Okay, so I count myself as a halfway decent vintage shopper. I don't (well I try not to) shop stupid outside of my budget and most of time I stick to the "Second Time Mine" rule where if something is still at the store next time I go and I can afford it, it's mine.
Anyhoo, all this to say that the other day I bid on a 50s dress on Ebay when I shouldn't have...I mean we had the money but I didn't need to be spending it, know what I mean? So I prayed and prayed that someone would outbid me, of course no one did and the dress was mine. Blerg. (I got it for a good price but still...)
But no worries, I paid for it right after winning it, apologized to the husband and learned my lesson of "No Bidding on Ebay If You Don't Need to be Spending Money, Stupid". So the dress arrives today and I felt like I was living a page from 1950's Atomic Ranch House's Ebay book (bad chapter, not the awesome pink appliances good one). Let's see if I can explain this in a way that makes sense and doesn't take up 10 pages...
Okay so I don't buy from Ebay often. I know it's like a great source for cheap vintage stuff but all told I've probably bought 5 things on Ebay during my years of being signed up over there. No particular reason, I just don't. I also don't dig confrontation although since getting older I've gotten better about that. But at any rate, whenever I've had a problem with Ebay or Etsy or wherever, I calmly and sweetly contact the person, get it dealt with, move on.
SO ANYWAY - This dress I bought was listed as having a couple of rust stains (which were pointed out in the listing) and no holes - otherwise fine condition. I get the dress today and the Priority envelope it had been sent in was almost all the way opened. (The tissue paper they wrapped the dress in got stuck to the sticky on the envelope so it never closed.) How in the world this dress got to me without damage or coming out of that envelope, I've no idea.
But the dress is fine so whatever. Then looking at the dress, I discover that there are indeed holes in the dress, specifically 3 where the seams are coming apart. But I figure, well I can sew that up. So I very kindly e-mail the seller to let them know that if they use those envelopes again, they may need to be taped just in case and the ad said no holes but I found some in the seaming.
Okay fine, e-mail sent - very sweetly I might add. Then as I was getting ready to launder the dress, I find an actual hole in the skirt which got me thinking that the seller didn't really look the dress over very well since I found this hole and the others pretty quickly and the ad said the dress was "free of holes". So I took a picture of that as well (I had sent a picture of the other holes for the first e-mail) and sent a second e-mail. (Plus, I realized later that the bust size was also misrepresented but at that point, whatever - that's the least of my problems here).
That was this morning and now I'm just waiting on a response from the seller. I'm not mad or anything actually, I'm just not sure what to expect since I'm not a frequent ebay-er nor immediate yeller at people for stuff. lol I'm also not sure why I'm blogging about it either except that I feel like in this virtual vintage world we live in, I guess I need a little hug and an "everything will work out". LOL Especially since I already feel like a moron for buying it in the first place...stupid poetic justice...
Any thoughts or opinions from the Ebay Masters out there?
But so this post isn't a total loss, here's a picture of some cups I found at a thrift store a month or so back:
AND on a super happy fun note, Vintage Christine from I'm Not Old, I'm Vintage is having a 100 Followers Giveaway so go check that out! :DI hope you're having a great day! :)
{ Hugs} Everything WILL be alright :
ReplyDeleteOh.mi.gosh, looking at your cute cups reminds me that I bought (&quickly stashed) similar pyrex mugs a few months ago. Now, I have to remember where I hid them!!
Awwww damn! (((Maggi)) first the hug.
ReplyDeleteStaying calm and factual is the key. If you open a paypal dispute, paypal will have access to emails from both sides.
What kind of return policy do they have, if any?
If the seller has a fair amount of feedback, they will likely offer to reimburse you if you ship it back, or send you some money in refund to try and "make it better."
It sounds like it was NOT as advertised (again, if they sell a lot of items, they may have honestly not seen the damage or were checking too quickly).
In the case it is not as advertised, I believe you are fully covered under eBays buyer protection plan.
Someone left a lot of great info under my post about the Broken Atomic lamp deal. Check there if you want more links and such (I only have a few minutes to get this posted or I'd copy and paste lol).
Take a deep breath, it will likely work out to YOUR satisfaction. That's what it's all about!
Let us know how this deal is going. =)
Thanks for the support y'all! :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like she does have a 3 day refund policy if the item is not as described (which it's not) so I'm assuming she'll let me return it.
Like I said, I'm not heated about it or anything - just bummed and feeling stupid! lol Hopefully I'll hear from the seller soon!
aw sorry that happened.There is nothing worse than getting something you bought and being bummed out to find flaw after flaw on it.
