I am so infuriated by a recent purchase I made on Etsy. It’s enough to make me NEVER EVER buy something on Etsy ever again, although I probably just feel that way right now. Some people are so money grubbing that they swindle you with things they put in their listings. I bought a bag from a woman who admitted in an email to me that she didn’t notice a crack in the handle, yet she listed it in excellent condition with normal wear. After she saw the pictures I took, she’s still stating that the cracked handle falls under her “normal wear” clause. I don’t believe it. I’m still sitting here scratching my head. I’m going to share her listing with you and then share the back and forth emails. I normally don’t put people on blast like this. I think I’ve only ever done it once with ATT because their customer service was dragging their feet, but my money is just as hard earned as the next person’s. This just goes to show that you need to ALWAYS treat people fairly because you never know how influential they are, how business savvy they are or who they know. This website get 1 million unique visitors per year and trends HIGH in Google. But I’m thinking although she may not care about all of that, it makes me feel better to get things off my chest and share it with my readers (a lot of who are vintage lovers too). As you read the messages, please note, my responses are in BOLD.

I Said:

Hi,

I received the bag today however, when your listing said condition: excellent, some signs of wear I didn’t expect the handle to be cracked. I’m not even so concerned with the wear at the corners (which I didn’t expect either) but it’s cracking on the handle right in the center of where it needs to be held.

She Said:

Hello,

I’m happy to know that your order has arrived safely in a timely manner.
I’m aware of the signs of wear at the corner of the handbag which is usually a common sign of wear in vintage handbags – yet I have no knowledge of the handle being in poor condition and not fit to carry. Usually if that’s the case I state so in my listing and the handbag is sold for a fraction of cost. It’s very unusual that I missed this detail during inspection. Do you mind sending me a photo of the damaged handle? I will be happy to resolve this matter with you

Best Wishes!

Kelly
Mod Human Vintage

I Said:

Hi Kelly I had to wait for the sun to take photos. Let me know where to send them and I surely will. Thanks!

She Said:

Hello,

You may attach the photographs into this particular etsy conversation. At the bottom of your reply convo you will see ‘attach image’

best wishes
kelly

I Said:

Thanks I’ve attached 3 views. It’s clearly cracked, but not dangerously cracked it would just make me nervous to carry it.

I Said:

Hi Kelly,

Just wanted to find out if you have had the chance to view the photos. Thanks.

She Said:

Hi,

Thank you for sending the photographs.
I’ve had a chance to review them and have determined that this is not exactly a crack that will cause the handbag to be in unwearable condition. The crack is along the surface due to it’s age, and not actually penetrated through the actual strap itself. It is very wearable and will not cause any breakage during wear.

Best Wishes!

Kelly
Mod Human Vintage

I Said:

Kelly,

Even if it is just on the surface, I paid $58 for this bag. I buy a lot of vintage and would never have purchased a bag if it had cracks of any kind (especially on the handle). I read the listings carefully and steer clear of those listings that depict flaws like a crack that is “beyond” normal wear. A visible crack on the handle does not put it in excellent condition like your listing claims. Normal wear is color rubbing off of the edges, a few light scuffs or slight discoloration not a crack. I’m hoping we can resolve this because $58 is too much money for me to be out of and end up with a bag that I am completely dissatisfied with.

Dominique

I Said:

Just following up on my reply 3 days ago. Thanks.

She Said:

Hi,

I am sorry however I cannot accept a return for this handbag. I’ve sold plenty of bags in this condition and have never had any problems from customers stating that the handbag strap is not fit to carry. The strap in my opinion is sturdy enough to carry and would not break from normal wear. 

Thank you for understanding!

Kelly

I Said:

Hi Kelly,

You keep saying that the bag is fit to carry but I unknowingly bought a bag that had a crack in the handle. I know it can still be carried, but I don’t buy bags with cracked handles and you never disclosed this in your listing. You are trying to gloss over this and deem it normal wear, when I see PLENTY of listings that disclose even a slight crack and wouldn’t deem the bag in EXCELLENT condition if it had one or they would specify that the “interior” is in excellent condition as to not make it seem like it’s the whole bag. Also your listing does not say NO RETURNS. I just took a snapshot of it. You said that you would be happy to resolve this issue with me but you haven’t. I am prepping this bag for return to you. I will file a claim withPaypal.com for a refund and I will chronicle this entire experience with you on my website PrincessDominique.com that gets approximately 1 million unique visitors per year and also share it with my 6000+ Twitter followers (@MissPrincessDom). I have never had an issue with a seller that I couldn’t resolve and you flat out expect me to be out of $58. That’s simply unbelievable to me as a buyer. Once I’ve done that yes then I will also leave feedback on your Etsy account.

Now thank YOU for understanding.

Dominique

I don’t play when it comes to my money. These are hard economic times, but don’t say in an email that you didn’t notice the crack and then not want to resolve the issue with me when it was YOUR oversight. If anybody is on the hunt for vintage or whatever else she sells I’d steer clear of Mod Human Vintage because we know vintage isn’t perfect, however, if a bag has a crack don’t say it’s in EXCELLENT condition or say it’s in excellent condition with the exception of: and STATE what those exceptions are. Lastly she offered me not 15% of my money back but 15% off on a future purchase–of all things. As if there would be a future purchase. I found a 15% off coupon for her business on Google. So basically she’s offering me nothing special, but what anyone who has a web browser can get even if they’ve never purchased anything from her. Common sense isn’t always so common.