The MLP Arena
TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: cirrusrose on January 18, 2016, 05:19:26 PM
-
I rarely post on these boards, I prefer to lurk when I'm not selling or buying (I'm shy) but I'm physically shaking and upset at what has happened... a certain member of the MLP community has begun slandering me so, I want you all to know what happened. All correspondences are below, I have nothing to hide.
TL;DR
Bought Princess Pony with accessories from a seller on eBay. Some accessories she sent me were wrong. When I told her she sent me several abusive, threatening and harassing messages. When I showed her photographs she told me not to contact her again and started slandering me in a private MLP Facebook group. Another buyer of hers came forwards, it turned out we had each others missing pieces and we did a swap. Seller admitted she had sent the wrong accessories on Facebook BUT still refuses to apologize or acknowledge that she did anything wrong to me, has refused to fix anything and three months later continues to slander me and spread lies while playing the victim. :cry:
FINAL UPDATE: I opened - and most importantly WON - a Paypal dispute against the seller which ended in the Paypal Fraud Department because the seller was caught out lying to Paypal and impersonated me in a forged email. I've decided to blog about it here: http://eaglesfan73sucks.blogspot.com.au/ Please be aware this seller is highly unscrupulous!
:shocked:
Long Version:
I bought a Princess Royal Blue with damsel hat, comb and wand (eBay item number: 181963158310, archive link https://archive.is/FpmkR). I was so excited because these are the last items I need to complete my Year One Princess set.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/auction%20itself.png.html)
The seller was selling a bunch of other items I wanted over the holiday week, so I asked if the seller wanted me to pay now or wait to see if I buy any more to combine shipping. I gave the option of paying now if they wanted and was given no timeframe on how long they were willing to wait for payment.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/first-edit.png.html)
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/eaglesfirst-edit.png.html)
They indicated it was okay, so I bid on other ponies they were selling and unfortunately lost them all, so I paid immediately after the last auction ended.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/billjoined-edit.png.html)
So now she arrived this morning and the damsel hat and comb are wrong. The hat is meant to be stars and moons, instead I received hearts and teardrops. Instead of a pink comb, I got purple. Thankfully the pony and wand were correct (though I wasn't sure about the wand at the start because it didn't come in a bag while the one in the photo does).
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
So upset and waiting in a Doctor's surgery I sent them this:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/me1edit.png.html)
And while waiting for a bus, I noticed a postage overcharge and sent this:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/me2edit.png.html)
Seller sent these messages in rapid succession:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/eagl1edit.png.html)
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/eagle2aedit.png.html)
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/eagle3edit.png.html)
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/eagle4edit.png.html)
I've been buying and selling on eBay since before Paypal in the 90s, when we had to use international money orders or eEscrow. I have thousands more feedback than the seller, all of them 100% positive. I'm thinking cutting my losses, reporting them to eBay and leaving a negative (which I absolutely hate doing and rarely ever do).
Just wanted everyone to know my side since this seller is calling me a scammer. :cry:
Not sure what to do... anyone?
04-Mar-2016: I cleared out my photobucket so I had to re-attach all the images. I thought I might as well tidy them up so they look in unison and blank out additional sections for privacy reasons. Also added a TL;DR section.
-
Well, the seller gave you permission to wait, so I think it's unreasonable for them to blame you for "late payment." And it's completely reasonable to want the correct items you bid on. The seller needs to correct that by sending you the correct items (if they have them still) and having you send the others back.
That said . . . the tone of your email to them was pretty rude. Why would you imply that she did this on purpose ("did you think I wouldn't notice?") instead of assuming it was an honest mistake by someone who has more than one set of Princess Pony accessories and got confused? What possible advantage would the seller get from sending you the wrong set?
I wouldn't have responded like this seller did, they were unprofessional and just escalated the conflict, but in the future you might keep in mind the old adage "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."
Anyway, your accessories probably ended up with the winner of one of these auctions:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-MY-LITTLE-PONY-PRINCESS-ROYAL-BLUE-W-BUSHWOOLIE-ACCESSORIES-/181968403124?hash=item2a5e297ab4:g:iSwAAOSwZ1lWd1m4
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-MY-LITTLE-PONY-PRINCESS-STARBURST-W-BUSHWOOLIE-ACCESSORIES-/181963280555?hash=item2a5ddb50ab:g:rc4AAOSwSdZWcNKy
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-MY-LITTLE-PONY-PRINCESS-SPARKLE-W-BUSHWOOLIE-ACCESSORIES-/181968417108?hash=item2a5e29b154:g:jwcAAOSwHPlWd15~
What I would suggest is emailing the seller back and saying something like: "I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, I just wanted so much to complete my Princess pony set. I think you may have accidentally sent them to the winner of Princess Sparkle, the other Princess Royal Blue you sold, or Princess Starburst. Could you please contact the winners of the other Princess Pony auctions and ask them what accessories they got? No hard feelings, we all make mistakes. Thank you for your help." I would also send them a picture of the accessories you were incorrectly sent.
