Well, eBay, it's been a nice 23 years, but I'm done...

In early 1999, I signed up for an eBay account. It was fun to have access to almost anything I could think of (kind of before Amazon was doing that), and soon I realized that I had things other people wanted, too. 

During the lean years of my second marriage, I made enough money on eBay to get us through some tight times. I sold things that were dear to me, but desperate times...

I'd found an expensive (to me: $25) copy of the long-out-of-print book "Jellybeans for Breakfast" that I ended up selling a couple of years later because I realized that it would sell for over $200.

I sold a Grover stuffed doll I'd had since childhood... It had been my first experience with savings. I wanted Grover really badly; he was about the size of the actual Muppet, but a doll and not a puppet. He was $5. I had $1. My parents told me that if I saved my allowance, I could get him for myself. I got $.25 a week. So for months, no bike rides down to Wilke's Grocery to see how much candy I could snag for $1. That was a neighborhood staple, so it was rough! I was only 5 years old, as well. Delayed gratification comes HARD at that age. Anyway, sixteen weeks later, I walked out of Walmart with my buddy Grover! But in my early 30s, someone was willing to pay $85 for him, so it was a no-brainer.

I also sold four Little People sets: Sesame Street, schoolhouse, hospital, and house. As my sister and I have had a "second round" of kids, and my niece has a young 'un now, I think maybe my mom regrets giving me those. But it was more than $350 that we desperately needed. 

My ex-mother- and sister-in-law both had/have excellent taste in... everything. And they would often send me clothes for D. These were gorgeous smocked white dresses for Easter, and gingham jumpsuits with ruffles and bows. From the very beginning, these were not D's taste on any level. So what I would do is save one outfit for portraits, and sell the rest on eBay when they were new with tags. Ca-ching!

Yesterday, I happened to look through my selling history, and I'm amazed at how many things I sold for $1-$5. That represents the majority of what I sold! I did some volume, and made sure to pad shipping a bit, so it was apparently worth it for me.

Then, maybe ten years ago, eBay changed their fee structure. You didn't have to pay to list something, but they charged a lot more as a seller's fee. I hadn't sold anything in a few years, then had some things to get rid of, and between increased shipping charges and their increased take of the sale, it just wasn't worth it.

In January, however, I decided to get a compact camera with good zoom (less than my giant Nikon, but more than my tiny Sony) and then sell both of the cameras I had. Especially with the dog, carrying around a camera the size of a DSLR is just not practical. I sold the Nikon for a nice price (I threw in all of the accessories I'd bought for it, so the buyer got a good deal, too). Then I ordered my new camera, and after I got it, I sold my Sony, as well. 

A week after I'd sold the second camera, I got a message asking about why they hadn't received the camera yet. I assumed it was about the Sony, until I looked at the tracking and realized that, although I'd dropped the Nikon off on Saturday, January 14 at a local shipping company, because it was the weekend and Monday was a holiday, it hadn't been picked up by the post office until Tuesday, January 17. And it had not moved since then. It was January 28. So this guy was super patient to wait two weeks after purchase on an item we'd shipped Priority. The other camera, which I'd mailed a week later by dropping off at an actual post office in Cedar Park, had gotten there two days later.

I immediately filed a service request with the Post Office. I hadn't heard anything in 24 hours, but had gotten two automated emails: one from the Post Office at large, and one from the Lago Vista branch. I called Lago Vista and talked to a guy who said the item was sitting in Austin and we were just at their mercy of when to send it out because of staffing issues. I was skeptical, "But for TWO WEEKS? I sent something out of Cedar Park and it got where it was going just fine." He said yes. I asked him for a number I could call to file an insurance claim, because this dude had paid $900 for the camera and I wanted to get him his money back. The employee said that I had to wait 30 days before filing an insurance claim.

