I really do meet people everywhere. I was talking to a saleswoman at Saks a year ago and was telling her about my ebay selling. She told me that she used to work for ROBERT LEE MORRIS (http://www.robertleemorris.com/ ) and that she had lots of pieces she would love to sell. I gave her my number but never heard from her.
About two months ago I ran into her again (yes, at Saks) and we chatted again. She was telling me all about the trip she was about to take with her daughter - to Africa - her lifelong dream and that she would bring me the jewelry to sell before she left.
I received about eight different pieces - all collector's items as these pieces were designed by Robert Lee Morris but many were just samples - one of a kind pieces. All of the pieces sold quickly and some for a nice bit of money. The others all went too and some people got some really good buys. She was very happy with her little booty when she arrived home from Africa - she said that the trip was fantastic! She just sent me the last four pieces she is willing to part with. I am listing them on ebay right now.
Got to work this morning and immediately opened my wonderful Power Book G4 (I do love my laptop - and it loves me - still working beautifully after many falls!). I quickly discovered over 25 questions in my mail folder - a lot considering I had just finished answering questions before I left home about 35 minutes earlier!
I knew what the problem was though because it has already happened to me twice........ebay is a great place - but there are just so many bad people out there. (Don't we know it!)
Someone had hacked into my site (please someone - tell me how they do this?) and listed about 50 electronic items and the 25 questions were all about these items (I think that 2 of the questions were for my things!). So even though the store was getting busy I "LIVE HELPED" ebay only to find out that the LIVE HELP that I needed was at the security site. I had to wait another 10 minutes for this person - guess everyone's site is getting hacked into. I should mention though that there were two messages from people telling me that someone must have gotten onto my site - they knew that I don't sell electronics like that......so thank you my followers for the warnings - I appreciate it!
After lots of back and forth - they had to call me at work to make sure it was me - so that we could continue our LIVE CHAT. I was promised that they would remove all of the items that didn't belong and of course I would be credited the listing fees! Gee thanks!
Having gone back to my site to make sure all of the items were gone, and they were, I discovered that they also removed all of my scheduled items - about 12 of them. Now you have to understand how much time and work goes into listing 12 items - ALOT!
So I LIVE CHATTED the security center again, waited patiently the 12 minutes and was told "I'm so sorry - but there is nothing that could be done about this" - "you will have to do the listings again"....so so sorry!
I also had to change my ebay password along with my email password.
PLEASE someone tell me why do people do things like this? Why can't they use their ingenuity to do something honest? Why do they want to hack into my site where I'm selling all of these nice things and making people happy? I just don't get it.
I had a very pretty peach Eskandar sweater http://www.eskandar.com/flash.htm* on ebay.....lot's of people were watching it and in the end it went for $152.50. I was surprised that it didn't go for more but was pleased that someone who has bought many things from me (and even has given me things of hers to sell) was the one who won it. She won it with auction sniper (a whole other story)http://www.auctionsniper.com/and I thought that was that. I sent it out the next morning.
I then received an email from another ebayer who recently bought another Eskandar sweater from me and was hoping to win this one too. She said that she put her high bid in at $171.00, 56 seconds before the end of the auction. Question - how is it that she did not win the sweater?
I don't blame her for being upset. She called ebay (being a Platinum seller she can call - this is a big deal as an ebay seller) and the representative suggested that perhaps I put a block on her bids (now why in the world would I do this?) so that someone I know can buy the sweater........duh! If I wanted to sell something to someone I know why would I put it on ebay?
This gal asked if I had any suggestions as to how this could have happened. I tried ebay's LIVE HELP (which I really like - a good way to speak to someone there quickly and they have really helped me out with things in the past) and that was totally useless.
The point of all of this? Well, ebay is great - but there are things that happen that have no explanation - she won't get an answer from ebay that will satisfy her and of course it just annoys me - afterall - I would have gotten more for the sweater - so something went wrong and there is nothing this gal or I can do about it.