If one of the other bidders has the correct accessories, which I'm pretty sure will be the case, arrange to either have you and the other buyer send them directly to each other or for both of you sending the accessories to the seller, and then having the seller send them to you. Get the seller to cover your shipping expenses since it was their error.
If the seller refuses, then you can file for "Item Not as Described." But try to avoid it if you can because it means you will never get your accessories from this seller.
-
Thank you so much LadyMoondancer, you're the best!
I completely agree with everything you said and sincere thanks for finding those other Princess auctions the seller had going.
:hug:
Post Merge: January 18, 2016, 06:30:32 PM
Ah, just figured out what happened... the purple comb I received has a bend in the two tines on the far right, which matches the comb that came with the Princess Sparkle they were also selling. Also the hat this Princess Sparkle is wearing matches what I received. I imagine they got mixed up somewhere along the way.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
Many thanks to LadyMoondancer for the links! :)
-
My husband bought a pony for me from this seller recently, too, and noticed how rude they were. When after 3 days they still hadn't shipped the pony, my husband inquired about it and he got a snippy answer in return about how he needs to read, that they are allowed 3 days of handling time.
As for your package, I am pretty sure they are feeding you lines about having contacted eBay because if eBay didn't send you any correspondence, then most likely they didn't. If I were you I would file a not as described case since the seller is not cooperating with you. EBay more often than not sides with the buyer and they will be able to access all of your correspondence and see that the seller is very rude and is making threats. You'll probably have to send your item back for a refund or eBay may let you keep it and refund you but I doubt you'll get your accessories.
-
Sorry you had to deal with that. They clearly ok'd delayed payment. They should have fixed their mistake with the accessories and corrected the shipping.
-
bluerose9978, thank you so much for sharing your husband's experience. That response to him sounds unnecessarily rude. Sad to hear I'm not the only buyer who has had problems with this seller.
That's a great point, if they had reported me I totally would have received an email about it. That leads me to believe it was all bark and no bite now.
Tak, thank you for your point of view. It means the world to me just to hear those words.
Thank you so much for your replies everyone.
:hug:
-
I am sorry to hear/read what happened to you. I have bought multiple items from this seller and have always had a good experience with her. She did e-mail me once to let me know that her daughter had helped packaged princess pony items and that I was to follow up if I received the wrong items. This was back in November though. As for the shipping costs, sellers do sometimes quote a higher price than the actual shipping cost. They could be adding in a handling fee. I don't know if this is the case for you or not. I do wish you the best in completing your set and being able to resolve this issue in a calmer manner.
Sincerely,
jrr74
-
I think LM has summed it up brilliantly, good luck!
-
You're welcome! :) I hope you get your proper accessories. I understand how frustrating it is to ALMOST have a complete set and then something like this sidetracks it.
-
jrr74, thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate it! I'm glad your transactions worked out. You definitely dodged a bullet there. I find the majority of sellers are perfectly fine until something goes wrong and then it really tests their mettle. This one just spiraled out of control so quickly. :T
Loa, thank you! Yeah, LadyMoondancer is so wise.
Thanks everyone, I feel so much better now I've heard all your thoughts on what happened.
:hug:
-
I just wanted to add that the seller is correct about the shipping - you only paid $16 for shipping. The Paypal receipt you posted says you paid the seller a total of $24. The pony was $8, leaving $16 for the shipping. If you had paid the full amount listed in the auction($22.75), your total would have been $30.75, not $24. That extra $2.30 probably went to the bubble mailer. It looks like it was a fresh one.
-
goddessofpeep, ah right you are! Good spotting, thank you. Maths has never been my strong suit.
The seller was right about that. I have no idea why the auction page has $22.75 listed for shipping (which is where I got the figure from). I'm thinking that's probably the Australian conversion displayed now.
This is one of the reasons why I love the Arena... all different perspectives.
Thank you, goddessofpeep! :)
-
You should black out your sellers name and address...
-
I agree with Lady Moondancers' advice, and I hope that you can sort this out with the seller and get your correct items :hug: It is definitely disappointing to receive the wrong item , especially when they are something like a set completer, so that is probably why you sent the message you did, because you were upset , although it would have gone better if you'd have sent a more calm message. The seller clearly overreacted though and they did not handle the situation well at all , as well as not sending the accessories. If the seller still will not work things out and send the correct accessories then you can open an item not as described case, but that does mean that they will either ask for a return, and you prolly will have to pay return shipping too - and you will not get your accessories.
