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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Sorry I supported local sellers

85 replies

Still1nLove · 13/11/2020 15:01

I saw some nice personalised bits being sold by local sellers, I think mums making some money. They are on fb abs recommend by people I know.

Anyway, I’ve just opened them and I am disappointed. I bought 4 items from 2 sellers and there is a problem with each of them.

I bought two mini hand sanitiser bottles with my kids names on them. The letters are just stickers, I thought they would be printed somehow. One letter is torn and one letter is creased/crumpled. £2.50 each

I bought a cami-short set, beautiful colour and the lettering is perfect but there is a mark on the back of the shorts, it looks like something spilt, it’s about one inch square. £15

Finally, I bought a cushion which has stick figures wearing Christmas hats to represent each member of my family and our names under each character. But of the 6 figures, 2 are in the left and the other 4 are squashed on the right. £20

I feel I should contact the vendors and let them know, but what if they tell me to do one? Ideally I would want the items replaced, especially the cushion as looking at it is really annoying me and the off-centredness (not a real word, I know) is making me feel funny! But what if they say I’m to return the items for a refund and no replacement, I don’t dislike them that much. The vendors are a 20 minute drive from me.

Yabu- homemade stuff being sold on Facebook is usually tatt. Do you really expect a refund or replacement? Just suck it up and don’t make this mistake again.

Yanbu- all items being sold should be of a good/decent standard. You should contact the vendor and they should offer a replacement or refund.

OP posts:
Cassie71 · 13/11/2020 16:57

There's a lot of mlm sellers on local buy and sell facebook groups. What's the make of the products you bought?

Woollyslippers · 13/11/2020 17:07

As someone who sells some of my art on my business facebook page I always check that someone is happy beforehand, especially if it's a commission. And I always give them the option of no obligation to buy even if it's taken me ages.
If someone received one of my items and weren't happy with it I'd much rather they contacted me to say what the problem was, if we couldn't come to a solution then I'd refund them.

I don't think I'd respond well to someone who 'went nuclear' on me. I'd prefer just to be reasonable.

HollyandIvyandallthingsYule · 13/11/2020 17:20

Yeah..a lot of it will be absolute tat.

I buy from artists, artisans and craftsmen/women who have Facebook businesses, but i look carefully at their work beforehand to determine whether I’m happy with the quality, and I pay fair prices. Handcrafted things are generally more expensive because you’re paying for that individual’s time. If it’s too cheap it’s definitely going to be tat.

NotImpossible · 13/11/2020 17:23

If they are making stuff to sell and posting it they are a business seller - with the legal obligations of one. If the items are significantly not as described (and you didn't see them before - were they posted?) then you have some rights but unless you paid via PayPal (goods and services) I think you'd have a hard time enforcing them. If you did use PayPal then you can pursue a return/refund.

NotImpossible · 13/11/2020 17:27

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations

This is worth reading for anyone who shops online. It's amazing how many don't know their rights and obligations (I say this as a long term business seller).

Brighterthansunflowers · 13/11/2020 17:28

Another vote for use Etsy! I’ve had some fantastic stuff from there and only had good customer service experiences from sellers. And you have the platform to fall back on if you run into major problems with a dodgy seller.

JimmyTheBrave · 13/11/2020 17:33

You'd be better off on Etsy really, you can read the reviews beforehand which often include pictures so you can get an idea of the actual product that people receive.

dontgobaconmyheart · 13/11/2020 17:42

How disappointing OP, I'd certainly query it re: items you've paid a fair bit for.

I buy on etsy a lot and i think it's not strictly true to say it's free of tat or that you are guaranteed to receive something that reflects the quality of the photos. Nor does that mean to say people who do simply didn't check reviews or have themselves to blame. Very few etsy reviews have photos of the item. As I say, I buy on there frequently and it's great for the most part but I did just order some handwritten calligraphy gift tags. I'd say about 1/3 of them aren't legible or readable as anyones name. Eg 'Mum' just looks like a scrawl.

You do feel like you can't say anything after they've hit you with the 'thanks so much for supporting my tiny business as it gets off the ground in these difficult times' type of spiel or when quibbling over a few pounds. Still annoying though as I will just have to order more.

A private seller having their own website also doesn't automatically make them legitimate or high quality. The whole internet is littered with scam websites. It means nothing.

If you legitimately want to support small businesses I'd do that, look for businesses on the likes of Instagram and vet them. This year I've attempted to limit gifts and will be donating to the food bank but where I have bought have/will do so from women owned small businesses and artists and those supporting worthwhile causes, such as Arthouse Unlimited (as an eg).

Original poster
Still1nLove · 13/11/2020 17:47

I’ve always been happy with my Etsy purchase.

I’ve shown my husband and his exact word were:

“What do you expect for £2.50”

“It looks alright” “of course it’s not going to last, it’s only iron in transfers” “it definitely won’t last if you keep picking it like that” - about the cushion.