I was in constant contact with the buyer, explaining all of this to him. A week passed. I got a notice that he'd filed a complaint with eBay. I told him that I understood why he'd done it, and I answered eBay's questions about the situation. In the meantime, I found out that you don't have to wait 30 days to file an insurance claim for Priority mail; just 15 days. Dang. I filed an insurance claim immediately.

eBay messaged me after a couple of days and said that they'd decided in the buyer's favor and were going to take $900 out of my checking account (even though I'd only received $736... they have to get their mon-ay!) because I hadn't provided proof of delivery. They said:

"To avoid this in the future; I’d like to share with you some detailed information about proof of delivery, so you don't have to worry about a lost item in the future. Please ensure a tracking number with in your handling time. When a buyer doesn't receive an item, sellers are protected if they can provide proof of delivery. Proof of delivery is tracking information from a shipping company that clearly displays:

"1.The delivery status of the item as 'delivered' or 'attempted delivery'

"2. The date of delivery (which shows the seller posted within stated handling time)

"3. The recipient's address, displaying at least the city and state or ZIP code (or the equivalent) of the address listed in the sale

"4. For transactions $750 USD (or local currency equivalent) or more, confirmation of the recipient's signature is required."

I answered: "I sent you the tracking number. I bought postage through eBay. I can't help that it wasn't delivered; I tendered it to the postal service. I'm trying to recoup from them. And if they somehow find it now and it gets to him, I have no way to get my money back. I don't understand how you can say you don't have the tracking info since it's literally in my account, AND I sent you the number along with screen shots. What else am I supposed to do?"

They responded: "I’ve reviewed the case further and found that at the time we stepped in and made a decision on February 11, 2022, their [sic] is no new update from the tracking, last update was January 18, 2022. Checking further today it shows new movement. Since it’s already way past the estimated delivery date and the buyer didn’t have their purchased item yet, we closed the case in their favor and gave them a refund. We highly advise you to keep track of the item and be in continuous communication with your buyer. Once the tracking shows delivered, you have 2options: 1. Send your buyer an invoice through PP for them to repay for the item; or 2. Send your buyer a return label for them to send your item back Most buyers easily agree to these options because they already got their money back."

Excuse me for being cynical. But new movement? What?

I just responded to eBay: "I did everything you suggested. We were in communications the whole time."

I looked and, sure enough, my service request didn't do squat, but once I filed an insurance claim, that seemed to have lit a match under them and they miraculously located the camera. 

My final (I thought) email from eBay said: "At this point, it would be best if you will continue contacting USPS to get an update about your claim and possibly get your item or money back. To avoid the same situation when sending items to your buyers: • Purchase shipping insurance. Shipping insurance is the only way to protect you in the event that an item does not get delivered to a buyer and may be lost in transit. • Use a trusted carrier. Make sure to use a carrier that has great history when it comes to shipping service."

By this point, I knew they weren't going to listen to me. And the $900 had come out of my checking account. But I just said, "Again, I literally did everything you're suggesting."

The buyer got the camera and immediately sent me $900 via PayPal. He managed to avoid sales tax, so good for him. I messaged eBay and asked them to close down my appeal, and I wanted to close my eBay account.

But THEN, I got THIS email from eBay: "Upon checking on ebay's end, we do see that the USPS item number shows item got delivered last February 15, 2022 and the buyer also confirmed that item was received.  In line with this, we are able to reverse the refund made for the buyer. Laura, you were not held at fault. You do not have to do anything else. I will be sending you a confirmation email in the next few minutes. Funds for $900.00 should be released back to your Bank account in the next 24 - 48 hours. I am glad I've fully resolved your concern for today. We value your business." 

NO YOU DO NOT.

I had already closed down my PayPal account, and that's the only way the buyer has to get his money back! This is the worst. So now I DID request my eBay account be deleted, and I'm waiting for the money to hit my account so I can sign up for PayPal for 20 minutes, send this dude his money back, and we can be DONE WITH THE WHOLE THING.

Ridiculous.

I do like my new camera, though!

