My First Return Case

Monday, April 9, 2018

Last year, I briefly dabbled in the idea of opening a boutique.  Working full time while writing resumes freelance already made my plate full and I thought being able to order inventory from my phone on my lunch break would be a much simpler process for me overall.

It wasn't.  I crashed and burned and crashed some more.  I am not a fashionista and what I like is not necessarily what the general shopping public likes. So I learned my lesson and decided to dive into thrifting, which for this cheapskate was a high.

By September, I was still working my way through clearing out the initial inventory I ordered wholesale (fun fact: still have some of I'm trying to unload).  The one successful piece I ordered was a black lacy dress that racked up lots of likes immediately.  With one piece left, I happily accepted a lowball offer that allowed me to make back what I spent on the piece and a couple dollars too. 

I shipped it off and felt lighter - even though she purchased on Labor Day and I couldn't ship same day and she gave me a bad vibe when it wasn't immediately shipped.  I removed the cross-posted listing on eBay and went on my way until a week later when a case was opened against me: the size tag was missing, so the buyer couldn't identify where the actual tag was.  I reached out, told her it was....and heard nothing back.

The buyer was a huge fat liar.  While not in the traditional spot on the upper back of the dress, the tag was located within the seam of the dress and was actually quite large.  So my buyer wasn't clueless, she was sneaky.  The dress didn't fit and she found her opportunity to return.

I was frustrated and I told Poshmark exactly where the buyer could find the tag - but they accepted the return anyway.  I felt cheated.

Waiting for my dress to be returned, I anticipated the tag being removed completely from the dress to prove her point.  How else could she get away with her claim without damaging the dress? A few days later, the dress returned and I tore through the tiny box she smooshed it in.

And there, within the seams of the dress, was the size tag plain as day.  She didn't remove it at all.  I immediately filed an issue with Poshmark and took pictures of the dress.  I was genuinely concerned she would pull this crap again.  To send and return this dress, it cost Poshmark $12 which would most certainly affect their business model.  Basically, they shrugged their shoulders and said we'll keep an eye out for her.

I blocked her, immediately.  Mostly because I didn't want to accidentally share items to her or sell to her again if she liked something else in my closet.  She cheated me once, I wouldn't give her the opportunity to again.

I relisted on Poshmark and eBay and within HOURS of my relisted on eBay, a repeat buyer purchased at full price.  In fact, they were incredibly happy and couldn't believe how beautiful it was in person.

Of course, all of this was before the new returns process rolled out (which I have yet - fingers crossed- to experience).  I've had a few return cases opened and closed since then, but I've learned that anger won't serve me any real justice.  People will lie and cheat, but overall, the experience has largely been positive.  Letting one buyer destroy my entire experience with reselling would let her win - so whatever, she lost out on a great item and I made more money than I would have if she simply accepted.

At the end of the day, I'm grateful she didn't destroy the dress.  There's much worse.  I learned to hone my customer service skills and to stick up for myself when I knew I was right.

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