To think that the woman who messaged me on Ebay to ask a special favour

[ShittyCrappyThingToDo]

..which involved me going out, buying stuff, putting it together (was party cups containing loads of different things and nicely bagged and decorated), paying money for petrol and parking and wasting my bloody time - where was I? To think that this woman could at the very least message me that she's changed her mind?
She wanted a load of prefilled party cups sent today so she'd get them tomorrow. I warned her guaranteed postage would be expensive - she said no problem. So now I'm left with a shitload of party cups that had it been up to me I wouldn't have bloody had at all. Waste of money listing them, waste of time boxing them all up so they wouldn't crush, waste of bloody time unpacking the box and putting them all God Knows Bloody Where. Damn I'm pissed off.
So if you're a MN'er (I'm not shitty enough to give your location. Yet) and it's your kid's surprise party tomorrow I hope the party cups you got in the end are cheap and shitty and come with the smell of poo firmly attached.
That is all.

Yes Mamma I know that. I do know that I should have waited for payment. The reason I'm so deflated and pissed off is that I was doing a favour. I've been on ebay for ten years - I know about waiting for payment. This was a one-off. And a never-again!

And report her as a time waster.... can you do that? Cos if you can I would!

We try to do business ethically and provide the best customer service but it does mean that we have occasionally been taken advantage of. Customers moving the goal posts with their requests and trying to shorten our lead time by hustling us. We are learning to stick by our guns and politely say no, once bitten twice shy as they say.

I think listing it locally could be the answer as suggested by Knackered it might bring you in contact with a party entertainer and open up a whole new market.

Stay positive!

Maybe she thought the postage was too high? She may have just assumed that an established eBay seller would have some notion of postal charges, and not realise that you went out and bought the stuff purely in order to weigh it (it's a strange thing to do on the back of an initial query, is it not?)

Yes Flogging (just as I well I haven't changed NN yet ) I don't think you've completely understood what I did or why I did it. However, I can assure you that she knew everything I intended/offered to do as the message trail bears up. I have just checked this in case I did misunderstand. I've already owned up to being a fuckwit and an idiot - I don't mind critiquing my actions here. They were well intended is all I can say. Just to answer your last point - I am perfectly able to tell the price of a package from either looking at it or weighing it or both. Never get it wrong either. On this occasion, clearly, my mistake was not knowing the weight of the goods that were as yet still in the shop. I'll need to improve on this. I'd have minded all this a lot less if she'd had the common decency to message me re her change of mind. And now ShittyCrappyThingToDo will cease to exist. Thank you all for input and kindness (where applicable )

You've learned a lesson that's all. I've done similar as a freelancer. I now know how to handle chancers. So do you.x

I reckon you could shift them if you put them up on a local fb selling page.

aww. for business you need to be tougher, but you dont need to hear that

karma will reward you for being nice, and let this be a not too painful lesson

and stock them, and sell another time

They sound like a new take on party bags and if they are, there will be someone who wants them.

Gaaah - keep trying to kill this id and lovely people keep posting nice things to me.
Thank you again for kindness - you're right - I need to toughen the fuck up and learn from the lesson. I will and I have.
Thank you again

OP this person sounds like a twat. You are nice and she took advantage. Don't beat yourself up about it. It is firmly her problem.

I learnt from using eBay just to list things and sell them as per the auction. If anyone ever messages me to ask to vary anything or for special treatment, the answer is always no because I've done it before and people take the piss or are flaky.

Btw tight deadlines are often used as an excuse:
"Please let me buy your item now as it is my brother's/child's birthday on Saturday" translates as "I don't want to pay the full auction ending price so let me rip you off now."
Or for a buyer collect item that eventually sold for £140 - "I could pick this item up tonight before the auction finishes so you have the space back and it's just in time for my dd's birthday, I'll give you £90".

Messages received on eBay are at least 50% chancers IMO.

What are these party cups like, exactly? If they are likely to be suitable for DS's forthcoming 4th birthday, I'll take 'em...

You can't even give negative feedback to a buyer even if there HAS been a transaction, unless they have changed it again. This is why I no longer eBay. It attracts cunts, it seems.

Argh what a PITA.

Your product sounds really cool BTW.

Is there any way you could get them sold at the school Xmas fair or something? Or even consider that your donation to them (instead of whatever else you need to donate - the list is endless at our school anyway) so they keep the money (if you could afford it)?

I have messaged the intrigued posters - bless you all . You've made a stupid old woman feel slightly less ...........errrrr........stupid!

Party cups are coloured paper cups filled with stuff like bubbles, pens, play doh, candy etc tied up in a cello bag and decorated with shiny ribbon. I suppose we used to call them party bags back in the day!

Purple - yes! You're right - and I've had those chancers before. I don't really know why I fell for this one except she seemed to be a Mum in a hole and we've all been there. Never mind - first and last time.
It's true about the negative f/b - I forgot - you as a seller can't leave it but you're ok to sit there like a target at a funfair and take it! So unreasonable.

Get on your local selling pages on Facebook and stick them on there. People sell loads of stuff like that it seems. eBay is full of twats sometimes

OP, can you pm me a link to your eBay listing so I can have a look? my DD has her first ever party in Jan and I'm stressing about the party bags - I didn't know I could pay someone to make them! I'd like to have a look and see what they are!

Always annoying when people take advantage of kindness. op.
And, because when you are kind, there is always a next time. Ask for a deposit to be paid via PayPal first next time. May not save all your costs, but should certainly wheedle the time wasters out before you do too much!

(don't reply, hope you're back to nn but see this anyways!)

Don't kick yourself. It's possible your instincts were right about her and she has had a very traumatic day.

Next time you can ask them to buy the order with a cheaper second class delivery price but tell them to commit and not pay for it. You can then go back and edit the postage costs the next day.

That way, you still have a transaction you can claim through

Again thanks to you nice people - restores one's faith although I am too easily upset at the moment and I so DO need to toughen up! I've learned my lesson!