Before conspiring to create this blog, I was scouring through our cable for a program that would promote any type of entertainment.  Not the leisure my husband chases on Sportscenter, or the giddies my toddler daughter receives when SpongeBob mysterious flips on, but a show that would relieve me from cleaning the hamster cage yet again. 

            Actually, what I settled on and still watching is the 80’s smash Fright Night, the engaging vampire flick with usual protruding fangs and gory spillage of unnecessary blood.  Where I am going with all of this is, the movie is rated three stars.  I would think the three would be out of a barrel of uncountable amount.  But, no, five.  Five?  Where is this critic?  The recent, The Departed, pulled four, and what about Casino?  Sharon Stone and Robert De Niro also yanked four.  Obviously, not the same critic viewing both.  To some, this is a good thing, but to others, possibly the standard or benchmark for this type of judging is a bit skewed.

            Since E-bay relies on the virtual, two dimensional storefront, and the Paypal plaza for payments, we have to yield to the some type of satisfaction model.  Most of us wouldn’t drop coin on some seedy or sordid store promising wondrous products only to be burned later.  At the same time, those owners wouldn’t want us corrupting their profits.  So what to do?  Ebay produced the bars of approval, green, grey, and the feared, negative. 

Honestly, I don’t quite agree with this proposal of settling buyer or seller fulfillment.  As we all know in the retail world, purchases and sales can’t always be seen in three stages.  Plus, what is grey to one can perhaps swing to red for another.  However, with this opinion, I might disagree on the model, but, at this moment, I don’t really have a better idea or method.  I guess Ebay doesn’t either.  That is probably why has been unchanged since its creation.

Have any of you, for the mere sake of entertainment fished through others feedback?  Guilty pleasure, but, I have to say that I have.  Probably more than necessary.  I can’t say it was for the justification of sales or to scope out likely customers, but, I just wanted to read them.  I admit it.  One can see the flowing circles of green, then dreaded livid customer not receiving their book within the three day allotted time and splatters the red.  Thankfully, the seller can respond.  Or do what they think is responding.  I would think the words: idiot and jerk doesn’t fall under any sense of real patronage, but what does it mean?

To me, really nothing.  I do confess that I would be frighted, sorry for the pun, at the thought that someone would think of me in a negative way or feel my products or shipping style didn’t fall within their acceptable means.  But, in not trying to start a political debate, but if the survey was sent to thousands asking the opinion of our standards as to the behavior and decisions on behalf of our President recently, and, was told to amass our answers in green, grey, and red and don’t forget the 36 character comment, those answers would be also skewed to say the least.  Of course, some would not provide the feedback and others’ greens would be thrown to the curb with the reds piling on.  Plus, the reds received could be the result of the disagreement with our boss moments before or our newborn staying up half the night and have really nothing to do with politics or the sweater we purchased in the first place.  I realize complaining really does nothing to find a solution to a better and justifiable method, but, I throw this out:  before lending our opinion and hauling out the red pen, or even the grey monster, can we contact the buyer/seller for a solution?  Can we strip the jerk or idiot from our retaliations?  Because I am pretty sure Talbots store clerk wouldn’t shove our newly purchased vest across the cash register barking those names if we needed a return, even for no reason at all.  I think some might take advantage of this system.  I would like to add that this review is not in vengeance to pursuing customer or seller.  Thankfully, I have not encountered the patron or other that was livid with me.  I am sure one of these days, it will happen.  It is a statistical certainty.  But, when the time comes, gulp,  I would like to think that I would cope with the situation as if I had the person directly in front of me as if I had the actual Talbot’s name tag and not treat this individual as if they were a mere sign-in name or two-dimensional creature without feelings.

I am in process of selling my ENTIRE scrapbooking and card-making collection.  It is immense.  I guess I have too many activities and now I am going to cut one...plus, I haven't got to it as much as I would like to.  I have divided some items; the scissors, pencils, some punches, and other still in individual auctions, but the rest and there is a lot....Should I separate some of the papers, couple them with stickers, or should I have a mystery auction or should I sell the a lot a BIG lot of stickers?  Hmmm....I am sure that some people want the Jolee stickers, but not others...and in other situations, they may want only dark paper stock, and not the pastels that I have....... I guess I am going to rely on all you goddesses who do this big time and how YOU buy some of this material.  Thanks for your input and response.   :)

I have a buyer who made a mistake when bidding on one of my cookbooks.  He wanted to bid $9.27, however it went in as $927.00.  He won the auction, obviously.  But, the book sold for $26.00 plus the $4.25 shipping.  I offered to sell him the book at the $9.27 plus the shipping....

The invoice won't let me change the final purchase amount.  Of course, I can change shipping, tax, insurance, etc.  But, how do I go in and retract the invoice and change to the amount that I agreed?  (I don't see it in the help section....)

Thanks so much!!

Thank you to all who reads this...

I am selling some new cookbooks.  I have a potential buyer who is interested in purchasing two hardcovers.  Between the two books, they weight about six pounds.  He would like a quote on the shipping, however, I do not see within the shipping calculator the option for mailing books w/Media Mail (as offered here in the states).  Some of the prices that I am finding are rather high.  I realize I should probably ship them together for added discount, however, there doesn't seem to be a realistic option for shipping these internationally.  Any advice?

Thank you in advance for your comments and suggestions!!

Jennifer

Okay...I really don't know what to do.  Received my child's Halloween costume, there is no way, NO WAY she can wear it.  They listed it in "excellent" condition.  It has not only stains on the front (massive), but it smells like mold and has greenish - mold? stains on other parts of it.  The seller does not accept refunds...and on top of it has a 100% feedback rating.  Am I imagining this?  I guess I am out of $30.00, and now STILL have to get a costume...