walk far further and faster than I can.
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