Frustrated with used dipe buying - Page 3

[Siennaflower]

What does ffs stand for? :

[JohnnysGirl]

Free For Shipping

[Jillbob]

Originally Posted by FlutterBee

What does ffs stand for? :

free for shipping

Originally Posted by Kari_mom

Question: if you bought a diaper that wasn't in the condition described to you, do you leave positive feedback or no feedback, assuming you are not comfortable leaving negative feedback?

Maybe neutral feedback? I don't know, I've been lucky and only had good transactions/trades.

[momtokay]

i think i would only leave positive feedback if you came to some sort of agreement on condition. i pm'd one mama who sent me a "vgc" diaper with holes and in the end she refunded 2/3 of my money and actually gave me the option to return the diaper if i was more comfortable with that. i can't remember if i left her positive feedback after the resolution but i meant to. i would not leave positive feedback for a transaction that i was unhappy with though. the whole point of feedback is to give honest feedback so others don't wind up burned as well.

i never contacted the second mama, just because i wasn't up to it after just having done so with the first diaper. i don't feel right leaving negative or even neutral feedback since i didn't give her a chance to make right on the situation. she listed a TON of stuff at once and i think it was an honest oversight. the mama was very nice, and i'm sure she would have wanted to know about the hole, but like i said i just don't have it in me to negotiate again. so i probably won't leave any feedback on this transaction.

if i got a "vgc" diaper with holes in it and then left positive feedback the mama who sold it to me would logically assume i was happy with the diaper and might go ahead and list all her other holey diapers as "vgc" too. if that happened many other mamas could be dissappointed since the seller had no way of knowing that others might not consider holey as vgc, yk? but i do think you should give any mama a chance to make things right before leaving anything other than ++ feedback. i would hope anyone would give me the chance to make things right.

jmho.

[emmalala]

sorry 'bout that - I was thinking GC would be kind of "used but not destroyed" perhaps implying you'd used it maybe 20 times...

I agree w/pp about the age of the diaper being specified - never dreamed anyone would bleach em tho!!

nak

[Siennaflower]

Originally Posted by Butterflymom

Free For Shipping

Thanks!

[amysuen]

Originally Posted by emmalala

I just spent a couple minutes thinking up some condition guidelines, would these help anyone?

Mint - never washed or worn.

WBNW - washed but not worn (I would let this include tried on).

EC - washed, worn, but with no visible damage.

GC - washed, worn, but fully functional with no stains, holes, rips, bad elastic, wash fading, leaks, or other defects.

Fair - GC but with a defect from the above list.

Well-loved - still works but several defects from the above list. Or old - you would be the diaper's last owner.

FFS - specified defects or just ancient!

Great guidelines! "WBNW" seems long, but I don't have a better suggestion. I think pictures of any defects should be strongly suggested too.

[KayleeZoo]

I've not been very happy with the majority of dipes I've purchased off the TP, for the same reason. I would be all for having a universal guideline system, that might cut down on the differences of opinion on the different terms.

[Greaseball]

I'm happy with most of the dipes I get from the TP, but once I bought a "VGC" fuzzi bunz. The fleece was so rough and scratchy I couldn't bear to put it on dd. I'd call it "fair" condition, "functional" or "acceptable." I paid $12 for it; ended up selling it for $4 a few days later.

I forgot the member's name; otherwise I'd say something to her.

I do love the TP though!

[Jennisee]

The feedback question is a sticky one for me, b/c unlike ebay, MDC is a community. I am constantly bumping into people forum after forum, and I'm hesitant to leave bad feedback and create tension. I do however have a list of "People to never buy diapers from again" and a list of "People whose diapers ROCK."

[Kari_mom]

Originally Posted by Jennisee

The feedback question is a sticky one for me, b/c unlike ebay, MDC is a community. I am constantly bumping into people forum after forum, and I'm hesitant to leave bad feedback and create tension. I do however have a list of "People to never buy diapers from again" and a list of "People whose diapers ROCK."

Jennisee, that is me. I keep a personal list of who not to buy from, I don't leave any feedback, and I let it go.

[nycapmom]

It just doesn't seem fair not to leave feedback Don't you think the other mamas deserve to know? What is the use of a feedback system then. This is why Ebay feedback is virtually useless. Buyers won't leave negative feedback for fear of retaliatory neg feedback so what's the use

[mamaroni]

momtokay, that's such a drag you've had bad experiences. sorry you have to deal with that!

I have been lucky and I'd say 98% of my TP experiences have been good. I've gotten some great used things there. I like the ratings system idea, but you are still going to have mamas out there applying their subjective view of condition. And you'd have to make sure everyone had a copy of the list.

