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Post by janerowena on Jul 20, 2011 15:21:08 GMT 1
I had this when i was still at school with a Saturday job. Not a charity shop, a dept store, and a mentally challenged couple used to come in and spend £200 a week on their baby, then social services would come back round on the Monday and bring back the unopened packages. It was sad, but what the shop did was not serve them until 5.00pm so that other shoppers could get a look-in at the clothes, so they didn't take the lot. They were just trying to be good parents but left themselves nothing to live on. I believe he had a job, but they were carefully monitored in a kind way.
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Post by Aspidistra on Jul 20, 2011 18:27:22 GMT 1
Oh that's terribly sad, isn't it Jro? I don't think the woman was known to the worker but I may be wrong. Unfortunately it's a shop where there isn't an area to change at all. I've described the woman as special needs, but actually I think she was sort of just a bit bonkers, not necessarily someone who has a social worker. You know what I mean? There are so many people out there who aren't really okay, but they don't or won't qualify for help. Anyway on a lighter note, I have just made a purchase with the spoils of my ebay success. I bought some of those finials that you put on top of posts, I have a little bit of trellis work that has been topless since I bought it. Oh no. I've been an idiot. I just bought them, by going to the ones I had saved a search on. Now I see, having just bought them, that I could have got them cheaper. that'll learn me...
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Post by Amazing on Jul 20, 2011 18:32:28 GMT 1
I am conferring a new title on Aspi
Dope of the week,
Unless you know someone who is dopier.
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Post by Aspidistra on Jul 20, 2011 18:40:22 GMT 1
well that isn't a mishtake I'll make again. Still, they are very nice. I hope. Look up 'Turkish Finials' on ebay to see what I bought. But what a mug, one of the cheaper ones only had 25 mins to go on the auction . When I looked them up before, only the firm I put on my wish list had them .
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Post by janerowena on Jul 20, 2011 20:14:50 GMT 1
;D You just have to learn by your mistakes. I did the same thing with cloches, and then I did it again with easter eggs! The mini ones sold by weight. They are incredibly cheap on Ebay, only about £6 per kilo. I paid £7.99.
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Post by Aspidistra on Jul 20, 2011 22:37:49 GMT 1
If I hadn't come on here to tell you about them, I would never have gone back and done a search and found that they were cheaper elsewhere, so I would have been none the wiser. ;D Well the whole ebay thing feels a bit like you win some, you lose some. ;D
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Post by janerowena on Jul 21, 2011 13:36:39 GMT 1
Defo win more often than lose, though. Where else could you find turkish finials as cheap? I often see gardening stuff on ebay - plastic wheelbarrows just as an example, all sorts of pretty colours, £26. Go into my local shops, they will only sell the primary colours and they are £50.
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Post by Juliet on Jul 22, 2011 20:33:07 GMT 1
Re the charity shop - I don't know about the others, but Oxfam has a policy of not giving refunds on second-hand goods, so maybe the shop worker was trying to avoid the situation of the woman buying something and then realising it didn't fit and trying to take it back. People get quite upset sometimes if they can't return something (even though the no refund policy is on a notice in huge letters behind the counter - you can't miss it), but it's not fair on other customers to make exceptions.
The other thing is, when I worked at Oxfam one of the volunteers had bipolar disorder, and when she was in the manic phase she kept wanting to buy everything she was supposed to be selling - but she knew this was a bad idea and had asked us to discourage her from spending all her money, so it may have been something like that, if the shop worker did know the woman.
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Post by Bulleydog on Jul 22, 2011 20:47:25 GMT 1
In Age UK we do give refunds, except on items off the £1 rail, although we do try to persuade customers to have something else rather than a refund as it produces quite a lot of paperwork!
One day I had a lady who brought back something and had an exchange but it was 50p less than the item she brought back and insisted on a refund! Rather than do any paperwork my manager just gave her 50p out of her own purse!
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Post by Aspidistra on Jul 24, 2011 18:18:41 GMT 1
Euww just sold something. It's really weird the way you don't get any bids and then suddenly 5 mins from the deadline one comes in. I had convinced myself that the book wasn't going to sell. Hurray. That just about makes up for the extra dosh I am shelling out for these finials because I am an idiot.
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Post by Nooj on Jul 24, 2011 18:34:50 GMT 1
Brilliant!
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Post by Amazing on Jul 24, 2011 18:54:48 GMT 1
Applause applause.