More conversations with Mal

Me: You need to poop.
Mal: I just did.
Me: Did you? I'll see it when you get up.
Mal: (sitting on the toiled, closing his legs so I can't see inside the pot) It's invisible poop.
Me: What?! I didn't hear it, either!
Mal: Because invisible poop is very quiet. It goes like this: (silently mouths a "bloop")

++++++

Mal: My uncles have inchy pliers. They're awful, so no one wants them.
Me: Then why do your uncles have them?
Mal: Because they have gloves.
Me: What exactly is an "inchy plier"?
Mal: It hurts unless you have gloves.
Me: Okay, what do they look like?
(Lots of discussion I didn't understand.)
Mal: It's like a bear trap.

++++++

Me: Where did Pappy and Nana's Christmas present go?
Mal: I don't know. Someone must have stolen it.
Me: Does it happen to be under the blanket on your bed?
Mal: No. I didn't steal it.
Me: Really? Then who did?
Mal: A raccoon.

++++++

Me: I love you.
Mal: I stopped loving you two weeks ago.

++++++

Mal: You took a piece off my creation!
Me: I'm sorry; you wanted me to build you a monkey and I need it.
Mal: (punching his fist into the box of Legos) Dammit!

++++++

Mal was in full meltdown mode as I was trying to get him dressed to go on a fun Christmas outing one night. I had asked him to come to me so I could put on his shoes, but was in his room, refusing. I walked in to pick him up and make him get ready, but as soon as I bore him aloft, he put his head on my shoulder and cooed, "Oh, this is nice."

++++++

Me: Daddy will be home soon!
Mal: I don't love Daddy anymore.
Me: That's too bad. Daddy loves you.
Mal: No, he doesn't. He doesn't want me.
Me: He absolutely wants you!
Mal: No, he doesn't. He wants Harrison.

++++++

Mal: (in a fast food play place) Mommy, come up here with me!
Me: I can't. There are too many kids here.
Mal: (sing-songy) If you come up here, I'll buy you a pony!

++++++

Mal: I want to go to Walmart and get a flip toy!

Me: We're not buying any more toys. You just got a bunch of toys for Christmas and it's too much.

Mal: Mommy, I just need ONE more toy. That's it. Then I'll be happy.

++++++

If James or I says something to Mal in the car and he's not into it: Please! I just need a little piece of quiet!

If we are wanting to go somewhere and Mal is not interested: I just wanted to have a quiet day!

Welcome to Mommy's Toy Review Story!

For about a year now, Mal has been watching Ryan's Toy Review (although, lately, he's been branching out; in part because we finally broke down and got Netflix). Our policy on "screen time" (though I cringe at that pretty useless label) is that we don't suggest it, but we don't refuse it. When Mal wants to play Angry Birds or watch videos or whatever, he can. But he always asks, mostly because he asks us to do EVERYTHING for him. 

Anyway, a few months ago, I got into the habit of, when he'd say, "I want to watch Ryan Toys Aview," I'd use my fingers to draw a box around my face and say, "Welcomes to Ryan Toy Review!" (which is how Ryan, as a young child, recorded the opening). Then I'd hum the opening ditty, and repeat his mom's eternal entree: "Hey, Ryan! What are you doing today?"

At that point, I'd start making up silly little stories that would usually end with disaster, and Mal would say, "NO! I want to watch it on my computer!" But, over time, it changed to, "Do another one!" That morphed into sometimes close to an HOUR of "Do another Ryan's Toy Review!" This is one reason that, as a parent, you should never start anything that creates work for yourself. Rookie mistake.

We have several versions: the original, Brian's Toy Review (which I said mostly to annoy Mal, but he started liking), Mal's Toy Review, and, as of this morning, Alien's Toy Review.

Today, in fact, Mal followed me around the house while I cleaned the kitchen and both bathrooms, just to hear more toy review stories. At one point, we started out with Mal's Toy Review, and in that story, he was training to be a NASA astronaut, planning to test the effects of space on the growth of a child. While he was in orbit, he met an alien. That morphed into his actually pretending to play with an alien, showing it around his room and sharing the alien food with me. After that, we transitioned into the Alien Toy Review, which wasn't in English and didn't tax my brain as much as actually creating a somewhat coherent story was doing.