I think you have to give a mama a chance to make it right before leaving negative fb, and tell her you'll be doing so. But I think it's important to leave fb either way.

[RosieTook]

There is also a website. I don't have the address handy that takes donations for diapers.

The one I am sending dipes to is www.miraclediapers.com

I am lucky to have only had the one bad experience...there is NO way she did not know those weren't working...my Kissaluvs are more waterproof without a cover than these "AIO's" : But they were too big for dd when I got them and 2 months later when she started wearing them it was too late, feedback was long gone and I didn't even know who I got them from.

I think you should give honest feedback, so perhaps the mama will think twice about her descriptions. I have had wonderful experiences on the TP...I got 3 of my FAVE dipes here!

[jraohc]

Originally Posted by nycapmom

It just doesn't seem fair not to leave feedback Don't you think the other mamas deserve to know? What is the use of a feedback system then. This is why Ebay feedback is virtually useless. Buyers won't leave negative feedback for fear of retaliatory neg feedback so what's the use

I totally agree with nycapmom. As someone who is new to cloth and new to trading post, I'm extremely hesitant, especially after seeing threads like this. I don't want to end up being burned by a bad diaper, but I also don't want to spend tons of $'s to try new things or to start up our cloth stash. I was psyched to see that there was a feedback section and I was trusting that people actually used it. I can understand that no one wants to see bad feedback and people don't want to create tension on the board, but at the same time, do you want other mom's to get burned by the same person?

[jillyofthevalley]

Originally Posted by emmalala

I agree w/pp about the age of the diaper being specified - never dreamed anyone would bleach em tho!!

nak

Bleach never occured to me either until I received a dipe the other day. I knew the elastic was "going" when I purchased it but I got it for quite a bit cheaper than she was asking for it originally. Anyway, I decided to replace the elastic in the legs right away and when I pulled it apart I found the elastic had completely disintigrated! I'm pretty sure that dipe had been bleached a lot! Next time that is a question I would definitely ask.

Also, always ask if the elastic is ok because I think people tend not to check that before they list the diaper. If it's been sitting around for a while the elastic may have gone and the seller didn't even notice (it is a big pain in the butt to replace elastic, although I don't mind if I get the dipe for really cheap).

[judybean]

Honestly, I feel the buyer-to-be should be asking questions beforehand anyway.

You should always try to make sure what you are buying is the product you are looking for.

-- If you're worried about elastic, ask.

-- If you're worried about bleach, ask.

-- If you want to know original owner/how long diaper has been around... well, ask.

I think the buyer has a vital role in this as well. It's not all up to the seller. Some things would never cross the seller's mind (i.e. I would never think to list 'never bleached' because... I never bleach anything.. it's not an issue in our house and I guess I figure most people *don't* use bleach).

I'm in no way saying some sellers aren't dishonest in their representation of a diaper. Some, unfortunately, are.

But you (generic you, of course) as a buyer need to be sure you are getting the product you are paying for. If you need additional pictures, ask... that way you can check for holes yourself and gauge a general idea of the condition of the diaper, etc.

Take an active role in your spending.

(off soap box)

[binxsmom]

i hate to admit it but i kinda agree with judy. i have gotten bum deals on the tp but i just chalk it up to my lack of asking specific questions. still. :

[emmalala]

For a while there I had a list of specific questions I would always ask before I bought anything. It was rather embarrassing to give someone I didn't know the third degree about her stuff, but it made me feel a little bit more confident.

That worked OK for items I am familiar with, but for different types of diapering items there are different issues. Now that I have figured out all the bad stuff about fitteds, I'm discovering that wool is a totally different game... the hard way of course!

[Kari_mom]

Originally Posted by jraohc

I totally agree with nycapmom. As someone who is new to cloth and new to trading post, I'm extremely hesitant, especially after seeing threads like this. I don't want to end up being burned by a bad diaper, but I also don't want to spend tons of $'s to try new things or to start up our cloth stash. I was psyched to see that there was a feedback section and I was trusting that people actually used it. I can understand that no one wants to see bad feedback and people don't want to create tension on the board, but at the same time, do you want other mom's to get burned by the same person?

I understand where you are coming from, I really do. The vast majority of my purchases come from the TP. But the particular instance I am thinking of for me, the mama was well known on this board, I was new, and when I brought it up even obliquely on a thread, I was ridiculed for thinking that any MDC mama would sell a dipe for more than it was worth.

If it isn't a battle I am willing to fight for myself, I am not willing to fight it for you either. I am just sorry that it ever happens in the first place. But I have been buying used clothing for a long time, and IME it still works out cheaper even with a few duds.

She isn't here anymore, so these things do resolve themselves. Bad karma comes right back at ya, you know?