posted on December 9, 2000 08:13:16 PM new
Hi everyone and happy holidaze!
Have you ever been standing in the garage or guest bedroom (or wherever you can find an empty spot!!!) packing up boxes and thinking, "Gee, wouldn't it be NICE if someone around here helped me out with all this stuff???" I have an able-bodied family of four, who generally watch Sports Center while I'm freezing my buns off in the garage doing just that...
Well, ANYWAY, for the first time today, I stoop to ask my DH to take a small package to the P.O. to send to England. I mention to send "small packet." He comes home an hour later (Starbucks detour, I'm sure) and says those words that strike fear in every low-margin ebay seller's heart: "Wow, that cost a FORTUNE to ship!" Egad, he "forgets" the small packet thing and ships special insured airmail - $20 bucks. This is a $6 item with $5 for shipping!!! I'm actually PAYING people to win my auctions...
Reverting back to Type A personality immediately - Hugs, Di
On a scale of 1 to 10...we'd all weigh a lot less!
posted on December 9, 2000 08:49:30 PM new
Yep, take advantage of this one. Email the buyer and let them know that since they were so kind in their email or paid so promptly or whatever, you wanted to do something special for them. And be sure to include a list of your current auctions...
posted on December 9, 2000 10:29:12 PM new
Okay..here is the scenario....
I take a video item to the PO to ship to UK...clerk says "that is $5" (SMALL global Priority)...SO, I email another bidder in UK, and say ..."if you haven't sent payment yet, sorry but I overcharged by $4" (MOST Global Pri. is $9) "if you have already sent payment, I will gladly refund overcharge"
I went to mail the item (same size, same envelope, same clerk!) and was charged $9!!(the extra $4 was in the package)
So I went home, repackaged, resent, and FORGOT to take the extra $4 out of the pack AFTER I had ALREADY emailed the buyer about the screw up!!!
Us guys SUCK!!!! We are SOOO freakin stupid, that the ONLY reason we have lives is because some wonderful woman feels sorry for us!!
Keith
I assume full responsibility for my actions, except
the ones that are someone else's fault.
posted on December 9, 2000 11:16:14 PM new
How about the husband who was instructed small packet airmail on a package to England. He comes back and tells me he sent it surface because he was sure my customer wouldn't have agreed to pay "that much" to ship the package.
Upshot..having to explain to customer why her new goody will be taking 4-6 weeks instead of 3-4 days to get to her!
posted on December 9, 2000 11:42:47 PM new
I think you have to train them slowly.
I started mine on packing boxes while I looked on and helped. Now he does all the packing up of boxes (even addresses them), and knock on wood, nothing has broken in transit in quite awhile. Of course he did send the wrong camera to someone last week, but I digress...
This week we tackled calling UPS for a pick-up. He did very well.
Next month I may let him take a stab at filling out an insurance form.
posted on December 10, 2000 01:18:01 AM new
I let my husband to do all the mailing & nothing else, but each & every package he mails has a post it on it with complete instructions for the post master to read.
I won't let him mail overseas yet, I don't think he's ready for that.
posted on December 10, 2000 02:11:13 AM new
Move the operation into the warm living room...feed them snacks...teach them to package and then graduation day is the trip to the po.
My sweet kissypoo (baboo?) slapped a few stamps on a small package. later I got a miffed email from a customer. I finally put two and two together realizing she'd been charged for the extra postage.
It's late.
Daze is right...this is my quiet time!
2AM!
blarg!
posted on December 10, 2000 04:18:33 AM new
Yes, you have to train them slowly. Don't be fooled, husbands can be trained, it just takes a little effort. For example, try the "pack or pay" approach:
"Honey, I've got so much work, I don't think I'll be able to cook tonight. Let's go out to [some expensive restaraunt]."
My four-year olds are learning to help shop when we go to Goodwill. Right now they find mostly Barbie dolls. The only problem is that they run through the store yelling, "Daddy! Daddy! Sell THIS on eBay!"
(Four year olds are amazingly smart. That Barbie doll will never make it to the auction block. They know it. I know it.)
posted on December 10, 2000 06:09:12 AM new
This reminds me of the first (and last) time my wife asked me to help with the laundry. She left a bunch of instructions which I guess I ignored and I wound up mixing some clear liquid with some blue liquid (I later found out it was bleach and fabric softener) and adding it to HER colored clothes. Needless to say it wasn't a pretty sight but the main point is that she never asked me to help with the laundry again. There is a method to our maddness.
posted on December 10, 2000 06:15:54 AM new
Sounds to me like the problem here is not husbands doing the wrong thing but poor instructions from the wife.
posted on December 10, 2000 06:24:07 AM new
Hi everyone, I thought I was the only one in this boat. I have sold a few videos and know exactly what the cost is to mail them. My DH went to the post office for me. I had already put the correct postage on the envelope. He calls from the car saying that I did not have the correct postage, the postal clerk asked him if I had a scale, no, all videos weight the same. He told my husband that there was not enough postage so added more, quess it went first class, but then my hsuband adds insurance. The video was only $3.99.
I do it myself now.
posted on December 10, 2000 10:08:01 AM new
"We" have made a few mistakes also. One customer from Japan purchased a second item and we did not realize that it was just enough weight to put it over the scale into the next rate which was way over twice the quoted amount. Whoops!
Then there was the package to Illinois that DH packaged in a hurry. He grabbed a box that we had just received a gift order in. The lady emailed to say how pleased she was with her purchase. And then she inquired about the fish. Fish? What fish? "We" had not unpacked the entire gift order and she received a five piece wall set of metal sculpured fish also. Whoops!
The other night I watched the news and heard about vegie prices in Canada going sky high and that cauliflower was $7.00 a head. I wondered who in the world would ever pay that. I opened the fridge and saw a cauliflower. DH had gone shopping. He paid $6.98 Can. But I digress also.........
