Posted by Personally the year ended fine, but it was a mixed bag in my Etsy store.
Buyer Snafu
The other day a buyer opened a case against me for non-delivery of goods (ouch), though the item was tracked and showed it had been delivered to her address days before at 1:11 p.m.! I suggested she check with her neighbors and postman. Supposedly she did but was still claiming she never received it and wanted a refund or a replacement. I sell vintage items and rarely have “replacements.” Plus I never, ever, refund buyers who claim they haven’t received the item when the tracking says otherwise.
The next thing I know Etsy has given her a full refund and I had a WTH moment. But it turns out they refunded her from their Seller Protection Program and not my funds. Phew!
Still it’s left me rattled. And I have to admit if she orders from me again (which I doubt she will), I will cancel the order. I am sorry if her package was truly stolen or misdirected by the post office, but she was not playing fair because she saw from the tracking that I had sent it and it had been delivered.
Frankly these days I am using “signature confirmation required” more often. It’s typically a $3.95 surcharge but so worth it for more valuable items. It’s protection against the “I-never-got-my-item” scams and porch thieves.
End-of-year sales
But on a happier note, in the very last hours of 2025 I had two customers order antique sterling silver items from me–a card case and a cigarette case–totaling over $500. (These were items from my personal collection.) That was a nice, unexpected last-minute boost and I’ll definitely have signature confirmation on these!
Moving Stuff to FB Marketplace
I’m starting to put more stuff on Facebook–mostly big items or things that have lingered too long on Etsy, but this one was a safety issue. I discovered many old barometers have mercury in them and cannot be shipped with USPS or FedEx. So I decided to err on the side of caution and take it out of my Etsy store and list it on FB the other day. Hopefully it will sell locally.
January 1st Morning
The first day of 2026 started dreary and drizzly where I live, but that made it a perfect-stay-at-home day. I opted not to go to the Goodwill sale this morning. They’ve been sending emails and texts for two days hyping it, but last time I went to one of their sales (and I went at opening time) the shelves were half empty. It was weird. (I think they were just trying to shift their dead stock and hadn’t put out anything new.) And I knew it would be crowded and I wasn’t in the mood for crowds! Not today. Instead I chose to watch the Rose Bowl Parade curled up with a quilt and a cup of coffee. Good choice!
No sales in my store on the first, but not many views either. I think folks are busy celebrating which is as it should be. When I was a kid we’d always spend New Year’s Day at our aunt and uncle’s house with my maternal grandparents. It was never quite as fun as Christmas, but there was lots of good food, football game watching and Sorry and card games in the evening. It still felt special. When our daughters were younger we’d do a nice meal and maybe go for a walk, but these days as empty nesters we don’t do much. (It was pizza for dinner!)
Hope your year ended well and 2026 is starting peaceful and safe with a dash of fun.
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 