“Just give it a wash before you give it to her”

Men eh?!?

OP posts:
Viviennemary · 13/11/2020 17:50

I think it's a shame you were disappointed. You tried to do a nice thing and supported local sellers. And you were more or less ripped off. It's cheeky.

Itsokthanks · 13/11/2020 17:58

Are they actually running a business? The amount of tat that comes up on FB with no links to a business page or website. Don't buy from random people with no reviews or evidence they're actually running a business, it will most likely be crap.

MoonJelly · 13/11/2020 18:14

You should ask for a refund and say you will certainly return the items if they send you the cost of postage and packing.

FleecyMoo · 13/11/2020 18:26

I sell via my own shop (bricks and mortar) and website and I am very professional and skilled at what I do because I've been doing it for years. I prefer people to see the products before they buy them because some of my things are good quality which you can't tell by just looking at the photos on eBay or Etsy or wherever. Sadly, this year has put paid to most of my shop sales due to coronavirus :( I think the old adage, "You get what you pay for", should be borne in mind when buying from FB or eBay type sites.

mrshonda · 13/11/2020 18:35

Please support small local businesses by shopping on Etsy (worldwide) or Folksy (UK based). Myself and friends have our tiny businesses on there.

W0MAN · 13/11/2020 22:55

I see a lot of people mentioning Etsy, even that platform seems to have a lot of people selling mass produced stuff.

I was looking for a pencil case for my daughter and it was very difficult to find something among the listings of shit that's listed on wish. Same when my sister was looking for a certain type of bag. Easily spotted if you visit sites such eBay/Amazon and wish but a lot of people think everything on wish is handmade by small local businesses.

Look at these photos, I've just had a quick look now. Two sellers on Etsy selling the exact same product, exact same images etc but at very different prices.

Sorry I supported local sellers
Sorry I supported local sellers
switswooo · 14/11/2020 10:54

@Smallsteps88

go nuclear on them? really?

or she could just respond appropriately, like a normal person. thats an option.

What part of ‘IF they tell you to do one’ did you not understand?

Funny how you’re advocating responding like a ‘normal’ person when you haven’t responded like a normal person to me by reading what I wrote first.

Smallsteps88 · 14/11/2020 10:59

What part of ‘IF they tell you to do one’ did you not understand?

None of it. I understood it all perfectly. which is why I responded as I did. If they tell her they will kill her family in their sleep then "go nuclear" might be an appropriate response. But for telling her to do one? nah, that would be a massive overreaction and not a normal persons response. do you normally go nuclear on people being slightly rude?

Nanny0gg · 14/11/2020 11:05

@tectonicplates

I'm amazed to hear that someone has actually bought this stuff in the first place. I don't know what I'd do, but hopefully you've learned your lesson and won't bother again!

By the way, supporting local businesses isn't the same thing as buying random crap from someone on a facebook group. I think the legit businesses tend to have their own websites and their own facebook pages etc. You'll probably find much better quality stuff there.

^^This
LEELULUMPKIN · 14/11/2020 11:13

It's the breadbin all over again..........

switswooo · 15/11/2020 11:39

@Smallsteps88

What part of ‘IF they tell you to do one’ did you not understand?

None of it. I understood it all perfectly. which is why I responded as I did. If they tell her they will kill her family in their sleep then "go nuclear" might be an appropriate response. But for telling her to do one? nah, that would be a massive overreaction and not a normal persons response. do you normally go nuclear on people being slightly rude?

You do realise I'm not actually actually advocating that OP drops Little Boy and Fat Man on the eBay seller? Hmm
smalalalalalala · 15/11/2020 12:55

I had a friend who used to do something similar, wasn't cheap and was impressed by how quick she could do it (20 min over lunch time for £20).

Once she misspelled a name, she noticed it but she carried on as normal. It would have cost her les than 1p to replace it but still...

Do not hesitate to complain.

Loveable1 · 15/11/2020 13:00

I would complain. It gives the genuine sellers a bad name otherwise as people then stop buying from local sellers because of bad experiences.
If people complain if something is wrong then hopefully it makes them buck their ideas up and either put more effort into their work or they give up as the complaints put them offGrin

Smallsteps88 · 15/11/2020 13:01

You do realise I'm not actually actually advocating that OP drops Little Boy and Fat Man on the eBay seller?

no, youre advocating she "go nuclear". that sounds like a pretty severe reaction. what do you mean by "go nuclear"?

DianaT1969 · 15/11/2020 13:10

Sorry, buy I think you're buying worthless, dust catchers. Pure tat. Speaking as someone who has lots of 'regret purchases' to take to a charity shop when they open. But even I wouldn't see any reason to buy the stuff you listed.
Keep your money. Save it for better things.

Waveysnail · 15/11/2020 13:14

I have to agree with your husband