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Post by janerowena on Jul 24, 2011 22:07:15 GMT 1
That's good. I don't bid until the very end unless I want to test the waters or have to go out and can't be there to wait until 20 seconds before the end, if I am bidding against someone.
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Post by Amazing on Jul 25, 2011 0:16:47 GMT 1
i have managed to procure an energy meter for 99p + £5. postage. Had forgotten I had 'bid'
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Post by Aspidistra on Jul 25, 2011 0:19:19 GMT 1
That's good, they are expensive unless you get one supplied through your energy company for free - ours don't do it. I quite fancy one of those, you'll have to let us know if you find it useful.
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Post by Amazing on Jul 25, 2011 0:28:38 GMT 1
I will do. The are usually about £35. I am now going to the kitchen for some hidden gems.
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Post by Aspidistra on Jul 25, 2011 10:25:06 GMT 1
what, are they like iced gems? ;D
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Post by janerowena on Jul 25, 2011 10:51:45 GMT 1
Or did you forget to type the 'r' ? ;D
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Post by Amazing on Jul 25, 2011 11:50:05 GMT 1
Defo hidden gems. Strawberries.
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Post by janerowena on Jul 25, 2011 14:01:08 GMT 1
;D That did make me laugh - I hid mine too! I picked a pot of alpines and hid them from the marauding late-night-snacking males, because I wanted them for breakfast.
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Post by Amazing on Jul 25, 2011 14:07:03 GMT 1
I've got a bag of alpines in the freezer, keeping them to put into jam later. I just go round all the plants every day.
i
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Post by janerowena on Jul 25, 2011 14:14:14 GMT 1
Me too - they are good at the moment, they like the cooler spring-like temperatures.
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Post by Aspidistra on Jul 25, 2011 16:09:07 GMT 1
Ah ha, that explains something. I have had several alpine strawberry plants that have died on me - it must be too dry where I've put them. Now I know... Made another of my ebay misthakes. ::)Underestimated the post on the book by a over a quid. So that's eaten into my huge profit. It turned out it had to go as a parcel, not a letter. Gosh, it's a learning curve with the post office and ebay. ;D
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Post by janerowena on Jul 25, 2011 19:50:36 GMT 1
;D You are doing pretty well though, I think. It's stady, by the souinds of it - how many stars do you have now?
I bought a top the other week and the seller didn't send it out, it only arrived a couple of days ago, I was really cross as I had wanted to take it away with me. Why didn't she say? And if she went away, why did she time the sale to end then? I find that rather odd.
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Post by Aspidistra on Jul 25, 2011 22:44:23 GMT 1
So will you leave negative feedback or have you already left yours? I'm nearly up to 20 stars now. Do I change star colour then or is that a long way off yet?
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Post by janerowena on Jul 26, 2011 14:21:48 GMT 1
I don't leave negative as such if the item is fine. If you have bought something, which you have, where it has 5 stars I will only tick to 4, to say that it arrived quickly, but not quickest, if you see what I mean.
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Post by Aspidistra on Jul 26, 2011 16:42:25 GMT 1
Those were the stars I was talking about ages ago, re getting feedback? I must pay attention when I leave feedback when I get my thingys, so I see what the options are. Bought some nice books today. :DBe a shame to sell them...oh dear, this is the problem...
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Post by janerowena on Jul 26, 2011 22:47:33 GMT 1
;D
I can't remember at what stages I got my different colour stars - maybe at 50 it changed, then at 100. It seems to slow down - also i got senr vouchers against purchases after I bought 5 then 10 items, which were usedul as i used them against clothed for Robert, but now I just get sent the odd percentage off against stupid clubwear from Ebay's own range. I think they think they are doing me a favour.
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Post by Aspidistra on Aug 6, 2011 17:15:12 GMT 1
Ebay is rubbish at the moment. Listed loadsa books, not even a whisper of interest. So maybe it is true that it goes quiet in the summer hols
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Post by janerowena on Aug 6, 2011 21:33:19 GMT 1
Maybe it depends on what you are selling - but surely people take books on holiday to read? I do. I used that voucher for an eye test that you gave me, and as a result have just this minute bought a pair of glasses on Ebay for a tenth of what they should have cost, so I am very happy. I had people bidding against me, so not everyone is away on holiday! I was just fortunate that spomeone had a pair of varifocals at precisely my prescription, so I shall get the chanmce to try them out cheaply, they are not my main glasses before you start telling me off!! I got those today too. I'm sorry about the books, maybe things will pick up in a few weeks. Or it was just a blip - who can really tell?
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