I was thinking the other day about how different Mal is from D at his age. D was already creating like crazy at this point: painting, crafting, making things out of paper, etc. Mal just isn't into that. He doesn't color. He doesn't really use markers or pencils or pens. He creates by playing very imaginatively. And he "directs" when he has other people playing with him. Nicely, he likes to construct at scene and have it carried out. More honestly, he's bossy. "Say this" comes out of his mouth often. 

Also, D would sit for hours having me read aloud. In fact, I'd have to beg off after chapters and chapters so I could give my voice a break. Mal has a couple of go-to books he enjoys exploring, but they're mostly pictures that he likes to see. In the past few weeks, he's pulling out some fun Sandra Boynton board books, and has asked me to read Mater's Backward ABC book a couple of times in a row.

Now that it's getting warmer, I'm trying to keep Mal outside and in the sun as much as I can handle, in order to have him absorb that vitamin D. This whole week is supposed to be cloudy and rainy, but this weekend was awesome.

On Saturday, Mal swam for a couple of hours at my parents' hotel, and while he didn't go to sleep until 10 PM, he only woke up once during the night (he still took an hour or so waking several times to wake up, but I don't consider it night-waking once the sun is coming up). Then Sunday, yesterday, we went on a walk which ended up as a lake visit (his choice) and in addition to just being outdoors playing, he actually walked 1.23 miles!

He'd asked me to bring a stroller or his bike, but I'd found a "secret" trail (formerly unbeknownst to us) that is super close to our house and that attaches to the Canyonlands trail shown above. It's not laid out like the official trail, and we couldn't have gotten anything with wheels (except maybe a jogging stroller, which I don't have, because let's get real) over it. He handled the distance like a champ until the last hill from the lake to the house, so I did carry him about 1 block on my shoulders.

Mal really surprised me with how brave he was in the water Saturday! He's always been very intent on my being close by. This time, though, everyone was heading down to the pool while I still needed to change into my swimsuit. Mal went with my sister, and was in the water by the time I got there. He started "swimming" in the zero-depth entry, but by the end, was heading into the 4 foot water without me.

I'm hoping to sign him up for swim lessons this summer. This gives me more hope than I had before, because I was a little concerned he wouldn't go into the water without me.

Finally, in a bit of irony... I mentioned in my last post that I typically get <30 views per post now that I'm off FB. Someone apparently shared that post on FB, and I was back up to >200 again. Ha!

Drama with the Speed Queens (and we haven't used them yet!)

As I've mentioned before, James decided we should get a Speed Queen washer because they have no electronics and the warranty is basically forever. I decided to get a Speed Queen dryer because matchy matchy and the warranty is something like five years shorter than forever. And so, we ordered them from Austex Appliance.

I placed the order online, and set up a time when I wanted them delivered, and paid for installation.

Two or three days later, I received an email from someone saying she'd tried to call me but my number had been disconnected. That was when my phone died and I had to get a new one. So, I called the office back and spoke with the lady, but she couldn't remember why she'd called. She said usually it was all online, but she couldn't see any notes. She posited that maybe she thought I needed to pay for delivery since it's not free until you spend a certain amount, but then she saw that I also bought the dryer and that answered that.

Two or three days after that, another lady called (Morgan) and we realized why the first lady had probably called. First, the washing machine I'd ordered was no longer being made, and they had none (it had been a really good sale). So I got one that was actually $100 cheaper, though not as nice because the first had been on clearance due to its discontinuation. Actually, the only difference was the number of operating modes, and I rarely use more than 2, so no biggie.

Second, apparently the website was out of date and installation wasn't $49, it was $100. James said he would have told them too bad, but I said, "Whatever. I'm on the second floor, and I need it to be brought up and installed." "Oh, you're on the second floor? Well, that takes two guys, so it's $150." WHATEVER.  The machine was $100 less, so we're back to even. And we were going for delivery on Thursday or Friday, May 28 or 29.

