Venting: EBay Poor Quality Fleece

[nattybo]

I won an auction of hemp fleece...at the time I thought yeah! I can start making my own diapers now. Whoopie! But when the package got here last night, I was disapointed in the quality of the fleece.

The fabric is definitely second quality but that was not stated any where in the auction description. On the fleecy side I can see loops of the weave that is supposed to holding the fleece.
Last night it looked like 50% loops to 50% thinly piled fleece. but today it looks even worse.

I have some hemp fleece that I got from an online hemp fabric store and it is nothing like the stuff I got from this seller. At the time of the auction, I thought that I got a marginly good deal, 5 yards for $28 but now I think that I got ripped off. I know that I can get 5 yards for $40 and it will be high quality fabric from the fabric store.

So now I have to figure out if I want to keep this and hope that it will make good diaper fabric, or pay $8 to return it to the seller.
Grrrrr.. and while I am venting...it took 3 weeks to get here grrrrrr :

[amysuen]

So sorry mama!!

[our3boys]

It's so hard on E-bay b/c I have gotten some great deals, and some really bad deals (on all sorts of things). But I don't want to miss out on those great deals...

Your story makes me realize I need to be spending money on quality fabric I can see and feel or at least a reputable online diaper fabric supplier.

[nattybo]

I just read the auction terms for a refund. The seller's fine print she said she would give refunds within seven days of the shipment date...well it took 9 days for it to get to my house in maryland, from michigan (bought on the 6th, mailed on the 18, received on the 27). USPS priority mail too.
I sent her an email asking her where she bought this fabric so that I didn't make the same mistake twice in buying from that shop/dealer/person. That was 3 days ago. She hasn't emailed me back. Grrr.

And double grrr, why is the US postal service so dang slow? Isn't priority maile supposed to be 3 days? It's not lilke this was coming from Canada (customs).

And now I have to figure out what I should leave for feedback. It is not the sellers fault that the mail was slow.

But what is irritaing me is that she has not answered my question as to where she got this fabric. I didn't ask for a refund in the first email that I sent. But as time goes by, I am finding that I am getting irritated, like I am being blown off. And I thought that I had 7 days after receivng the package not 7 days after the shipment date...point is moot now.

Sigh. Thanks for letting me vent, gals. I just feel as though I am hitting my head against a wall. Not getting anywhere.

There has to be a better way to buy good quality fabric economically priced. But this is starting to sound like a topic for a new thread.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading my vent. I am going to go try to find a way to make lemonaid out of my lemons now.

[white_feather]

But it is the seller's fault that she's only accepting refunds 7 days after shipping date. That's ridiculous. My parents live in Michigan, and it regularly takes a week or more to send packages back and forth. That is simply not enough time, and it's her way of limiting refunds.

And, it's the seller's fault that she's selling second quality fabric without mentioning it on the auction.

I'd ask for a refund straight up, and go from there.

[our3boys]

Of course then there is the postage you paid for getting it to you and getting it back. I ran into that once when I got something that did not work as stated. *And* she wanted to take out her costs to relist, too. It was going to cost as much as the item, and I'd have to make a trip to the post office, so I had to let it go.

I understand your frustration. You can keep "grrr-ing", especially if it is helping.

[our3boys]

Don't leave feedback until you are sure she will not answer you. Once I left feedback, and then noticed something was missing. I never heard back. Of course, I had left good feedback, so that was all she cared about.

How about this:

not quality stated/prior.shp2slow4 refund/no email response 3 days

That looks like 66 characters, but it does look too long. If you had more space you could type out Priority shipping or type "$$postage" after "refund". It will get your point across, since yours WILL be read.

That being said, I've never actually left a neg or neutral feedback, although I should have. Sellers leave their "out" for a retaliatory one by waiting until you have left yours. I usually pay within minutes w/Paypal, unless waiting for another to finish for combined shipping (then I e-mail to tell them so), but I'm sure they would come up with something (even a lie!) Usually I do not leave any feedback. So if you leave it, I'll feel vicariously vindicated.

Soooo to bring this back to what this forum is supposed to be about (diaper making, not e-bay), I guess it proves the point that we should be paying a little more for quality products from reputable diaper making supply sites. I've found the savings is not worth the risk.

[nattybo]

Originally Posted by our3boys

Soooo to bring this back to what this forum is supposed to be about (diaper making, not e-bay),

Originally Posted by our3boys

I guess it proves the point that we should be paying a little more for quality products from reputable diaper making supply sites. I've found the savings is not worth the risk.

But that is my point!!!! I have read where other cloth diaper mommas were having trouble with the E-Bay "PUL STORE." That their Pul is not very good. I almost bought from there too had it not been for others warning me through posts.
So if we as a community do not warn others of our community about questionalble quality stores/sellers who are targeting our community then how are we to learn from where others have erred, how are we to benefit?

Not all ebay sellers/stores are bad. I have had very good experiences with graniteSmith of ebay, but she sells prefolds, not fabric so to discuss her store would be off topic for the diaper making forum.

[nattybo]

The seller whom I was upset with has contacted me and has offered a refund. Now if we could all just let this thread die and go away. Please. b/c it is not about making diapers?????!!!

[onediaperinmama]

Originally Posted by our3boys

Sellers leave their "out" for a retaliatory one by waiting until you have left yours.

That sooo ticks me off. When I have a seller pay quickly and promptly I leave good feedback immediately and then ship the goods. The seller has done their part, they paid quickly and so I leave good feedback.

When I order off ebay and pay immediately it SO CHAPS MY HIDE when the seller waits until I've received my goods and then left good feedback before they leave me any just so they can protect themselves by leaving retalitory neg. feedback should I choose to leave some. TICKS ME OFF! I've never left neg. feedback but I expect, by being a good buyer (paying promptly) that I should get good feedback immediately - NOT after they make sure I'm happy with my purchase .

</rant>

[maeveypoo]

yep, i have to agree with you Jessica. i sell on ebay and always leave the buyer feedback with 24 hours of receiving their payment (not always right when i receive it, because with 4 kids, i just can't ya know?) i've only ever left a neutral feedback once - and that was as a buyer (seller decided after i'd paid that he didn't want to sell it for the price i'd won the auction at : - he was selling through a third-party company which is no longer in business)

and yeah, ITA on the not being up front with the quality of what you're selling - i recently sold a chess set and one of the pieces had been broken and glued back together my dh took several pictures to try and show the break line (which didn't even show up in the photos!! - even with our 6.1mp digital camera ~sigh~) but at least we tried

~Jen