posted on November 11, 2005 02:31:05 PM
I thought you might be interested. I sent the email to my buyer and stood my ground. She emailed me back and stated she's keeping the bracelet. She said she has a hard time believing that something would not be marked if it was Sterling Silver. I reminded her that not only can things not be marked, they can also be marked falsely (as is the case with a lot of jewelry marked 14k as I found out the hard way). I gave her your advise and told her to look very closely that because of the design the mark may be hidden and difficult to see. Glad I requested the bracelet back. Equally as glad that I didn't care if I was left negative feedback for that or not.
Cheryl
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted on November 11, 2005 03:25:13 PMShe emailed me back and stated she's keeping the bracelet.
THIS is one of the main reasons I am so emphatic about being feedback-fearless.
I see this all the time. Email is free. It costs a buyer nothing to try to finagle more out of the transaction, or to get you make some sort of "the customer is always right" adjustment.
I say in my TOS that I don't accept returns. But people try to complicate it anyway. This bracelet is too small for me, it broke after a night out partying, it arrived with a loose stone, etc. My response is ALWAYS "Send it back." Period. Just those three words and my return address.
I don't give them any other options. And 8 times out of 10 they choose to keep it.
I'm happy with that.
So, good for you! Barkeep, get Cheryl a round of whatever she's drinking, on me.
She said she has a hard time believing that something would not be marked if it was Sterling Silver.
The mark may even be partial because it was badly stamped. That's even harder to find.
posted on November 11, 2005 05:09:53 PM
I know I'm butting in here. . . .
Just this week a buyer wrote and praised my careful shipping, etc., but said she was a little disappointed in the item -- and said there were a couple of flaws which I swear I never saw at all. This had sold for about $70 so it wasn't a little cheap thing.
I told her I stand by everything I sell and urged her to send it back to me for a refund so that I could offer it to a second-chance buyer and that the bidding had been pretty hot and heavy so there were four bidders who'd lost out.
I've heard nary a thing since then, and it's been three days. I think Fluffy is dead-on right.
I still might get a negative, but I'm not as afraid of them as I used to be. 100% right now but who knows.
______________________________
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted on November 11, 2005 07:04:10 PM
That's the attitude to have, Roadsmith! My item had more than one bidder as well. I think some of these bidders get so caught up in bidding they don't realize what they've spent until they spend it. It's not my problem. I'm not worried about feedback anymore. I have other things to worry about. Besides, I'm getting more and more repeat customers. I think that's the real secret here. Someday before I'm 90, I hope to get where fluffy is. If not, that's okay. At least I won't be caving into the bidders every time I turn around because I'm afraid they'll give me a neg.
Cheryl
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted on November 11, 2005 07:22:09 PM
I had one do the same thing on a new unopened Video I had sold. It sounded funny in their player won't play blah,blah,blah. I told them to sent it back to me,they replied that was too much trouble,they would rather eat the $4.50.
**********************************
Two men sit behind bars,one sees mud the other sees stars.
posted on November 12, 2005 06:19:45 AM
In most of these cases, classic, they decide to keep it once the seller decides she's dealing from a position of strength rather than sitting at her keyboard like a quivering mass of gelatin.
That blasted feedback system has been hyped and lied about by eBay since the very beginning. Don't buy the lie, and especially don't fall into the trap of thinking your self-worth is tied to your feedback percentage.
I think people ought to take a look at their feedback once or twice a year, and that only to scan comments for things they could improve: "the picture didn't do it justice" or "incredibly fast shipping". (Yes, you can ship *too* quickly.) It should be part of your survey process, along with enclosing comment cards with your orders.
It happens. I had a customer send something back. I refunded prompty and they left a neutral saying the item wasn't as pretty as in the picture. There was no need for that, IMO. The buyer may feel she wasn't refunded quick enough or might just feel like taking her day out on the seller. Feedback doesn't always tell the true story. With buyers, you are dealing with all kinds of mentalities. Those that are sickly sweet and those, that for whatever reason, are just plain nasty all the time and everything else inbetween. God, what a mess we'd all be if we had to constantly try to judge what kind of disposition our buyers' have and then had to act accordingly just to keep our feedback rating good.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted on November 12, 2005 07:43:06 AMThose that are sickly sweet ..
What constitutes sickly sweet?? ILOVETHIS SELLER!!! ILOVETHIS ITEM?!! Love, love love it!!!
I've seem some enthusiastic feedback, but I cant say I've seen too much sickly sweet along the way...buyers are more likely to be critical than sweet, imo.
posted on November 12, 2005 07:58:12 AM
example: sickly sweet
Buyer who has Disney gifs in emails, send you a check covered with Mickey enclosed in Mickey stationary sealed with a Sleeping Beauty sticker and Eior(?) address labels, curly-q writing oozing sweetness and light and then sends you a Thank You card after she recieves the item, going on and on infi-nauseum about how cute it is and how good it looks in her yada-yada.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for sweetness and light, but sometimes I just want to tell them to get a life! That lady had to have been 40 years old or better. I'm glad she has found her innerchild, but I never have liked to baby sit.
posted on November 12, 2005 08:09:47 AMcurly-q writing oozing sweetness and light
Let me guess: She dotted her i's with little hearts.
The rest of us get over that nonsense at what, age 13?
Those that are sickly sweet and those, that for whatever reason, are just plain nasty all the time and everything else inbetween
Very, very occasionally this is the same person. I have one of those. I blocked her in January because of her constant complaints -- hey, if you don't like what you're bidding on, why are you still bidding? -- and she keeps coming back under new IDs. Always sweet and friendly and oh-so-confiding, but it doesn't last. Something triggers a meltdown; she files PayPal, fraud, Not as Described claims, anything to get my attention; I report her and block her again; the new ID gets suspended and we're back to square one.
posted on November 12, 2005 08:37:53 AM
LOL LTray! I dont know about you, but those buyers are what keeps the collectable market moving! So I have to say ILOVETHOSEBUYERS!! Yhey can send me all the mickeymouses they want long as it clears USD$$ thru Uncle Sams Federal Reserve bank!
posted on November 12, 2005 09:24:09 AM
Classic. What Cheryl said here--I agree that even if I refund the buyer's money, I could still get a neg or a neutral. Just trying to be realistic.
______________________________
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
I've seem some enthusiastic feedback, but I cant say I've seen too much sickly sweet along the way...buyers are more likely to be critical than sweet, imo.