Side point but the screenshot does show the auction as having $22 shipping , although that is not what you ended up paying ;)
Please let us know how it goes
-
banditpony, oh noes! I didn't even notice that up in the corner there. Thank you so much for spotting that!
Just added a blacked out version.
:)
Post Merge: January 19, 2016, 05:42:40 AM
Ringlets, thank you so much for understanding! I was super devastated when the wrong accessories turned up and I usually am the person telling friends not to say snarky things in the heat of the moment... didn't listen to my own advice. :/
I genuinely appreciate the helpful tips and I'm taking some time to figure out the next step.
:)
-
Loa, the seller has seen this post and is trying to get into her old account to clarify this story, since she doesn't know what email she used I'll send you a PM with contact info. She asked me to help because of that.
-
UPDATE: So I decided that this has hit the "point of no return" where the seller can't have a civil conversation with me so I sent this and here's her reply.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/me3edit.png.html)
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cirrusrose/media/eaglesfan73/eagle5edit.png.html)
She told me not to contact her again. So that's it, no happy ending.
I called eBay and the operator read through all the messages and told me that there were no instances where I was being abusive like the seller claimed I was. Abuse is a really sensitive subject for me and to be falsely accused as being an abuser was really upsetting for me.
Now I see the seller is trying to log into the Arena and I'm honestly concerned about her attacking me here too.
:yikes:
-
I think the main thing to remember from this is any time there's an issue with a purchase? Wait till you've calmed down before you email. Maybe write your email in a word program, *save it*, and go back to it the next day. One day won't make much difference, time wise, in contacting a seller, but it give you time to rethink how you are wording things, you know?
If I'd gotten that email you sent to the seller, I'd have gotten pretty defensive myself! I don't think I'd have gotten quite as upset, but then, I've never had an issue like that before so I cant say. Pictures sent with the first email, showing the wrong accessories recieved, may have helped, too.
-
lunar_scythe, I completely agree with you. Thanks for your brilliant suggestion, I'll certainly do what you recommended next time I'm confronted with something upsetting.
:)
-
Another minor point to this: while you did ask for an extension on paying, your message to her indicated that you wanted to wait a "few" days. The PayPal receipt shows that you took 8 days to pay. That's a little longer than a few. Most sellers would be a little upset if it took that long and there was no other communication. Just for future reference.
As for how to proceed, I think it would be prudent to wait for the seller's response here. Maybe you can work it out. :)
-
dragonstar81, good point. I totally see what you're saying and I agree, I probably should have given a time frame. Honestly, neither of us were clear about our needs. In my defense, I did offer to pay immediately and all the seller had to do was ask.
Definitely will pay first from now on and just get the seller to hold onto both money and item.
-
I was going to suggest sending an apology message to the seller because you were clearly heated about receiving the wrong items, but after reading the most recent message you sent to the seller, I think you've burned your bridge.
In the future, I would suggest taking some time to think calmly and rationally, and keep to objective facts instead of being accusatory. I'm sure it was not the sellers intention to send you the wrong accessories in hopes that you "wouldn't notice". I also did not see anywhere that you corrected yourself for assuming they overcharged you on shipping. I would be very frustrated if I were the seller.
The most recent message you sent to the seller was just pouring gas on the fire. At this point, I would wait before you consider contacting the seller again. Maybe post here first if you plan to message them again? That way you could get advice from the members here on how to be more approachable and less aggressive in your messages.
-
The one thing to be careful for about paying immediately when you want to combine transactions, is if the seller is what's called a "power seller". I'm a power seller and for my auctions, ebay *requires* me to send purchases within 24 hours of receiving payment. If I don't, I get an item transaction defect. I'm allowed only 0.2% for ALL transactions. That means for every 1000 transactions, I'm only allowed to miss shipping within 24 hours twice. If someone pays in my auctions, sadly I must ship within 24 hours or risk losing power seller status and the significant fee discounts that go with it. All of this is in my terms of service, and I make sure to let people know not to pay if they want to buy multiple items, but I do know it aggravates a lot of buyers. The best thing to do is keep open and calm communication between parties at all times to help when transactions become difficult.
-
The seller had been talking over facebook for quite some time about quitting ebay, she was excited a few days ago when she announced 'only 3 items to go and I am done'. This really made it all worse for her, because from what I've heard she have had quite an awful time in general with ebay/buyers/fees and I guess this is really it for her. I can't speak for her obviously, but the way she had been talking about her experiences she is just not having a great time at all as a seller and is ready to call the quits.
