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orchardhousehandmade



Posts: 7

PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 2:21 pm    Post subject: Hi Reply with quote

Hi

I have not long opened my store here Orchard House Handmade.

I don't have a lot of items online, at the moment. I am hoping a slow and steady approach will work, especially with building up my social media presence.

At the moment I am selling crochet items but hope to eventually add jewellery as well.
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lastade-designs
moderator


Posts: 2903

PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 2:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome to Ecrater! Your crocheted items are lovely.

I have a suggestion for you. We are allowed 100 characters in the title and this is how people will find you. You should add some words to make your title more searchable. I would maybe title your blue poncho as Hand Made Crocheted Blue Poncho Adult size small 10-12 UK 6-8 US plus any other words that you can think of that people might search for when searching for a poncho.
You can google US sizes which is how I found the 6-8 US size for 10-12 UK.
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thelivesandlovesofmaggiethecat



Posts: 10158

PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 5:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome and good luck. This is a bad time to start up a business but it will give you time to get your shop all set up and stocked by the time business will pick up.
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deal4u2



Posts: 1

PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 11:46 am    Post subject: hi Reply with quote

Very Happy i am new to ecrater-i hope to form a lasting place to sell my items-i sell cds-dvds-sports cards-die-cast&more-please feel free to check my store out
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orchardhousehandmade



Posts: 7

PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 1:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you lastade-designs for your helpful feedback, I will have a look at my listings tomorrow and follow your advice.

I would do it today but my youngest is home from school and has had the tv on all day and having to listen to it has fried my brain and I can't think.

Thank you thelivesandlovesofmaggiethecat for your welcome to the forum as well.
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MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:25 pm    Post subject: Re: hi Reply with quote

deal4u2 wrote:
Very Happy i am new to ecrater-i hope to form a lasting place to sell my items-i sell cds-dvds-sports cards-die-cast&more-please feel free to check my store out


You might want to start your own thread so you will get more attention for your store. I'm sure you didn't realize forum protocol that 'hijacking' a thread is a no-no. It makes it hard to know what people are talking about if there are two threads going on one actual thread.
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MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

orchardhousehandmade wrote:
Thank you lastade-designs for your helpful feedback, I will have a look at my listings tomorrow and follow your advice.

I would do it today but my youngest is home from school and has had the tv on all day and having to listen to it has fried my brain and I can't think.


Sorry about the fried brain! My youngest was here bringing me my cereal that isn't sold in my town and to my in-laws groceries for them. You will really appreciate at them when they grow up! Smile

Definitely you will need to expand those titles. Also I noted that you say to wash in 40 degree water. I converted it to Fahrenheit which we use here in the states and it would be 104 (luke warm I think) . Lastade could confirm this as she is quite the crocheter!

I noticed that you haven't done any terms of service yet. This is where you discuss how quick you ship, if you do refunds and the parameters for them, especially for anything shipped to the states. Feel free to look at other sellers TOS to see what they write. If you see any that looks like an attorney/barrister upchucked a legal dictionary move on. Buyers want to see the practical stuff not nonsense that you have no control of. You will find I am always too wordy, but I try to to cover everything. One of the nice reasons for selling here, is that you can set your own refund rules as in No refunds, or refunds for these reasons, and if someone wants you to makes something custom for them, probably no refunds. I haven't even looked at hers, but check out Lastade's TOS to see what is important. I think Mrs. D and K.... also makes handmade items.

Take care and I hope you get sales. I'm not sure how well handmade jewelry sells online. So you may want to do research on that.
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orchardhousehandmade



Posts: 7

PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wish to thank the people who replied to my post, I have taken all your suggestions on board and hopefully, my shop is looking a lot better now.

MoonwishesStore unfortunately as I am based in the UK it would be illegal for me to refuse refunds to customers and even in certain circumstance the law says I have to refund a custom order if it can be sold to someone else.

For example, if I sold necklaces with blue beads and a customer wanted one with yellow beads, I would have to refund if they changed their mind, but if the customer had ordered a necklace with the names of their children and then changed their mind. I don't have to refund them.

Thanks for all your help.
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MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do you have to refund even US orders? Seems like I heard about some of your rules about things are stricter than here. You might want to think ahead of time as to how you will handle refunds from here in the states and the buyer isn't going to want to pay to ship something back that came to them more peach-colored than the light salmon color they expected. Most buyers here seem to think the seller has to bear the whole burden of losing money left and right, but that has only come about with the big selling venues like Amazon that will refund everybody, even if the buyer got a dirty nappy back instead of the laptop that was sent. Amazon is sure, yep here is your $1500 refund and the seller has a double loss, as well as a poo-filled nappy which I don't think, is a fair trade. I will lean over backward if I make a mistake, but if the buyer error, like they forgot where they live kind of thing. they pay, not me which is a nice thing about selling on eCRATER.

Whatever your rules are for refunds, then I suppose you have to follow them but oh my goodness!
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orchardhousehandmade



Posts: 7

PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep even US orders, it doesn't matter where in the world the buyer lives the same laws apply.