Guess we just have to move on to the next sweater.......................... *That Eskandar site is really beautiful...
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night........
I just never know what is going to be in the boxes that I receive from my wonderful ladies......I received a huge box of the most wonderful (brand new with tags) of clothing from this one gal. Everything great and all doing so well on ebay. At the bottom of the box was a brown suede bag from The J. Peterman Company in Lexington, Kentucky. It was covered with stains but still a fabulous bag. I complained to my husband about the shame of the stains and he quickly took it away........when he brought it back - perfect! I don't know how he did it - but he got the stains off and in return I was given this fabulous bag to sell on ebay.
" I used to Asst. Manage the store in NY, LI and I just thought it might be helpful to give you some insider information about the bag. This is the original Magazine Messanger bag and the key thing to this bag is the material. It's treated leather. It was designed to look exquisite, fresh and new but the key is to what's in the leather. You are supposed to scratch it everywhere. This releases the oils that help keep the material better longer and it also releases oils to protect it from the rain. It was designed after the pony express days when the oil treated leather wouldn't get the mail wet inside. The story goes that the first day you admire it. The second day you scratch it and feel horrible. The third and fourth days you feel horribe but you begin to feel the differance. After scratching it everyday for one week you scratch it once a week till you reach a month than you scratch it once every month for 1 year and finally for once a year for every year. :)"
Isn't that great! This is another thing that I love so much about ebay - how someone I don't know in this entire world will email me and give me this great piece of information.
And so - now we know why our mail comes to us dry and in perfect condition (ha ha ha) - no, I really do appreciate the post office. Ebay has taught me how wonderful the postal system is. I ship everything through the post office and everything (just about) gets where it is supposed to and in one piece (I did have someone receive only one shoe last week!!!!).
And now, if you're wondering how the rest of the story goes........ Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
The things that people give me are amazing! Even more amazing is the fact that all of these enormously expensive shoes are sitting on shelves never even being worn. Here are some shoes/boots that someone gave me to sell on ebay - what do you think of them?
I think that they are e-mazing! (I know - corny corny corny....)
The best part about the Gina boots (http://www.gina.com/Client/Login/Index1.aspx) is that this gal was busy buying Manolo Blahniks (http://www.vogue.co.uk/whos_who/Manolo_Blahnik/) because he was signing the bottoms of the shoes and he told her to buy these boots! So you know they must be really good! I sold a pair of CHANEL sandals last week to someone in California. She immediately emailed me to tell me that they were FAKE! I told her that she can certainly return them for full credit but that in no way were they fake. The gal whose shoes they were is a dermatoligist in New York City (very high end) and wouldn't even know where to buy such a thing as a FAKE! I guess a lot of people are selling fakes on ebay and that is why you have to really know who you are buying from. Of course it is possible (and it has happened to me) that someone gives you something to sell and they don't even know themselves that it is fake. I have to be sooooo careful with the merchandise that I am given to sell and try to check out anything that I feel is questionable. I did send a red leather Hermes wallet to my niece (she works down the block from Hermes) to bring in to them. Yup - it was fake! But obviously I really felt that it was which is why I sent it to her to have it checked out. I did get a Chanel bag that I was uncomfortable with - and right - it was fake too! So I have a pretty good feel for these things. You must know who you are buying from - check their feedback, look at the type of merchandise that they sell and be sure they have enough feedback for you to feel comfortable.
In the end the gal in California emailed me back and apologized - her friend took them to the Chanel boutique and of course they were REAL!
If you wear a size 8 and love shoes like this check them out on my ebay auction site: ilovemygirls3 (I give all of the auction numbers in the comments).......