ReplyDeleteBoy, have I been there with the bidding on something then hoping someone outbids me then no one does :-)
ReplyDeleteI've been pretty lucky on Ebay so far, knock on wood, but I did have one incident that peeved me. I won some nail polish and it wasn't even mailed in a protective envelope with bubble wrap or in a small box or anything! It broke in the mail, of course. I tried to be to the seller and she did refund my money, but man, was she a beeotch about it! She was all irate that I suggested she use bubble wrap to mail polish and to mark it fragile on the outside. I wasn't mean about it, but whatev.
I hope it works out for you! :-)
I am an ebay seller, and it burns me that some sellers don't take their business seriously.
ReplyDeleteYou can certainly file a misrepresntation claim. Hopefully she will reimburse you without having to go through resolution.
XOX
oh girl, I think we have all been there- I know I have. I have bid on something, prayed I'd get outbid, and wasn't. (I need to tell you how to retract your bid!)
ReplyDeletelol At least if the item came to you decently, it wouldn't be that bad- but maybe you'll get a really good seller who will reimburse you back some money, and that would be great! I'll cross my fingers for you- there are some good ones out there! And if not, so be it- maybe you can fix it up and make it your own somehow!!! Or relist it!!!! xoxo
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ReplyDeletewhy the hell my comment posted twice, I have no idea!
ReplyDeleteThat just sucks Maggi...hopefully U get a response!! I get wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy stressed out using EBAY....way stressed out...can not handle the bidding...lol!! loveeeeeeeeeeeeee those cups!!! PERFECT colors! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
ReplyDeleteAww! I mostly buy vintage books from ebay so I've been lucky! But I have had really good responses from the ebay sellers I've dealt with so I think good will win! Hurrah!
ReplyDeleteAnd really cute cups.
iamemmamusic.blogspot.com
It is too bad you had such "carpy" luck. My husband buys on ebay because sometimes that is the only place he can find parts he is looking for. Sometimes it is great, others not so great. Be sure to rate the seller, okay?
ReplyDeleteI think I have plates to match the cups with the gold design. (I like the blue better, tho.)
Hugs to you Maggi!
ReplyDeleteSuch a bad experience so far...but stay calm and be as polite as possible and really ask for a refund since the piece didn't arrive in the condition it was described.
The good thing about Singapore being so small is that when you buy something online, you often meet the seller in person and inspect the goods before handing over your money.
I hope you get your money back!
And I think you can retract your bid if you change your mind!
@Sparkling Scrapbooks - You can retract bids?! I wish I knew that! I work as a cashier and we don't use decimal points when entering the total into the computer, so once after a long day at work I came home and bid on something for $20.50 - only, I forgot to use decimal points! I could only watch in horror as the bids climbed higher and higher. I love the coat I won eventually, I just wish I hadn't paid that much for it D:
ReplyDeleteOh yes, you CAN retract a bid! Just go to the "Help" section and type in "Retract a bid". Follow the instructions and... Bingo bango you remove your bid!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear the seller is cool about the deal!
MOST things I have bought on eBay (and I have bought hundreds and hundreds- I have been buying since 2001) have all been good! Don't let this one bad deal discourage you from buying in the future, lots of great deals and excellent sellers to be found. =)
There's nothing wrong with getting a little heated... especially if it can help you get things set straight. I don't like disputes either, but bad experiences have taught me well ;)
ReplyDeleteDon't feel too bad either... I won some software (over $100) and the seller took the money and ran w/o sending the item. Thankfully PayPal recovered most of my payment from what they had left in their account.
Thank you for stopping by...Sorry to hear about the dress, some people just don't know how to be honest!
ReplyDeleteoh no Maggi! I'm not a big buyer on ebay and I have never had any situations where I needed to complain, but this sucks. Hopefully it will all go smoothly with the seller. Hugs girl!
ReplyDeleteI sell on Ebay. And I have bought on Ebay. I dislike being biten by someones misrepresntation of an item. If the seller doesn't offer a refund and you did email the person within the 3 day period "ASKING" for a refund then you can go to Paypal and open a dispute. And they do work the dispute. I've had to file one before.
ReplyDeleteI meant to say "if the person DOES offer a refund"
ReplyDeleteif the seller won't hook you up with a refund, can you turn to paypal? isn't there an insurance policy?
ReplyDeletedon't even talk to me about buyer's remorse - i had a bad addiction to kate spade purses and blew hundreds that i don't have and one of them was much bigger than i thought - i have no use for it, lost the tags and know if i try to sell it, i'll only get like 20% of what i spent :( ebay can be dangerous for girls like me.
Yes - what they said ;)
ReplyDeleteAs an eBay seller, I "try" to photo every flaw... this situation is my biggest fear, I only sell my MINT MINT pieces so there can be no question. But if they are a reputable vintage dealer, they should either give you compensation or return the item.
Can't wait to read the followup! BTW - did you dye the dress from my sale??? We need to experiment!