It could be worse ...... you could be as big a dummy as ME

[gurlcat]

Ha I just found an old image from some years ago, thought I'd share. 
This is for the next time you're feeling mortified and sorry for yourself because you accidentally cross-shipped two items, and are having to deal with the fallout of two unhappy buyers, who may or may not be cooperating, may be unable to cooperate, or may have their own idea of cooperating ....... just remember it could be worse.  

Ladies and gentlemen,
I give you
Le Menage A DOH! 



Yes, a THREE-way mixup, requiring lots of money and a novel's worth of emails to smooth over.  I literally HAD TO make myself a graphic to keep track of all the who-what-how's.  Oh by the way, at this same time I had another buyer I was corresponding with about something, whose username was so similar to one of these ^ ('glitter' something), that one of the messages I wrote to her was various ways she could ship the Nike shoes back without a printer, and I got a reply like "Huh?" because it was the wrong glitter person.  

Fun times!! 

[gator08041971]

I will tell you what I do to avoid this.

Even if I get multiple purchases on the same day (and I have before) I process each one, one at a time, in order of payment.   That way I keep it all straight and don't get an order wrong.

If I'm selling similar items, I triple check to make sure the right item is picked for the order I'm working on.

And even after all that, I still sometimes second guess myself.  lol

[gurlcat]

That's a good system.  I would do it too, but it's very important for me to have a scan form for my mailman, and the only way to do that is to purchase all the labels at once.  Granted, I could still PRINT them one at a time.  Anyway I haven't cross-labeled packages in a long time.  The PTSD after it happens creates hyper-vigilance that lasts and lasts, LOL.  

[downunder-61]

Hey, how great is it that you can now look back and laugh? And a great message to everyone....

[keziak]

For some reason in the past I did more than my share of switcheroos and yes, at least once the horrific triple switch. Ebayers being great, most often they mailed to each other. But in more recent years I just refunded everyone.  Thanks to reading this thread I will likely do a switcheroo this week....

[gurlcat]

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@keziak wrote:

  Thanks to reading this thread I will likely do a switcheroo this week....

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Nope I already infected a friend with contagious car trouble today.  You should be fine.  

[namtrag1]

I would suggest to limit the consumption of beer while packaging items for delivery.

[rileydone]

Ah, been there and done that!

Took me a long time to get over that nightmare but the buyer's were very understanding and helpful. They both got extras in their packages.

I now only process 2 at a time (I have auctions that end every Sunday), constantly double checking everything.

[broto_64]

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@gurlcat wrote:

I haven't cross-labeled packages in a long time.  The PTSD after it happens creates hyper-vigilance that lasts and lasts, LOL.  

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Hahaha yes, and almost always after a period of time which... In my case about 6 months to 2 years, the hyper vigilance somehow gradually fades and BLAM it happens again!

To the OP

Can't say I've ever had a 3-way thou it's possible, I know I've had two-ways, more than a few unfortunately.

In my case I just "return for refund."
I know, I could get the buyers to mail the right items to each other but no...

Just return for refund, easiest way for me to undo a mistake, no charts are needed thou I get the occasional crossed message hahaha

[gb58]

Years ago, back before we printed label, I once wrote the address for a customer absolutely correct,...except for the house number. I forget how I messed the number up, but it was quite different than the actual buyers house number.

I was eating dinner one evening after I shipped the box, and the phone rang. It was the person who lived on the street who received the box, and again, this was in a major city where the box went to, not a small town. 

I think it was around Chicago actually where the box went to.

He wanted to let me know that I addressed the box wrong, and my customers box was delivered to him.

I asked him if it would be alright if I contacted my customer and had him pick the box up from him, if my customer was willing to do that. 

This total stranger, who was very inconvenienced by my error said to me, "you don't have to do that, the address is only about three blocks down from my house. I will just take the box down to him". 

I don't recall if the original buyer ever left me feedback, but he also never contacted me to say he didn't receive his package either. So this stranger who never had any connection to this transaction, other than receiving a box he did not order, must have been a man of his word, and acted as my delivery person in seeing the box got to the actual owner.

[gb58]

When looking at gurlcat's original piece of paper I seen that "betty ordered pot" but "Isabella received pot", then I seen circled that it was a Hull pottery pot. 

I just found that very funny. Had it been what I was thinking, I'm sure Isabella would have been very happy.

[rosachs]

I've managed to pretty much eliminate cross-shipments, but I still have the occasional problem with quantity.  We have a group of inventory sold as singles, sets of 3. and sets of 6.  The title will include the "set of" on the 3 & 6 items, and I do pretty well with that.  But it seems that I focus too much on how many units to pull to ship and not enough focus on how many of the sets were ordered.

To date, most of the buyers have been quite understanding and easy to get fixed.  I did have one dude who made a stink letting me know he didn't get what he ordered, so I shipped the remainder that same day, and he still left negative feedback!  I responded with the fact that yes, a mistake was made, but that ALL product ordered, first or second shipment, arrived BEFORE the latest eBay estimated delivery date.  In other words, everything was delivered on time, just not in a single package.

There's always that one.....

-Bob.

[chapeau-noir]

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@namtrag1 wrote:

I would suggest to limit the consumption of beer while packaging items for delivery.

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But it's important to have a good breakfast before starting work.

[gloryglorygifts]

You are like me with the notes, but I put them on the invoices that I keep. I'm glad that you can look back on it all and just take a breath. It happens. I did it once, switched two of them,  and that was enough for me. 

I sound like an idiot when I have to actually ship things. I do them one at a time, circle multiple quantities, and say, out loud, name on label, name on packing slip, number and then box them. 

I bet you never did that again either! 

[hartungcards]

I always get sneakers and jewelry and pot confused.