One of the things about ebay that I love so much - besides the money that I make - is the people I have met.One of the first items that I was selling on ebay 2-1/2 years ago was a Kate Spade basket handbag that Emily and I had bought at one of the Kate Spade Sample Sales. Emily was working for Kate Spade at the time and we were able to buy that wonderful little bag for $50! It was great - it was a white basket with a blue denim lining and flowers on the top of the bag - very Wizard of Oz!I received an email from a gal in New Zealand who had actually been carrying a picture of that same bag in her bag since she saw it in a catalog! She was most anxious to win the bag on ebay. We chatted through email the entire week that the bag was being auctioned! I was trying to give her some advice as to how to bid - she was a new bidder and so I gave her some little tricks on bidding (my husband declared that obviously I'm not a very good business woman!). In the end she did not get the bag - it went for $247.50 - more than she wanted to spend (no matter how badly she wanted it). Instead of the bag though - she wound up with me!We have been communicating through email for 2-1/2 years - she knows everything about me and my family and my life - and vice versa. I love this woman! I have seen pictures of her home, her children and her garden. I know about her boyfriends, her dreams and her life.The funniest part of this is that I sold a sweater to a woman who mentioned that she was planning a trip to New Zealand. Right - you got it - I told her about my friend. It happens that my friend has a cottage that she rents. When I met her she was renovating it - from scratch. This gal is very talented. What a beautiful job she did - she is very innovative - it took a long time and a lot of hard work but she turned out quite a beautiful place (check it out http://www.holidayhouses.co.nz/properties/3448.asp did you notice the Oprah magazine on the bed? She is quite clever).
Anyway - back to the small world.......
Another gal bought a wonderful cashmere sweater from me - I think it was Cucinelli - really fabulous cashmere (http://www.imcstyle.com/pageItem.aspx?pageid=5) and she mentioned to me that she needed it by such and such date because she is going to New Zealand......Right! you got it - I got the two of them together and the gal who bought the sweater rented the cottage from the gal who wanted the handbag! Isn't that fabulous? And now my friend in New Zealand mentioned to me that the gal who bought the sweater is buying a cottage of her own in New Zealand!
So, aside from the money (which I certainly enjoy) I'm meeting people all over the world.
People are all so special - ebay has really opened the world up for me - I have shipped items to Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, England, Canada, France, Italy and Spain (I may have even missed some). The idea that something from my closet (that I don't want anymore) should wind up in someone's closet in South Korea (who wants it very badly) couldn't be better!
One night my husband said "I wish I still had my Gene Autry watch" - strange really - a grown man wishing he still had his toy watch. I thought though that it would be fun if I could find one on ebay - you know that's the first place I look for almost everything! There was one there and I lost it! Living in the woods with a telephone connection (I now have satellite) there was no way I was able to beat out the other bidders (and there were others!). I was very disappointed - I thought it would be fun to surprise him on his birthday with the watch. So I kept my eye out on ebay and came across another. The seller said that it did keep time but not very well! OK - good enough - especially since it was still in the original box - made in 1948 - it was a real find! This time I watched it carefully and beat out the other bidders! I won't even tell how much it cost - I'd be embarrassed! (and I don't want Matt to see how bad I really am!)So the watch came and the next time I headed into the city (New York - of course! - what other city is there?) I ran around from place to place trying to find someone who could make it work. No way - no one was going to touch this toy - it was a lost cause. I was very disappointed but knew that at least I could resell it on ebay and hopefully get most of my money back.I quickly sold it to some guy and was happy to have gotten back my investment. Isn't ebay great?! I sent it right out and happily put my money back into my account. A week went by and then I heard from my buyer. It has been a very rare thing for anyone to return anything - but it does happen once in awhile. What was his complaint - he said that I made the pictures make the box look better than it was! Gee - I'm not a professional photographer and afterall - that box is one year younger than I am - how good was it going to look after all of those years? I don't look new either......(ha ha smirk smirk). So I told him to send it back and of course I refunded his money.Along came Gerry's birthday (New Year's Eve) and along with whatever else I bought him I did give him the watch. HE LOVED IT! Couldn't have been happier. What was I thinking selling this thing?He did manage to find a jeweler who got it working - changed the band and wears it often. He has had it to the Grand Central Watch Repair many times - whenever it doesn't work properly - back it goes.So - maybe the reason this watch came back to me is because it really could have been his in the first place - don't they say "whatever goes around comes around" is this what that means?
