Cheaplestiltskin

Here is a fairy tale from Ponyland... 

I am selling off some excess ponyage this week. This is because I have a very tiny pony room and need the space for my loose ponies and some G1 playsets that I want to bring down from the attic. I had a taker from Aussieland who bought two rather largish lots from me and a couple of randos buying several more.

My Ma is over visiting and I see that I have a message: 

"Would you consider combining the ponies below for $50? Thanks"

A list of 6 ponies is given. Mind you, they are already asking for a $10 discount by offering only $50 for 6 ponies. I have to cut my visit short with my Ma because I gotta get into the closet, get the ponies, weigh them and respond to the asker.

I send them back a shipping amount ballpark with zipcodes added to show cost for whatever area they may live in and they vanish into thin air, never to be heard from again...I'd say, "The End" but I want to elaborate once more that pony people are cheap fucking flakes.

                                                        The End

Skeezy Pony PPL

 

This morning I go to one of my groups. In said group is a person "congratulating" someone for having won a lot for $30ish bucks with a very rare Spain pony in it. 

I cringed internally for the buyer. I know if I pulled off the coup of the decade, I'd be livid if some bitch posted a picture of the lot and told people where it was bought from, which this chick did.

Now, most likely one of the vultures from that group is searching relentlessly for the sold lot so they can swoop in and offer more just to be a dick. *sigh* Pony People, man.

Merry Fuckin' Christmas

 I list a ceramic tree. Person makes a lowballish offer on it. I accept because she lives one state over and the shipping will be less prohibitive.

Day 1...crickets.

Day 2...crickets.

Day 3...crickets.

I cancel the auction "Why was my order cancelled?"

Jeez, bitch I dunno...maybe because you fuckin' LEFT ME HANGING for three days after getting the tree for half price without an explanation as to why? 

I find it funny that she could not be bothered to contact me for 3 days but when I cancel her - FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE! 

I tell her why I cancelled.

"I had every intention of paying. It's only been 3 days!"

Uhhh do you think Amazon is going to wait 3 days for payment? I'd like to call my credit card company after they've charged me a late fee and go "It's only been 3 days!" Fucking A. These people. This asshole has less than 30 feedback. Two feedback left for her by sellers were very telling:

Ended up not getting but cancelled quickly ! Awesome buyer!

You need to pay before it can be shipping. Thanks 

Cluster

 It will be peaceful for weeks and then we have an influx of stupid.

Today an old clock ended. So far, crickets from the buyer. 

I get a message about a "cancellation" and I am like "Here we go". It's not the clock, but a bidder cancelled their bids on a doll outfit. I am sure more stupid is coming...

Karen Prompter

 Today I left feedback for a very nice skirt I ordered for my winter wardrobe. I left the seller a positive feedback. As I clicked off the page, I was met with the button shown in the screenshot - What I like to affectionately call a "Karen Prompt".

It is almost like Ebay wants someone to open a case. There are prompts everywhere to fucking complain or return shit. It's fucking ridiculous. Believe me you, ebay, if someone wants to bitch they'll find a way.

 

Cinco tazón de sopa

 Item title: 5 Coupe Soup Bowls

Item description: "Set of 5"

Item Picture : Shows 5 bowls. 

Potential Buyer: This is a set of five soup bowls, correct?

Nacho Buyer

 I bought a load of stuff. I listed said stuff. One of the dolls immediately got a 0 feedback bidder on it, and I cringe. During the 5 days that the auction ran, she got 1 feedback, so I was like "Okay, MAYBE this has hope." Said bidder "won" the doll. 

Day 1 - Crickets.

Day 2 - Crickets.

Day 3 (11 at night) -

Hi i’m sorry for the notice but my daughter wants a different doll, I would like to cancelz

I turn on my desktop and add her to the ever-growing blocked bidder list. I was about to just sigh and cancel and then I think to myself - this bitch has wasted 2 days in which I could have relisted the damned thing - fuck her. I should just ride this bitch til she gets an unpaid strike. Why the fuck should I let her off the hook? Fuck her and her theoretical "daughter". She had 5 days beforehand in which she could have canceled her bid as well but decided to forge on and waste my time. Meanwhile I am answering 30,000 questions from another potential buyer about said doll because she had asthma and was worried about pet dander. I don't know what it is about that doll but I am getting the feeling that she will attract a dickhead no matter what.

I had a teddy bear that got "sold" twice before it finally actually sold and now it is lost in the CA postal system...when you have a problem with an item once, it becomes a bad luck magnet.

As for the cancellation BS...

I hate that ebay lets them off the hook if they ask for a cancellation now. It's probably pointless to wait because they let people sign in as "guests" to buy shit. She'll just ditch that account and make a new one. I don't even know why feedback and rules are a thing for buyers because it's the fuckin' wild west out there - they just do whatever they want with no consequences anymore and fuck the sellers - and ebay is panicking and wondering why the stock continues to tank.

Sellers sometimes have to procure inventory. Sometimes we are paying buyer's premiums and taxes to an auction house and state. 

Then when we sell, we get hit with fees and random listing "innovations" from ebay/Etsy, then have to navigate flaky buyers - there is constant time wasting, cancellations, threats to try and get discounts, some lame excuse why they suddenly don't want something and then our bank accounts get robbed of the entire amount no question asked and we're paying return shipping too! I fight it, but last year I got ripped off nearly half a mortgage payment - one item was exactly as described but ebay made me refund him and gave me lame excuses about it and the other was lost by the Italian Postal Service.

The USPS is robbing us all blind on top of it all. I am one of those sellers that takes a hit on shipping to try and keep costs low for buyers, but it goes unnoticed - I've got less than 5 stars on "shipping cost".

We pay a lot and get very little in return all because someone has had to pander to some Wall St. suits since the company went public. None of the CEOs since Whitman have had any good ideas, and it's been a sinking ship since she left. It's getting old. More and more people are returning to brick and mortar and flea markets because of it - we just don't make enough to justify listing on ebay anymore. 

Etsy's offsite ads are the biggest turn-off over there - forced into a program that makes you pay nearly 30% of a sale because you are good at selling? GTFOH with that shit.