Being a little girl during this time, I was partial to such greatness as Punky Brewster, Strawberry
Shortcake, Rainbow Brite, Cabbage Patch Kids, the Gummi Bears (I have the cartoon on dvd - love it!), and the list could go on.The 80s are a great eBay seller for various reasons. One of the most common is that people want what they had but no longer possess. Kids move, parents throw toys out, or being 7 years old we don't realize that breaking off Barbie's left leg will not make her more valuable years to come.
Strawberry Shortcake has become increasingly popular in the past few years. She has been remade into a new style of little girl, complete with updated friends and an updated place to live. Due to this, the mothers that are in their late 20s and early 30s are looking to have their daughters grow up with the original Strawberry Shortcake, not the new version.They want their daughters to experience the Strawberry Shortcake and friends of their childhood, not a new version that holds no memories.
While I faintly remember watching the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon growing up, I remember more about the toys and accessories that covered my bedroom floor. You name it, I had it: sheet set, curtains, sleeping bag, pillow, dolls, figures, pajamas, sweaters, lamp, and the vanity set complete with dresser and toy box. I have not been able to part with some of these items just yet, such as the lamp and the vanity set. While I'm not saving them for future offspring, at the moment I am just saving them because 1. The lamp is actually still used in a spare room in my childhood house and 2. The vanity set is stored in the rafters in a garage, waiting to be uncovered and loved again.
Since I am not ready to part with my own personal childhood collection of Strawberry Shortcake items just yet, I am a-okay with selling Strawberry Shortcake finds. Just like anything on eBay, you have to research what sells and what lags for months. Items that are hard to find, complete sets, and delicate items that have survived the years can bring in better prices and higher bidders. Always do your research!
A few Saturdays ago, I was looking through one of my usual thrift store stops when I came upon a set of four vintage Strawberry Shortcake juice glasses. They were marked at $3.93 and unfortunately, were not included in the sticker sale that day. I did a little looking on eBay and discovered that Strawberry Shortcake juice glasses did fairly well. I found an identical set to what was at the thrift store, and after reading the description, discovered that these glasses had been made by Anchor Hocking in 1981. Sets had sold for between $30 and $40, so I figured with a $4 investment, why not.I brought the glasses home, cleaned them up, and took some photos. The glasses looked good to me for being 32 years old - no chips, no cracks, and the colors were all similar. I listed the glasses starting at $32.50 with free shipping, with the winning bid ending at $33.50. I packaged the glasses up, shipped them out, and ended up making around $17. Not a huge profit, but a profit nonetheless.
A few days went by and I received an email from the buyer. She stated that the glasses were all faded and it looked as if they had been put through the dishwasher. Apparently she had a similar set of glasses and the colors on her glasses were much brighter and vivid. She was angered because apparently I hadn't provided enough of a description of the coloring in my listing and she always likes to know exactly what she is buying before placing a bid.
I was speechless. I wasn't sure what to say to her. Obviously, if you have a set that has been stored away in a box for years, colors are going to be different versus glasses that had been used. (Of which I stated that these were a used item, not in the original box). I hadn't seen anything wrong with the colors. All four glasses had uniform coloring - it wasn't as if one glass was more brighter than the others. For being 32 years old, the colors looked nice to me.
I emailed the buyer back that I was sorry she was unhappy with the purchase and that I would gladly refund the full purchase price if she would send the items back, with her paying for return shipping. I made sure to include that I had a 100% feedback rating and always try to describe the items to the best of my ability. My listing wasn't misleading - the colors were nice and the glasses were a used item, not in original box.
It took the buyer a few days to respond, all the while I of course was dreading having to refund her money. She replied yet again that she had glasses whose colors were much brighter and that coloring on the glasses that I sold her was faded. She kept the glasses and I kept my money.
So, what was the lesson that was learned? I always try to describe my items as best as possible, including even the width/length of chips and cracks if any are present. I knew that I wasn't in the wrong because I never stated anything like "Bright colors! Almost brand new!" I stated what the colors were - nice and still nice graphics for 32 year old items. I couldn't help that the buyer decided to not return the items. I would have gladly refunded her money and re-listed the glasses. But, she kept the glasses, "faded" and all.
If you are buying on eBay and are unhappy with your purchase and the option to return for a refund is there - with you paying the return shipping fees - you have a few choices:
1. Return the item and pay shipping fees. There is no sense in keeping something that you are unhappy with and are going to complain about in email after email. Get your money back and move on.
2. Keep the item and carry on. If you are going to complain but yet do not return the item, obviously you cannot be that unhappy with it. There is no sense in going on & on to the seller about how you expected this or how you thought it looked like that when you aren't going to pack it up and ship it out. If you keep it, keep your comments to yourself. The seller has offered you the option of returning what you are unhappy with, so take it.
And remember most of all.... Have a Berry Good Day!
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