Writing Letters to US Online Stores
When shopping on English-language websites, such as eBay, Amazon, or millions of other online stores, it is completely unnecessary to know English. Product descriptions can be easily translated with an automatic translator. And correspondence with sellers usually boils down to a set of standard phrases, which we offer you in this article.
Recommendations for Writing Letters
- Politeness never hurts in any situation. Always try to start your message with a greeting and end with a farewell and a signature.
- A letter should always be specific. Remember that the people you are contacting usually have other customers besides you. Therefore, always specify the lot number (in the case of eBay), the store's internal item number, or, in extreme cases, just insert a link to the product.
- If your English is not ideal, use simple sentence structures. That way, you will definitely be understood.
- Disrespect, rudeness, vulgarity, and threats never bring any benefit. This is not in your best interest, because everything can change. For example, on eBay, rudeness and insults are punishable, and a user's account can be banned for threats.
- Try to make the letter well-reasoned. Do not make baseless assertions or claims, and do not make unreasonable demands. Support everything written with facts and photos.
And, of course, templates of standard messages that will be quite enough for correspondence with sellers.
Standard Phrases
| Russian | English |
| Dear Seller | Dear Seller |
| Dear Sir / Madam | Dear Sir / madame |
| I won the lot(s) | I have won item(s) |
| I bought the item(s) | I have bought an item(s) |
| Best regards | Best Regards |
| All the best | Kind Regards |
| I am very sorry | I'm really sorry |
| Great | Great |
| I have repeatedly made purchases on eBay and have good feedback on my profile, as you can see | I have already purchased items on eBay and I have good feedbacks in my profile, as you can see |
| I tried to contact you, but received no response | I tried to contact with you, but I haven’t got any reply |
Questions About the Purchased Item
| Russian | English |
| Please send me a few additional photos of this item. Preferably in high resolution. | I kindly ask you to send me a few additional photos of this item. It is desirable to send photos in high resolution. |
| Could you provide me with more complete information regarding this item? | Could you please give me more information about this item? |
| Where was this item purchased? | Where was this item bought? |
| When was this item purchased? | When was this item purchased? |
| What condition is this item in? | What is the state of this item? |
| Why did you decide to sell this item? | Why have you decided to sell this item? |
| In which country was this item manufactured? | In what country was this item produced? |
| Do you have a document confirming the date and place of purchase of this item (receipt/invoice)? | Do you have a document that confirms the date and the place of this item purchase (cashier’s receipt / bill)? |
| Do you have a warranty card for this item? Can you send me a copy of it? | Do you have a warranty service coupon for this item? Could you please send me the copy of it? |
| Does it come with a charger? | Do you provide a charger? |
| Please send me photos of the information label of this item showing the country of manufacture / fabric composition / size / power supply specifications / serial number. | Please, send me the photos of information label of this item, from which I could find out the country-producer / structure of the fabric / size / the power unit specification /serial number. |
| Has this item been washed or dry-cleaned? | Was this item laundered or dry-cleaned? |
| Did you take this item to an atelier / workshop for repair / tailoring to fit (height)? | Have you taken this item to the atelier / to the workshop for repair / alteration to the body (height)? |
| Is this item made of leather or faux leather? | Is this item made of leather or of leatherette? |
| Is this item entirely leather or are there faux leather / fabric inserts? | Is this item entirely made of leather or there are insets of leatherette / fabric? |
| Does this item have visible / hidden defects? | Does this item have visible / hidden defects? |
| Can you measure the insole length? | Could you please measure the length of the insole? |
| How long was this item in use (used)? | How long was this item in use (used)? |
| How would you rate the condition of this item on a ten-point scale (0 - terrible, 10 - flawless)? | How would you evaluate condition of this item in ten-point system (0 - terribly, 10 - irreproachably)? |
| Is this item brand new with tags / labels / stickers in the manufacturer's packaging? | Is this item absolutely new with tags / labels / stickers in manufacturer’s box? |
| Is the power supply of this device rated for 110 or 220 volts? Or is it universal 110–220? | Is the power unit of this devi c e rated at 110 or 220 volts? Or is it universal 110-220V? |
| Is this device equipped with a European or US standard power plug? | Is this device supplied with a plug of European or US standard? |
| How long was this device used? | How long was this device used? |
Payment for Goods
| Russian | English |
| I won the following lot(s) (lot numbers #), please send me a combined invoice for payment. Shipping via USPS EMS (USPS Priority, Royal Mail). | I have purchased the following item(s): #. I kindly ask you send me general invoice. Delivery via USPS EMS (USPS Priority, Royal Mail). |
| I purchased the following item(s) from you (lot numbers #), please combine them into one parcel and send me a combined invoice for payment. | I have purchased the following item(s): #. I kindly ask you to unite them into one parcel and send me general invoice. |
| I purchased an item from you (lot number #), I have not paid for it yet, as I also plan to purchase (lot number #). Can you delay payment and, if I win this lot (lot number #), combine all items into one parcel and send me a combined invoice for payment? | I have purchased an item # , and I have not paid for it yet, because I’m going to purchase another item #. Could you please put off the payment, and if I win the item # , unite all the items into one parcel and send to me total invoice? |
