Posted by Ninety-five percent of the time my vintage reselling biz runs smoothly and calmly without hiccups or undue stress. Once in a while I buy something, get it home and realize it has damage I hadn’t seen in the store that either greatly reduces the price I can sell it for or makes it unsellable altogether. And every so often I get a potential customer who wears me out with constant messages and questions. And we all receive ridiculous, cringe-worthy low-ball offers. And once in a blue moon, I get a bad review. That stuns me. It’s usually because the buyer didn’t read the description or look at all the photos, or because they claim it never arrived when USPS tracking shows is was delivered.
But today I had a first-ever experience. A buyer received her necklace, was disappointed with it and instead of contacting me to initiate a return (I accept returns), she contacted Etsy to open a “case” against me! Cases are serious things and I have no idea why she went that route. There was no need. None.
Etsy suggested I refund her ASAP, but I need my necklace back first. She doesn’t get to keep the necklace AND receive a refund!
I’ve sent her a prepaid return label so the ball’s in her court. It’s interesting too that despite having sent her several messages this morning, she hasn’t responded to any. Well, as I say, the ball is in her court.
But the saddest part for me was that she besmirched this sweet coral bead necklace. (It’s from Hawaii, circa 1950s/60s, likely made for the tourist trade.) She told Etsy “it was smaller than expected, poor quality and I don’t even know if the beads are coral.”
Wow. Just wow. It is coral, the size of everything was in the listing and I’m not sure why she she believes it’s poor quality. I’m scratching my head on that. It is what it is–a simple 4-strand coral bead necklace.
So this was how July started for me after a painfully slow sales month in June. It was like rubbing salt in the wound. The irony is I just got my “Star Seller” status back.
Well, one way or another it will sort itself out. I just didn’t need the additional stress and frustration right now. Might be a good day to work outside and burn some of it off!
Wishing you happy buying and selling,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 
I feel sad for you. There are some people who are just a pain to deal with. I sold real estate for 15 years and I saw some people that did the most ridiculous and nasty things. There were wonderful people also. My sister regularly sells on Ebay also , she has seen a few things too. You just have to scratch your head and not let it bog you down and go forward, Best of luck.
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Thanks Jana. Thankfully most of my customers have been 100% fabulous. I’ll bet you have some interesting stories from your years in real estate! Thankfully writing about it is cathartic for me and I am already feeling much better. In the scheme of life, it’s no big deal. ~ Karen
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I’m pretty sure you’re being scammed. I recall reading an article on Pinterest about this a long time ago. I just searched on Pinterest, using the word scam, and an article came up about scams on ebay. I know you sold the necklace on Etsy, but the ideas may apply. I have no idea how Etsy handles these situations, but you clearly did everything right with your listing, pictures, tracking info, etc., so fight it as much as you can! Good luck!
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Thanks Aynsley. This has occurred to me too! It sounds like she will be using the prepaid shipping label I provided, so hopefully I will get back my necklace and not something else. I know that “switcharoo” scam is fairly common. 😳
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I wonder if she just misunderstood how to start a return? I hope so. Otherwise that is so rude! Of course one can’t have a refund until items are returned! Although, I just had to return a computer that didn’t work when I turned it on, and while I returned it to Walmart, I had to wait for the seller on Walmart Marketplace to get it, AND for them to issue the refund. In the meantime, I had a bill for it! I think, once I returned it to Walmart, my part is over. If Walmart doesn’t send it on, or delays, not my problem. Well, it worked out okay, except I still need a new computer.
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Hi Lisa. Well, I’ve never known or heard of anyone opening a case before contacting the seller first. It just doesn’t make sense. Why escalate it as the first step?? And I think she purposefully disparaged my item (and in essence me!) to Etsy so they would follow it up. Frankly, I just want my beads back. It’s no longer legal to harvest coral other than small amounts of black coral and I don’t think she realized what a good deal she had. I do hope you get your new computer soon. I would be lost without mine. Hugs, Karen
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