-
The seller was right about that. I have no idea why the auction page has $22.75 listed for shipping (which is where I got the figure from). I'm thinking that's probably the Australian conversion displayed now.
It's an automated estimate from eBay calculated based on the seller / buyer locations and the weight of the package. $13.75 US Dollars is equal to $19.90 Australian Dollars.
-
The seller had been talking over facebook for quite some time about quitting ebay, she was excited a few days ago when she announced 'only 3 items to go and I am done'. This really made it all worse for her, because from what I've heard she have had quite an awful time in general with ebay/buyers/fees and I guess this is really it for her. I can't speak for her obviously, but the way she had been talking about her experiences she is just not having a great time at all as a seller and is ready to call the quits.
As an ebay seller you must have a thick skin because there are buyers who are jerks for absolutely no reason. You just can't jump to conclusions and jump down people's throats as a seller. You have to try to keep eBay's customer service representatives on your side and ask for advice when you don't know what else to do.
Some people just aren't cut out to be in the customer service industry and you need to be to sell on eBay.
-
silverdawn, thank you so much for that useful information. I was unaware of those eBay policies for Power Sellers. I will definitely check for that in the future. Congrats on your status though but yikes about the shipping time pressures.
LadyMoondancer, ah thank you for figuring that little mystery out! I was under the impression that both item price and postage were in US dollars on US eBay. Geez eBay makes it a little confusing by mixing it up with two different currencies depending on your location. Once again, thank you for your kind help.
bluerose9978, thank you for what you said. I completely agree. It's sad that a seller can be so jaded that when faced with a legitimate and honest accessory mix-up, they immediately jump to the conclusion that someone is out to get them. I hope the buyer of Princess Sparkle comes forward, because we have each others accessories and also they can clear the air.
Emfen, do you have a link to these Facebook posts at all?
-
I don't think its fair to comment too much without the seller being able to defend herself. I hope she can come here to help clarify exactly whats happened so this whole debacle is not so one sided.
-
BabySunnybunch, thanks for your message and thoughtful suggestions. I really appreciate them and I completely agree, my attitude in the email was not very constructive and I feel terrible about it. I am more than happy to apologize to the seller for my attitude. And you're right, I absolutely shouldn't have written the "wouldn't notice" comment. (I didn't know if she had swapped out items on purpose, which has happened to me in the past. Maybe not so much the damsel hat since their colors match, but because the comb was a completely different color I thought to myself "how can anyone genuinely make this kind of mistake?" That's all.) I am also more than happy to apologize for that comment too.
After five rapid fire messages from her where it appears to spiral more and more out of control... and the last one saying "next contact goes to eBay". I sadly felt there was zero attempts left to correct the situation and that she took it to a place where an apology would not help at all (otherwise I absolutely would have). I decided to cut my losses. It's not worth the drama... I no longer care about the items anymore.
A little background:
Some bad things happened to me and I had a nervous breakdown a while ago because of it. I have to think about my mental health and whether things are "worth it". When I have panic attacks now, they are actually so bad that I lose control of my arms and legs, have cold sweats, shake uncontrollably and I vomit, pee and crap myself all at the same time. It's embarrassing to admit, but that happened to me last night. After the breakdown I had to move home with my elderly parents, and I've been good for a long time, but my attack was so frightening for them that they called an ambulance.
It does take two to tango though, and I would hope to receive an apology for being labelled a scammer and an abuser of women. I have never been accused of being either in my life before, and that was incredibly hurtful too. eBay has already officially cleared me of any wrongdoings and abuse allegations. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. :)
Post Merge: January 19, 2016, 04:58:55 PM
Rhubarbpie, I totally agree with you. Emfen has messaged Loa about helping her recover her Arena account so she can join in.
Meanwhile, she is "heating up Facebook" about me and no one will tell me where so I too cannot defend myself either.
:(
-
Cirrusrose , I just want to say if it wont work out in the end I am a huge princess picks and wands horder (got a huge soup of them haha) and probaply have what you need and whe can trade your incorrect colours for te right colours (but let's first wait how it all ends and after that you can come to me and whe can swap so your princess ladys will be complete) not sure about damsel hat need to see what I have double
Good luck on everything and most important of all take good care of yourself babe don't freak out
:lovey:
-
Well, she is not here to defend herself. I would not contact the seller again if I were you. Can you file a claim? Your item is not as described. I assume eBay would force her to accept a return. Then you would both be done with it, and maybe you could find your items elsewhere.