The first glitch came when it flooded on Memorial Day. I got a call a couple of days later, and she was very apologetic that, due to a bridge being washed out, they hadn't gotten their delivery on Tuesday as they'd expected, and they'd probably not be able to deliver by Friday. I reminded her that it was no problem; we don't live in the apartment, anyway, so the next week would be fine. She said they'd be there Monday, June 1.

I never got a call back after that, so wasn't sure when the units were to be expected. On Monday, Mal and I left the house about the time James left for work (Daphne was still asleep, natch). We got to the apartment about the same time the appliance store opened, and I called them to see when they'd be there. She said, "Oh, you're 4th on the list, so it'll be between 2 PM and 4 PM." Ugh, but whatever. She also said they'd give me about an hour's heads-up when they were on their way.

That day, I got a lot of work done, and was finished about 11:30. I packed Mal up and headed for lunch. He fell asleep in the van, so I ate at Sonic (I ate a LOT at Sonic: Chicago dog, fries, and Reese's Peanut Butter waffle cone sundae) then drove around to get a feel for the neighborhood.

We returned to the apartment around 1 and waited for a call. We walked the complex, visiting the pool, common areas, office, and even found there is a pet park on site that we'd never seen before.

The cats should love that, right?

We got back to the apartment around 3:15, when my sister and two of her kids came to visit. I had expected a call by 3, giving me the hour notice, so I called their office. It went straight to voice mail, which was full. FOR AN HOUR.

Finally, at 4, we left. I don't know whether you've ever tried to get from one part of Austin to a totally different part any time between 4:30 and 6 PM, but I don't recommend it.

That afternoon, at 4:54, I got a call from the delivery guy telling me they were on their way. Um, no. I was already back at the Nuthaus. I explained to him that I tried calling the office for an hour, literally 17 or 18 times, and it always went to a full mailbox. He said they'd gotten held up at the previous location for two hours (thanks for letting me know!) and  we could reschedule for the following Monday, June 8, because he was going to take Friday, the day I'd suggested, off. Fine.

On Wednesday, I called the office to see if we could set some kind of appointment window. She asked, "Didn't they do that before?" I told her no, that until I called that morning, I had no idea. She said, "Well, let me see... We're going to be in Houston for training on Monday, and we're up in North Austin on Tuesday so if we can't do it tomorrow, it'll be next week... let me see if we can do it tomorrow. I'll call you right back."

Did she? No. At about 3:30, I called the office back and she was gone for the day.

The next day, Thursday, I went to the apartment just in case. I had some stuff to do, anyway, and Daphne really helped me. She stinking (literally; it's hot!) earned her $20 that day.

When I called the appliance store and finally talked to Morgan, she said she wanted to schedule it for Tuesday, June 9. I said that'd be fine, and asked for a window again. She said, "Well, usually they leave the warehouse at 9, but that day they're going to leave at 7. They have to go up to *somewhere* then Hudson Bend at Lake Travis, and you're third."

Well, that means nothing to me. But before we hung up, she said, "Ma'am? If you look on our website and enter this number - invoice number - you can see where the delivery truck is, and when your estimated time of arrival is."

OH MY GOSH, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO HELPFUL TO HAVE KNOWN LAST MONDAY.

So, yesterday, I got up and went to my sister's because my son had had quite the night, and was already into quite a morning. I needed reinforcements! Once we got there (and he got a tiny nap in the car), things were already better. I saw that my "window" was unfortunately 3:30 to 6:30, but at least I knew. Also, so much for the truck leaving the warehouse early. I could see it on the website, and it was there until well after 10:30.

Mal and I hung out with the Brownies, went to Costco and bought a membership, then got to the new place around 2.

We made a couple of trips upstairs and then I just sat with Mal so he could get used to being in the apartment and not freak out when I decided to do a couple of things. There wasn't a whole lot to do, so we chilled for a bit.

I noticed that all of the bird seed I'd put out was gone, and the hummingbird feeder was about 1/5 emptied! Later, we were playing on the bed (which is the exact height of the window, and has a great view!) and I saw a bird trying to find seed in the empty feeder. We replenished that (not fully; I want to save some for when we move, so I can enjoy the birds!), but not until I spilled a few seeds. Mal, who is in a growth spurt, enjoyed snacking on those. Whatever. They're seeds.

