Sorry I supported local sellers

[Still1nLove]

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.

I sell face coverings on Facebook and have made over 500. High quality and I ask my customers to get in touch with any issues, I'm happy to refund, remake, adjust.

I always wonder who actually buys all the shit being sold on Facebook by "mums making some money".

How did you pay for it? If it was bank transfer, or cash on collection/delivery then forget it, write it off as a lesson learned.

If you paid via PayPal contact them and give them a chance to rectify the issues. If they tell you to do one, then raise an "item not as described" claim via PayPal, who pretty much always side with the buyer, and you'll get your money back.

I can't believe enough people buy Facebook tat to make it worth doing.

To be honest, if you go looking for tat on etsy you will find it. Spend a bit more on something decent and you can also find that though. WIsh is complete and utter crap.

If somebody doesnt have a website I dont bother. I sort of wonder who goes into selling stuff without making a website but it seems to be around 75% of people. I dont want to buy things over illiterate, overpersonal facebook messages, ta.

A lot of us have brought this crap to support friends struggling financially, but we should remember that there is an unethical company behind it all making quite a lot of money. Friends have paid £35 for "good quality replica Nikes" £50 for "good quality designer handbag and purse sets" from other friends. Of course they fall apart after first use. The trouble is there is no come back. The seller cannot get their money back and a 10% discount is offered from the next purchase. The sinister side of these businesses is that we have no idea who or where and how the stuff is being made. I hate to think of women and girls in Cambodia chained to sewing machines, but we've all watched the documentaries.

I sell handmade items. So far it is mostly through word of mouth, but I was thinking of putting some things up on etsy and facebook to see how I did there. I worry a lot about whether my buyers are truely happy with their items and if they aren't I really would want them to contact me so I could try and rectify the issue. At the end of the day I want happy customers so that I get repeat business from either them, or people they recommend me to.

I don't think just because something is sold on Facebook means you should expect it to be trash. You have nothing to loose by contacting your sellers, and if they don't offer someway to rectify the issues then I think you should leave honest reviews of their products. People should be proud of the products they sell. I am hoping that your sellers will be professional and sort out the problems so you are happy and are able to have faith in purchasing from individual sellers again.

Handmade items are never going to be perfect simply by virtue that it’s hand made, no precision as a machine.

You have bought in Facebook from mums trying to make a few bob crafting. You have not bought machine made things from a shop. You have also paid the prices if the home made things

By all means contact the sellers, take photos if what you are not satisfied with so you can explain clearly and they can see clearly

They may offer to fix your items but they will certainly need them back to either fix or replace

If it is not economical for them to put in more time to fix, they may simply ask you return for a refund. But do note that personalised items do not require to be refunded if they’re still useable.

That depends on the item and on the skill of the artisan. I buy art, ceramics, fabric decorations and glass. It absolutely is perfect, because it’s done by skilled craftswomen and men. If you’re just paying for someone to stick some twigs and shit together, or maybe a very basic sewn item, then no, it won’t be perfect.

The vast majority of things selling on Facebook are tat. But you can find the odd gem.

dirty mark on shorts - not OK.

ripped torn letters - not OK.

placement of figures on the cushion - really depends on what original looked like, and what this one looks like, so hard to comment.

Of course you should contact them!
They have sold you sub standard stuff.

But when I suport local businesses, I mean actual businesses, not FB.