-
sweetbubbles, wow thank you so much for that generous offer. I'm so humbled at your kindness. I'm really just down to one pick now after buying the missing damsel hat yesterday from a different seller. If it all falls through, I will pm you and maybe we can work something out? I'll have a look through my extras for stuff on your wantlist. Thank you again, that means the world to me.
:hug:
-
I think both parties just had a really bad Ebay experience and sometimes these things just happen. But remaining calm is always the best approach!
Return and refund I think would be the only fair way to deal with this. The Australian dollar is nearly at American USD parity - when has that happened last hey? ;)
-
buddyboymama, thank you so much for your advice. You rock! Yeah, I was actually 100% ready to return it... but then I realized that she's convinced herself that I've switched the items out and will be expecting what's in the photo. Unfortunately, I don't have what's in the photo to begin with, so she'll never accept the return.
Sadly she refuses to believe me or correct the situation... so it's lose/lose. Such a shame.
I just thought that if the seller really wanted to comment they could just open a second account with a different email address, it would only take a few minutes. Hmmmm.
:)
Post Merge: January 19, 2016, 07:08:59 PM
lovesbabysquirmy, thank you. I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, unless the Princess Sparkle buyer comes forward (who has my hat and comb, while I have theirs) the seller will be expecting what's in the photograph. The only hitch is, I never received all the items from the photograph in the first place. She'll never accept the return. :(
I don't know why she's immediately jumped to the conclusion that I'm a scammer. I have a clean slate and drama free reputation in the MLP community. I have 100% positive feedback both on eBay and on the Arena, and have completed thousands more positive transactions than her. The slanderous allegations are just so upsetting and completely unsubstantiated.
-
I just thought that if the seller really wanted to comment they could just open a second account with a different email address, it would only take a few minutes. Hmmmm.
Just a quick note, but the mods actually discourage making second accounts, and suggest contacting the admin to help reset the password for your old one. :) I think it was a sticked rule for awhile, which is why I remember! So it may not be that she chooses not to reply here, but that she's in the process of reclaiming her old account.
I just read through all of this, and I'm really sorry that you are dealing with this situation! It sounds like things got off to a rough start, and messages just escalated until it reached a level where eBay will need to mediate. It sounds to me like some negative assumptions about both parties were being made, and in the future, it may be easier on all parties if you try to correct any mistakes with gentleness before you bring down the "long arm of the law"! Most eBay sellers are hobbyists, and as such, mistakes are made that you wouldn't get with Amazon or another big company! (If ONLY Amazon sold G1 stuff, right?!) So it pays to be gentle, at least at first, while still protecting yourself. Sometimes stuff goes to the wrong address, or accessories get switched around; unfortunately, it's a part of the hobby, unless you only buy in person.
The way I try to think of it is; have I ever made a mistake in my life, or while selling? Heck yes! So I try to give other people the benefit of the doubt, like I would hope that they would give me. :) It costs nothing to be patient, and sometimes it makes someone's day a little easier.
For your own personal health, you may want to consider taking a break from eBay for awhile! Nothing is more important than your well-being! :hug:
PS, sorry if this sounds too blame-y; I'm not trying to blame this on you! Although I think you came off pretty aggressive in your first message to the seller, the way they responded was also very inappropriate, and only helped to escalate things. So, ultimately, both sides could have avoided this with a little patience, but that's not how things worked out. But hopefully both sides will learn from this, and have better experiences buying and selling in the future. :)
-
Snapdragon, thank you so much for your message. Nooo, I didn't think it was blame-y at all hahaha. It was really lovely and I agree with EVERYTHING you said. You shared a lot of wisdom, compassion and life experience, and I thank you for that.
I also appreciate that you mentioned that the seller responded inappropriately too. I feel like a few people here have missed that fact. I feel it's important acknowledge that it takes two to tango since not all problems are simply black and white. Personally, I absolutely should have given the benefit of the doubt to the seller, I responded far too soon and in a non-calm environment (doctors surgery). Definitely will wait until I get home and have a cup of tea before sitting down to type a response again. Lesson learned the hard way. ;)
Oooh I didn't know about the second Arena account thing, thank you for letting me know about that.
Also thank you for your advice re: taking time out from eBay. I'm definitely going to follow it since this situation has sorta tainted eBay for me. Besides, I would rather let the lovely folk at the Arena have first dibs on all my gorgeous pony stuff.
And thank you for hugs, I really needed that. Such a cute emoji.
:hug:
Post Merge: January 20, 2016, 03:33:47 AM
Everyone,
I'm taking a little time out from the Arena for my own mental, emotional and physical health. I'm still recovering from a nervous breakdown and this transaction made my health worse.
