What Your First Message to a Seller Should Say

Sellers get a lot of messages that say hi and nothing else. Those sit at the bottom of the pile, not out of rudeness but because answering them means starting a conversation from nothing.

Say what you want

Name the item and the thing about it that matters to you. Wear time, size, colour. This one line moves you ahead of most of the inbox, because the seller can answer it rather than having to ask what you are after.

Say when

If you need it by a date, say so now. Sellers plan around wear time and postage, and a date mentioned at the start is easy to work with. The same date mentioned after they have started is a problem for both of you.

Ask your awkward question early

Whatever it is, ask it in the first message. Discretion of the packaging, whether they can include something, how it will be sent. It is easier for everyone before anything is agreed, and no seller who has been doing this a while will find it strange.

Do not open with negotiation

Leading with a request for a discount frames the whole exchange as haggling and quite a few sellers will simply not reply. If price is a genuine issue, ask what they can do within your budget after you have shown you are serious.

Keep it short

Four lines is plenty. Long messages about yourself before any question is asked are the other reliable way to go unanswered. There is time for the rest once you are actually talking.

A clear first message gets a clear answer, usually the same day. It is the cheapest thing you can do to make the whole purchase go smoothly.