I watched on my phone and saw the delivery time change, getting later and later, from 4:15 to 4:45 to 5:30, then again pop back up to about 4:30. The delivery truck was leaving Hudson Bend and I was next!

At 4:15, I got a call from the apartment complex saying that there was someone calling their office who wanted to deliver a washer and dryer to me but who couldn't get a hold of me and was about to cancel the appointment.

WHAT?!

I called them and Morgan said, "Oh, that's it. We had a '3' and it's a '4'." I said, because I couldn't not say it, "That's so weird, because this guy called me last Monday when he was on the way." She said, "But didn't your number change?" NOT SINCE A WEEK AND A DAY AGO.

Anyway, they were still heading over. I watched them go down the wrong street and get stuck on a dead end before they made it to the complex. Mal and I went down to show them where we were.

The first guy came up to assess the place and asked, "You just moving in?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Well, that answers my first question." I asked, "What was that?" "Whether you have any antibiotics." Wh-- huh? He pointed to his jaw, "I don't know if you can tell, but this is really swollen." "Oh, do you have an infection?" "Yeah. We went to the store so I could get something, but I accidentally took ibuprofen PM and I'm already getting drowsy." I said, "Well, I have some Aleve. Do you want that?" He indicated that he did.

Do I have any antibiotics? One doesn't help. Do you think I have a whole round of antibiotics to give you? What the??

Anyhoo, he took the Aleve and he and the other guy installed the washer and dryer and we got to leave about 5:30, which wasn't ideal, but Waze helped me get home without too much drama. (During the drive, a pop-up ad offered to change my voice directions to Colonel Sanders, so I had to go for it!)

Anyway, I could entitle this a review of Austex Appliance, but I'm hoping all of this was just a fluke for them. Maybe I'll do a complete review later, after we've used the washer and dryer for a while.

NaNope

In three days time, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) will start. The idea is to write every day, and basically produce a novel or its equivalent, the goal being 50,000 words during the month. James is participating. So is Daphne. This year, I am not.

I "did" NaNo last year. We were at the kick-off at Dragon's Lair, and that was very cool. Every day, for the most part, I wrote up to the goal and I ended up somewhere in the 80k range, I believe? I don't remember exactly, and I'm not going to look it up. Daphne did a good job, at 30k words, her own goal based on some recommendations made by the kids' program.

Why not give it a go again this year?

Several reasons. The biggest is that I felt burnt out and eaten alive by December 1, 2012. I had a story idea, and I wrote that for the first 50,000ish words. Then I ran out of idea and hadn't developed it enough to keep going. Instead, I wrote essays. Every day, or every writing session, I would give myself a topic. I ended up plumbing some pretty dark depths and felt like I had been through the ringer. I haven't gone back and looked at what I wrote. I am pretty sure I hate it and never want to see it again.

I realized that there are demons that shouldn't necessarily be exorcised onto the page. Sometimes, you've already buried them, and digging them back up is an emotional zombie apocalypse.

Another reason I'm not doing it is that I don't need "motivation" to write. I write a lot, and although my writing frequency and manner has changed over the years, I'm happy with it. I used to update my personal blog a lot more frequently, as in every few hours sometimes. The Facebook Status Update has done away with most of that fluff, so I only write when I have something to say. (This is based in importance as I rate it, not you, see.)

A third reason is that the mentality of "write as much as you can, get it on paper, don't think too much and don't edit" doesn't produce my best work. I like to craft as I go, and that can be slow. But I'm also competitive, and I liked to win the writing sprints, so I'd just babble. You're not supposed to care whether what you wrote under these circumstances is crap, but I care. I don't want to waste my time producing crap. (Insert disgusting biological humor here.)

So, I've designated myself the official snack-provider and cheer-leader of NaNo 2013. I can't wait to print out the "winner" certificates for my family and to see what they come up with. And I'm betting that this year, I'll have a lot more fun than I did last time.