You are all my peers, my community, like an online family and I thank you all for your wonderful kind messages. You gave me hope in people again. I showed you - warts and all - everything that transpired in the transaction because I respect you. I felt that 100% transparency was the way to go. Even showing you messages where I'm not proud of how I acted. I don't care how bad I looked, I just wanted you to have all the evidence available and then be free to decide for yourselves.
The seller asked me not to contact them again (see the last email screenshot), so I'm respecting her wishes and the situation will have to remain un-resolvable. I heard she is talking about me in a private Facebook group so I'm happy I was able to share my side publicly for all the world to see, no secrets. I hoped you would not just take someone's baseless slander as gospel, because allegations without proof are just that, allegations. I think it's sad that a seller can be so skeptical that when a legitimate honest mix-up happens, they can't accept it.
I've been collecting MLP since I was a kid in the 80s, this isn't like a G4 "Brony Thing". I completely wore out my VHS copy of the My Little Pony movie as a child. I would sing-a-long to the songs and pretend my She- Ra castle was Dream Castle and cover it with a purple sweater which was imaginary "smooze". And that G1 smell - you know what I'm talkin' about - takes me right back to happier times in my childhood.
MLP means such a lot to me, so being labelled a scammer and an abuser to my community is just not cool, and no matter how you look at it, I am entitled to what I bought on eBay regardless of whether I wrote an upset message that may have had some 'tude in it. I just wanted what I paid for, apparently it was too much to ask.
So thanks again everyone. I seriously think we have the best community online here at the Arena.
- Mark :) x
-
i'm a little confused...
The date stamp on your first ebay message to the seller is Jan-18-16 15:21:26 PST and the date on your final message to the seller
is Jan 18-16 17:43:32 PST. Just 2 hours and 20 odd minutes apart? You made it seem like this was going on over a day or so, not a couple hours...
-
Even if the communication got off on the wrong foot, the seller did in fact make a mistake and send you the wrong accessories. As a seller, they are obligated to correct this mistake by either sending you the correct items you purchased or giving a refund. Telling you not to contact them again is not an acceptable resolution for a seller's mistake. As a pony collector, the seller should be aware that accessories are often more valuable than the actual pony, and strive to resolve this mistake.
I'm glad that the screen shots of the conversation where included because it clearly shows both sides of the story. I'm glad this was brought up on Trader Support, as the seller's version is rather different on the Facebook group. How someone resolves a mistake speaks volumes about them as a seller, and I would certainly proceed with caution if I decided to buy something with valuable accessories from this seller again.
Edit to add:
I wanted to add some more info about the accessories because I think this is being over looked here. The accessories pictures in the auction (pink comb & hat with different symbols on it) are UK variant pieces that are harder to find and more valuable than the accessories that came with the same pony in the US. The buyer actually received the more common, less valuable US comb & hat.
THAT is what doesn't sit well with me... It's not just a case of wrong pieces of equal value being sent, it's a case of rarer items being swapped out for more common ones. If the buyer bought the auction for those specific pieces, he should have received the pieces pictured. The communication issues are shadowing the fact that more valuable accessories were sold for cheap, then did not reach the buyer.
-
If you file a case, though, it won't matter what the seller thinks, as ebay will review the case and make the ultimate decision. Ebay may even refund you out of their own pockets and let you keep the incorrect item. That would hopefully make up for the cost of buying the correct accessories elsewhere. I wouldn't want to see you lose out on the value of those accessories.
That being said, I understand if you just want to be done with it and move on. Take care of yourself.
-
The seller's first response to you was very rude and an over-reaction IMO. However, in the future, don't throw the word scammer around without cause. There was no reason to make that accusation so early on. It appears to be a simple mistake but your angry messages escalated far more quickly than necessary.
What should have happened at that point, is you should have approached this as an honest mix up. Since you didn't receive the same hat and brush pictured, send a request to return those items so the seller can send you the right comb and hat and correct her error.
This was the seller's mistake, yes, but your attitude fanned the flames. Next time, approach calmly.
For now, open an item not as described case with eBay. eBay is on your side in this and since it doesn't match with the listing photos, you should have no problem returning the item and getting your money back. You can upload photos to your item not as described case. You should be covered by eBay buyer protection even if the listing says all sales final.
After this is resolved and you have your refund, block the seller if you can. Yuck.