And the watch lived happily ever after..........a boy and his toy!
Although I really love ebay - I still have some complaints! I agree that the feedback system is very important. I have earned a very good feedback rating because I am honest, I love ebay, I sell great things and I love people. BUT......! Why was someone allowed to leave me a negative feedback when they tried to CHEAT ME? I sometimes wander around ebay looking for great buys. I will buy handbags that I know are a) real and b) a great buy. I will then take the handbag and have any repairs made and then put the bag on ebay to sell. There are definitely great deals to be had. So I found this fabulous CHANEL - I managed to win it for $355. I knew that it was real (I know my handbags) and knew that it was a great deal! Obviously it was too good a deal and the seller just never sent it! I should have known better. He didn't have enough feedback and I know there were some other things that should have told me that this person was not a good one! I waited patiently for my bag to come. After a week (I send things out the minute that they are paid for) I emailed the seller and asked where my bag was. No response - uh oh! So I filed a complaint with PayPal. I was really lucky - my money was refunded immediately. I then proceeded to leave this guy negative feedback. Afterall, I believed in the system and he had no intentions of sending me the bag or giving me back my money. Doesn't this deserve a negative feedback? That same evening I checked my ebay account and discovered that I had - yes - you guessed it - A NEGATIVE feedback! My perfect record RUINED! I was heartsick (I do take this very seriously). I couldn't believe it - there it was! His feedback said that he told me the bag was no longer available and offered to refund my money! Liar Liar Pants on Fire! At least I got a chance to respond - to say that this was not true, etc. etc. At this point I furiously emailed EBAY to discuss the injustice of his feedback. No - they would not do anything - didn't matter that he cheated me! A few days later I received a message from someone else who bought something from him! She did not receive it either - PAYPAL gave her back her $175 (you know, that Buyer Protection) and never got the rest of her money. Unless the seller refunds it - you are indeed out of luck. She told me that she was not going to give him a negative because she saw what he did to me! So - yes, the feedback system is very good when dealing with an honest seller like me - but if a cheat is able to leave negative feedback when he is the cheater! Well, then it does not work. OK - I've whined enough!
I would wonder why anyone would be interested in what I have to say - but after thinking about it a little bit - I have plenty to say and some of it can be interesting. Especially the Ebay selling and the things that happen there (in ebay land), so perhaps I can enjoy this..........Now I have to decide which story to start with..... I think I will start with one of the people who tried cheating me - and maybe you could learn something from my experience. I bought a Bottega handbag for $610 - it would have been a good deal - but who am I kidding - would you really believe that you could buy a $5000 bag for $610? Well, it looked real! Of course it wasn't - it was good though - beautiful leather. I emailed the seller to tell her that it was fake and that I wanted my money back. No response! I gave her a little time and then reported it to both ebay and paypal. No problem PayPal says - I am protected by their CUSTOMER PROTECTION! They tell me to return the bag and once I have proof that it has been received they will credit my account. Great! I returned the bag via UPS - got my proof and called PAYPAL. Absolutely - my credit will be posted immediately. Isn't this great? And yes - they did credit my account at once - $175! OK - I understand, that is all the protection they give! What to do, what to do? I really hated being cheated like that. I work very hard on ebay and take it very seriously. I never want anyone to be unhappy with something that they buy from me - this is supposed to be FUN! The next morning I did a reverse address search on YAHOO. Found her building and emailed her to let her know that I would call everyone in her building (I had all of the names and apartment numbers) and let them know she is a thief! Had my money at the end of the day! A little ingenuity goes a long way. B