| Unfortunately, I am having some minor difficulties with payment, may I ask for a payment extension of ... days? | Unfortunately, I have some problems with payment, can I ask for a delay for ... days? |
| Unfortunately, I cannot send the payment, please send me your PayPal ID so that I can send the funds directly from my account. | Unfortunately, I cannot send the payment. Please, send me the identifier of your PayPal in order that I could send money directly from my account. |
| Can I pay for the item by any other method besides PayPal? | Is it possible to pay in a different way than PayPal? |
| Can I pay via (international bank transfer, PayPal)? | Can I pay via (international bank transfer, PayPal)? |
| Please send me the bank details. | Could you send me please bank account information? |
| VAT should be refunded to my PayPal (card) account. | The VAT value needs to be refunded to my Paypal (credit card) account. |
| I cannot pay for the purchase via PayPal, because this payment system does not work with my country. | I can’t pay for the purchase via PayPal, because this payment system does not work with citizens of my country. |
Shipping. Insurance. Customs
| Russian | English |
| I am interested in purchasing your item(s), but I see that you do not ship to the country where I live (Russia, Ukraine). Can you make an exception for me and send me the item(s) via USPS EMS (USPS Priority, Royal Mail)? | I'm interested in purchasing your item(s), but I see that you don’t send them to the countries I live in (Russia, Ukraine). Can you make an exception for me and send me the item(s) via USPS EMS (USPS Priority, Royal Mail)? |
| I would like to ask you to send the parcel via USPS EMS (USPS Priority, Royal Mail). | I would like to ask you to send the parcel via USPS EMS (USPS Priority, Royal Mail). |
I am interested in purchasing your item(s), but the offered shipping method does not suit me because it:
|
I'm interested in purchasing of your item(s), but the way of delivery you suggest isn’t convenient for me because:
|
| Can you send this item(s) to the Russian Federation (Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus) via USPS EMS (USPS Priority, Royal Mail)? | Could you please send this item(s) to Russia (Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus) via USPS EMS (USPS Priority, Royal Mail)? |
| I ask you to pack the item(s) I purchased securely. I am ready to pay extra for this. | Please, pack up the purchased item(s) good. I’m ready to pay for it additionally. |
| I purchased item(s) ... from you. Please let me know if you have already sent the parcel? | I have purchased next item(s) from you ... Please let me know if you have already sent the parcel. |
| Please let me know the total cost including shipping to Russia (Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus) via USPS EMS (USPS Priority, Royal Mail) and insurance. | Please, let me know the total cost including delivery to Russia (Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus) via USPS EMS (USPS Priority Mail, Royal Mail) and insurance. |
| Can you tell me the date when you sent the parcel? | Could you please tell me the date when the parcel was sent? |
| Please send me the tracking number to follow the delivery progress. | Please, send me the tracking number. |
| Unfortunately, I have not yet received the item(s) sent to me. | Unfortunately, I haven’t got sent item(s) yet. |
| I want to initiate a search for the parcel, but for this I need scanned copies of the shipping receipt and CP22/23 customs declaration. | I would like to initiate a parcel search, but I need the scan-copies of the cheque of shipment and customs declaration CP22/23. |
| Please specify the following parcel value in the customs declaration: ... $ | I kindly ask you to specify in the customs declaration the following value of a parcel: ... $ |
| Please send me this item as «used», removing all stickers, tags, and price labels from it. | Please, take all the stickers, labels, and price tags off and send me the item as "used". |
| Is it possible to additionally insure the parcel? For the amount of ... $ | Is it possible to insure the parcel additionally? To the amount of ... $ |
| I still haven't received the sent parcel. Can you initiate its search and the receipt of insurance compensation? | I still haven’t got the sent parcel. Could you please initiate the search and insurance compensation? |
| This will help avoid paying unnecessary customs duties. | This will help to avoid duties. |
Transaction Cancellation
| Russian | English |
| If you wish, we can cancel our transaction. | If you like, we can cancel our deal. |
I purchased an item from you, but did so by mistake. I ask you to:
|
I have purchase an item from your but I did it by mistake. I kindly ask you:
|
Item Not Received or Not as Described
Disputes and Returns
| Russian | English |
| You promised me a full (partial) refund for the purchased item(s), but have not done so yet. May I ask why? When will you issue the refund? | You have promised me full (partial) refund of money for item(s) purchased from you, but you have not done it yet. Can I ask you why? When do you do the refund? |
| I have to leave you negative feedback because I still haven't received the item(s) (the received item does not match the description). | I have to give you a negative feedback because I haven’t received the item(s) yet (the delivered item doesn’t not correspond with description). |
| Can you guarantee compensation for the return cost if the item I receive does not match the description? | Do you guarantee the compensation of the return cost in case the item doesn’t correspond with description? |
| I purchased this item, paid for it via PayPal, but it still has not been received. | I have purchased the item, paid for it via PayPal, but I haven’t received it yet. |
| Please refund me the full amount paid as soon as possible. | Please refund me in full asap. |
| The item sent to me does not match the description (broken), but shipping it back to you is very expensive, can I count on a partial (full) refund of the paid funds to my PayPal account? | The item delivered to me doesn’t correspond with description (it’s broken), but it’s too expensive to send it back to you. Can I ask for a partial (full) refund of money to my PayPal account? |