-
The communication issues are shadowing the fact that more valuable accessories were sold for cheap, then did not reach the buyer.
kitkatvintage, thank you, thank you, thank you. I completely agree with absolutely everything in your message. Gosh you're wonderful with words, I wish I could communicate as clearly as you. Just wanted to quote your bolded part because it hit the nail on the head perfectly. Thank you so much for your great unbiased and level-headed response. :worshippy:
However, in the future, don't throw the word scammer around without cause.
dragonfly, thank you for your kind message. If you re-read the messages I think you'll find I never mentioned the word "scammer" once though, the seller mentioned scamming in relation to me four times. Apart from that tiny detail, I'm with you 100%. I'm so scared of doing the item return thing because she thinks I got what's in the picture (I wish lol, otherwise I wouldn't be here in the first place), so I can't return stuff I don't even have myself... "yuck" sums this all up perfectly hahaha. Thank you again, dragonfly! You're the best! :D
buddyboymama, ooh that's a great point. If I open a case, it would be in the hands of Paypal. Nice outside the box thinking there, that felt really empowering when I was feeling rather hopeless. Cue "A Whole New World" from Aladdin. XD Paypal have extended their claim lodgement times, so I have a few months, which would drag things out but.... hmmmm. Gonna think on that. Wow, you're brilliant!
kezrob23, thanks for your reply. Sorry my thread feels like it's dragged on forever for you hahaha, it feels that way for me too! Kudos for having an inquisitive mind and suspicious approach to disputes (sounds like you'd make a good detective!). All up it's been two days in Australian time, Tuesday was sharing the emails and responding to people, Wednesday (yesterday) was just responding to people.
I think maybe you momentarily had both time zones existing in the same location (me AEST +10 and eBay HQ in San Jose, CA @ US PST -18) or don't realize I'm located in Australia. If you separate the time zones, what happens over one day in Australia, can happen over two days in the USA (like one afternoon/evening, and one morning). Also people experience time differently, like the trailers for the new Star Wars movie that made it seem like it went on for days to me. I know being on the internet sometimes feels like it's all happening at the same time as you... throw in time zones and real life stuff that delays us from updating things in real time, and the whole thing gets messy, so I totally understand your confusion. I assure you I have been completely honest about everything, otherwise I would have removed all time stamps and not shown emails where I acted like a brat. Sorry if I rambled, I'm not very good at explaining myself sometimes. :)
-
Hello there :) I rarely visit to arena but luckily noticed this thread. I purchased lot of ponies from this eaglesfan73 (first one was purchased at 26 Dec and last 4 Jan and I got combined shipping with no problem. I didn't ask any time limits she didn't give one either.) Anyway. I got the ponies while ago and didn't think more about they all looked fine.
After reading this I GOT YOUR PRINCESS HAT (I think, I purchased the Princess Sparkle). Since the teardop one wasn't Sparkles original hat anyway I didn't check what hat I got when the ponies arrived. And I think I have the comb too..? It isn't as pink as it is in your pic so I'm not sure if it is the right one.. I will try to take pics today/tomorrow when I'm home and PM them to you so you can see if they are the correct ones :) Maybe we can do a swap ?
-
h1m3., thank you - thank you - thank you for your message! You have absolutely made my day!! I'm so happy that you found this thread. :yippee:
I've actually just bought a replacement princess hat the other day hahaha, so I can send your hat and comb to you and you can keep my hat as an extra. All I need now is the pink comb and my Year One collection is finally complete yay!
I will pay for all of the postage for our trade, whatever it costs to send to me I will reimburse you in full. And please make sure your watch list is up-to-date because I'll look through my extras and throw in whatever I can for absolutely free. I'm just so happy you found this thread.
I'm looking forward to your photos (and hoping there's not a third buyer caught up in this mess somewhere out there). :P
Thank you again, h1m3.
:biggrin:
-
I completely agree with you Kitkatvintage and also dragonfly :nod:
I also understand why you initially overreacted too cirrusrose - not just because of the disappointment of getting the wrong accessories , but when you are also dealing with difficult personal situations and health issues (as are others here too, including myself, so we do understand ) it makes us more sensitive and hits us harder when things go wrong. Especially seeing how the seller responded as well. I'm hoping that this story will finally have a good ending though now :hug:
h1m3. - thank you so much for posting here! I'm really hoping that you and Cirrusrose really do have each others accessories and can do the swap - that would be awesome :cheer:
-
I'm so glad the missing accessories turned up with another Arena member. :)
-
I love happy endings! I'm really glad this is going to be resolved and that you will get your accessories to complete your year 1 princess set, it's just such a shame there had to be so much drama to get to this point. I know how disappointing it can be to wait for something and then not receive it and it can be even worse to receive the wrong thing, especially if you are already having a bad day or other life issues. I think it was very big of you to recognize that you overreacted in the first e-mails and apologize for that. I hope this experience won't put a bad shade on the pony or collecting in general. Instead I hope this makes them extra special because it shows that the collecting community can come through for each other, like H1m3 did for you.
