Since I am an online shopper, you would assume I have had good experiences and bad. Your assumption would be correct. Regardless of the bad experiences I have had none of them have been bad enough to stop me from shopping that way.
One of the newest things I have found is an plug-in that allows me to use PayPal for sites that don’t even take it. It is the coolest thing ever. For people who are afraid to shop online because they don’t want to spread their credit card or banking info all over the place, it is ideal. PayPal is the only place that needs that information from you and even if you’re comfortable using your credit cards online – it has an auto-fill feature which means you don’t have to type your name, address, or credit card number at.all. For some people it might make things TOO easy but I love it!
Shopping on eBay and then selling on Etsy has given me an appreciation for the difference between the 2 places. Some people think one site is better *ahem* than the other, but I think they are just different, and I use them for different things. I go to eBay for a deal, or to find something I can’t find easily anywhere else. I go to Etsy when I am looking for something unique and handmade.
Something both sites have in common (besides PayPal) is the practice of leaving feedback. I shopped on eBay for a long time before I ever sold anything on Etsy so I was very familiar with leaving feedback after purchasing something. But sometimes I found that on eBay leaving bad feedback almost felt like a strike against you – as much as a strike against the seller. Lately eBay has changed it so some of your feedback options are left anonymously so you can feel more comfortable saying what you really feel.
On Etsy the feedback option is just that – optional. Very few sellers will actually email you and ask you to leave feedback after you buy from them, it’s just a different vibe. But those that DO email for feedback from either site? They are risking my not shopping with them again.
When I was a kid my Mom used to say – or maybe it was my ex-husband – who cares. Anyway – whoever it was used to say – if you want BetteJo to do something, tell her to do the opposite. I am stubborn and dislike being told what to do. In a work environment or being trained in something, of course I can take instruction. But when I buy something from you, and you email me and say “PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK THANK YOU” – I probably won’t. Just sayin’.
