Stupidity

[craftysandy1961]

So I had offers on three lots of items, one for 15 and two for 5 each.  I told her that each unit of five would be 6.75 because she indicated that she would be interested in buying even more of them.  So I countered her Best Offer, but forgot to multiply the first one by three.  I actually countered LOWER than her original offer.  I feel like an idiot. Of course, she jumped right on it, accepted and paid.

I emailed her and explained my mistake and suggested a means to fix it, but I fully expect that she will ignore that.

I'll go ahead and ship although I may appeal to her ethical side one more time.   But if she ignores my request, then I'll put her on my BBB, I guess.  I mean, I know it was my mistake, but it seems unethical to refuse to make it right if you want to continue doing business with me.  

I did the math, and I will only lose about $3 when all is said and done, but I should be making a profit, not taking a loss!  So frustrated with myself.....

[castlemagicmemories]

Sorry you made the mistake, but she has paid, and thank God you are only out $3.00.  I know you would rather make a profit but it is what it is right now.

I wouldn't appeal again to her, it could irritate her and come across as badgering, which might be reflected in your feedback as harassment.  Buyer is under no obligation to pay anything more than what the offer specified.  

Remember the old, don't poke the sleeping bear.  Yes, you should make a profit, and yes, you made a mistake, but you asked once.  I doubt she will want to work anything out.  And sellers can't ask a buyer for more money post sale.  So your asking is going to seem unethical to her.  If so inclined, she could report you to Ebay for doing so.  

I doubt it will make you feel any better, but many sellers have lost far more due to mistakes, yet still took the loss and honored the transaction.

Sorry this happened.

[castlemagicmemories]

BTW you are NOT stupid; you made a mistake.  Big difference.  We all make them.

[jonathankirkland]

Sorry about that Sandy.

Mistakes are frustrating, especially ones that cost us money.

I do believe in karma however, and hopefully somewhere down the line a happy accident as Bob Ross would call it, will happen in your favor.

Best of luck to you moving forward!

[luckythewinner]

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@craftysandy1961 wrote:

I countered her Best Offer, but forgot to multiply the first one by three.  I actually countered LOWER than her original offer.  I feel like an idiot. Of course, she jumped right on it, accepted and paid.

 I emailed her and explained my mistake and suggested a means to fix it, but I fully expect that she will ignore that.

 I'll go ahead and ship although I may appeal to her ethical side one more time.   But if she ignores my request, then I'll put her on my BBB, I guess.  I mean, I know it was my mistake, but it seems unethical to refuse to make it right if you want to continue doing business with me.  

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It happens. Not long ago I combined two items into a single listing with combined shipping, and forgot to adjust the item price ... so the buyer essentially got a two-for-one deal.  

But I would never dream of asking that buyer to make good on my mistake, nor would I block  them from future purchases for some imagined ethical deficiency. 

[mr_lincoln]

@craftysandy1961  If you can not accept making a mistake, paying for said mistake, learning from that mistake and moving on then give retail sales a second thought.   While some Buyers will do the right thing others won't ... and how does the Buyer know you made a mistake or just decided to give them a great deal?  I would not put them on your BBL, simply hold fast on your price if that Buyer makes you another offer again ... just politely mention it was a mistake, you accepted it and shipped but would not be able to offer that mistake pricing in the future ...

[coolections]

I don't see the need to punish this buyer for your mistake. She could be a good repeat customer if you just make sure you don't accept an offer too low next time. She did nothing wrong, you gave an offer and she accepted it.

[mam98031]

When my kids were young, the word "stupid" was absolutely not allowed to cross their lips.  I viewed the utterance of that word even harsher than if they had said some of the cus words we can all think of.  I made sure I explained to them why I viewed this word so harshly.  They of course just thought I was being a Mom with unreasonable rules.

Today they are grown young adults and my daughter just a month or so ago came to me and told me she now understood why I felt it was so important for them to understand how that word can make others feel, even if they don't show it.  It actually brought a little tear to my eye and I was so proud of her as well.

I know you were just trying to express how you feel, I get that.  You really shouldn't judge yourself so harshly.  Furthermore you should feel pretty darn good that it will only cost you about 3 bucks.  Dang I can remember a mistake I made a few years back and I lost far more than 3 bucks.  I certainly learned from it, as you have, and I'm confident it is a mistake neither of us will make again.

Just write it off.  Your buyer may contact you, but they may not either.  Don't blame the buyer, just move on.  I don't think you need to but them on your BBL.  They really didn't do anything wrong and they may very well turn out to be a good solid repeat customer for you.

[*madison]

I mean, I know it was my mistake, but it seems unethical to refuse to make it right if you want to continue doing business with me.  

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I wouldn't want to deal with a seller again who made a mistake and expected me to pay for it.

What you have done is unethical when you contacted the buyer and suggested a means to fix your mistake.

[mam98031]

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@*madison wrote:

I mean, I know it was my mistake, but it seems unethical to refuse to make it right if you want to continue doing business with me.  

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I wouldn't want to deal with a seller again who made a mistake and expected me to pay for it.

What you have done is unethical when you contacted the buyer and suggested a means to fix your mistake.

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That is part of taking responsibility for your honest mistake.  You just need to keep in mind that your buyer has NOT done anything wrong.  Because they haven't.  Don't look for the buyer to bail you out of this problem.  It isn't their responsibility to do so.  Just learn from it and move on.

Another thing that is important to remember is that buyers are not necessarily on Ebay or check their email as often as sellers do.  Many buyers search for what they need, purchase it, pay for it and then just wait for their delivery.  Many don't get back online for a period of time.