Best of luck swapping the accessories! I hope you post a picture of your completed princess set when you get them :D
-
The seller, in the thread on facebook, has admitted she made a mistake, and messaged you hoping to work things out.
It is unfortunate that so many feelings were hurt over a simple mistake :( Sometimes it is really hard to keep emotions out of things...lousy emotions, always causing trouble. I do hope that you and the seller are able to put the hurt aside and fix this. I hate seeing both of you so upset.
I am glad that the person who got your accessories was found! :) Maybe there will be a happy ending afterall!
-
I'm so glad the missing accessories turned up with another Arena member. :)
^ This! There are so many wonderful members like h1m3 in the MLP community. So glad to hear that this might be resolved in a positive way.
-
I'm so glad the missing accessories turned up with another Arena member. :)
^ This! There are so many wonderful members like h1m3 in the MLP community. So glad to hear that this might be resolved in a positive way.
Absolutely. This community really is special in that way. That's what makes this site so great.
-
Naww Ringlets, lovesbabysquirmy, brighteyes, jupiternwndrlnd, buddyboymama & northstar3184 - much love to all of you!!! Thank you!!
This is my first real issue of 16 or so years on eBay - and wow - what a doozy.
Never being in this situation before, I didn't know how to handle it appropriately and I acted like a child throwing a tizzy at a mall, of which I completely regret. I could have just left negative feedback immediately and wrote it off, but I wanted to give the seller a chance to work it out with me, I just had the wrong approach.
A lot of members here have given me great advice and shared valuable life lessons with me, thank you. I have listened and learned from all of your wisdom, and I will implement these lessons into my life... and definitely won't send messages when I'm upset ever again. I even have some Self-Help book recommendations of which I'm going to follow through on. This community really is the bestest!!
RUMOR CONTROL:
I've received a full refund from the seller - FALSE
A little birdie told me the seller has posted on Facebook that they have refunded me in full, the refund is not true. In reality I haven't received a single penny from the seller.
The Paypal transaction ID is: 2TU5357252066944N and it was paid on 30 Dec 2015.
I hereby given written consent to all and any members of the MLP Arena to inquire about the transaction as to whether it has been refunded or not. You can look it up online, call Paypal, I have nothing to hide. Not a single dime has rolled my way.
I've received an apology from the seller - FALSE (BUT POSSIBLY TRUE)
I haven't heard a peep from the seller after she told me not to contact her any more, I was under the impression I would never hear from her again.
At the suggestion of several people on the Arena and my loved ones who were concerned about my deteriorating health, it was recommended that I block her. So I did. She is blocked on eBay and I changed the settings so that blocked members can't contact me, and as a back up, I blocked her in my gmail. So in her defense, if she did send a message, I didn't know about it and it probably got eaten up by one of my blocks.
I just have so much anxiety over the transaction that I don't feel physically, mentally and emotionally up to dealing with her any more. Having spilled out into different social media platforms, I feel like it's gone waaaay too far from a place where a simple apology can fix everything.
On the bright side, it appears the other buyer who has my accessories (and I have theirs) has come forward, and is happy to do a swap with me for my set completer piece! Thank you h1m3. for clearing my name!!!
:straw: :choc: :banana: :apple: :orange:
And as always, thanks again everyone!
:hug:
Mark x
-
Happy to help ;)
-
It looks like either the seller or a moderator deleted the thread on Facebook.
-
UPDATE:
h1m3. sent me photos of what she received and the seller definitely sent us each others accessories. We're doing a swap so there's a happy ending after all. Yay!!
Thanks again to everyone who believed in me.
Love Mark
:hug: x
Ficklefae, that's really interesting to know. Thank you for sharing.
I did request to join the Facebook group but none of the moderators would accept it. I was just curious what was being said about me, that's all. But it's probably for the best that I didn't see. ;)
-
I'm glad you are getting the correct accessories. Don't worry overmuch, there were several of us making sure that your side was being shown. *hugs*
-
Ficklefae, aww thank you so much for supporting me. That really means a lot to know that I had people on my side in that Facebook group.
:hug:
Good karma points and pony love to every supporter I'm aware or unaware of.
x
-
:bigups: :hug: :grouphug:
-
Ficklefae, aww thank you so much for supporting me. That really means a lot to know that I had people on my side in that Facebook group.
:hug:
Good karma points and pony love to every supporter I'm aware or unaware of.
x
*hugs* of course!
-
So glad this had such a happy ending! I have been following it here at the Arena.
-
I did request to join the Facebook group but none of the moderators would accept it.
I have not seen a request for anyone named Mark....tho we only approve new members on weekends. (and I only bring it up, because I want to be clear that we are not purposely denying your membership.)
The OP/seller deleted her post.