We hear of UK buyers trying on a lot of scams on eBay and Amazon as they act as a law unto themselves.

In the UK if the buyer puts the wrong address we still have to refund or replace as we are responsible for the order until it reaches the buyer.

Uk sellers are always advised to send an item signed for with a return address written on the parcel. Then the buyer can't claim they haven't received their order, or if the address is wrong hopefully the parcel will make its way back to the seller.
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MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
In the UK if the buyer puts the wrong address we still have to refund or replace as we are responsible for the order until it reaches the buyer.


Now that is just wrong and a law written by lawmakers who have obviously never have been a part of retail service, especially online sales. In all my years of selling, 18, I have had only one buyer take responsibility for their wrong address. The rest are like, I haven't lived there for 5 years! How in the world could I be expected to send something to their old address or their new address? I don't know them. I have to go by the address that they give PP or Stripe and with PP you do know that you are only allowed to ship to the address that they give you? I may be willing to resend the package only after they pay for shipping again.

Sort of the same thing when international buyers want us to write 'gift' on customs stickers for a high priced item. We don't know them so why would we be sending them a gift? Silly things like that. I just write in my TOS that I won't do that as well as writing in my TOS that they are responsible for their wrong addresses unless somehow I transpose some digit know that more of you have street addresses instead of 'Lilac cottage'. That was so sweet. I even sent something once to Pooh corners I think it was!

Too many lawmakers here and across the 'pond' seem to think that anyone in business has plenty of spare cash. In reality, most of us or at least many of us, do this to help make ends meet. I hope you have a way to account for this on your taxes! Very Happy
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MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As a Brit, I figure you would get a laugh about this. Although the UK was on my list of places to visit following AUS I have never been there so isn't this silly?

Quote:
BRITISH GAS WANTS TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR AN OVER-PAYMENT REFUND OF £320.45 GBP
Our records indicate that you have paid more than you should have for your British Gas Services from 2018-2020 and because of this reason, we have decided to refund you the total amount which you have over paid.


I also just found two 'PayPal' emails saying that my account had been limited with this little bit of fine print at the bottom.

Quote:
Copyright � 1999 - 2020 PayPal. All rights reserved. Consumer advisory - PayPal Pte. Ltd., the holder of PayPal's store value facility, does not require the approval of the Monetary Authority of Singapore


Why do people fall for this stuff??? Sorry I know that has nothing to do with welcoming you, but the one about British Gas Servies tickled my funny bone. Is there even such a thing and why would any Yank think they are owed money.
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thelivesandlovesofmaggiethecat



Posts: 10158

PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 8:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Orchardhouse, I have been reading the posts people have made on this topic. I have been selling on line for almost 20 years with thousands of sales on many sites. I'm trying to retire now so I just sell here now. What I want to tell you is that in all that time I've had 3 or 4 people play nasty with me and they were rather obviously scammers from the start.

I've had people forget to change their address, not read the description so ordered something that they definitely did not want, not read the measurements, etc. With a couple exceptions these regretful buyers accepted their responsibility, accepted what I offered as refund that might have been from nothing to total. If you treat customers with respect even if you suspect they are making up excuses, they will respect you back even if they started out trying to con you.

The items I looked at in your store do not look like the kinds of items people scam about: technology, high fashion, counterfeit goods or otherwise very expensive items. If you describe your items accurately and treat your buyers fairly and honestly I don't think you will have problems..
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orchardhousehandmade



Posts: 7

PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2020 12:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MoonwishesStore I swear scammers are either getting dumber or more desperate.

thelivesandlovesofmaggiethecat in the Uk, the law says that the buyer has 14 days from when they receive their order to cancel and then a further 14 days to send it back without a reason.

So what a lot of people do is get a new outfit, shoes and jewellery for a night out or a whole wardrobe for holiday and then return them once they have finished wearing them.

The only thing on the sellers' side is they can reduce the amount they refund if there is any damage to the item and it can then only be sold as a second, or refuse a refund if the damage means the item is only fit for the bin.

Most stores will just give the customer a full refund whatever, just to save the agro
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MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most people used to live by moral ethics that kept them in line. So many feel that they should be able to do whatever they want and that the whole world has to accommodate just them. Such as the one lone person in town that doesn't like a Nativity scene in the village square at Christmas. It is against their rights, so no matter about the rights of the other 9,999 people in the town who do like them, it comes down. That is an obvious one, but it is all over. Little Johnny is allergic to peanuts so no one in school can bring a PBJ to school. Little Johnny unfortunately has to grow up and survive in the real world and the world's peanut farmers are NOT going to quit production for his sake. Never when I was in school in the 60's did I every bump into any kid with a peanut allergy. Where did they come from?

Anyhow many in the world have gone screwy. It is a sad thing to see. I am happy to see that there are still some giving wonderful people in our world. My sewing machine shop put out a call for sewers to make up 100 face masks and got 100's of volunteers. Lots want to help, they just need to know what to do.
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