Mistakes happen...

Sometimes mistakes happen.  As a seller on Etsy, Half.com, eBay, and other venues, I do my best to be truthful in how I describe the quality of my products, and I strive to use the best materials in creating crafty stuff.

But, sometimes things go wrong.  

In Our Home We Do Fun Grace Mistakes... by Primitive Expressions on Etsy.

When things go wrong, I pride myself on my ability to correct mistakes, and provide excellent customer service.

But, sometimes buyers don't reach out.  Instead, they leave public feedback without trying to resolve the issue.  I still strive to reach out to those customers.  Usually I never hear anything back.  That sucks.

I recently switched types of glue for the envelopes that I make from old magazines.  That was a mistake.  What is most surprising to me about this is that the brand I switched TO is one most of us, at least in the USA, are familiar with, and probably have both fond memories of and high regard for...Elmer's!  I thought, "Of course I should switch from this cheap, off brand glue to Elmer's!  Of course the quality will be great, and my envelopes will stick together just like they do with the cheap, off-brand glue!"

Oh, how wrong I was!  I recently received neutral feedback on Etsy because of this mistake.  Apparently some of the envelopes that went out in a recent order came unglued when the purchaser tried to fill them.  I feel terrible about that.  I would gladly have replaced them immediately, and even sent the replacements by priority mail if she had just reached out to me before posting her feedback.  I am still considering sending her some new envelopes on the house. 

Vintage Mistakes Crumpled Mug from Jennifer Woollatt of 5and10Vintage on Etsy.

But, I learned a big lesson (well, I RE-learned a big lesson!).  Don't mess with what works.  The generic, cheap glue worked perfectly well.  The Elmer's? Not so much.  In fact, after going through my stock of envelopes made with Elmer's I've found several more that have come unglued.  Sigh...

So, I went out and bought my trusty cheap-o glue today and am trashing the Elmer's, and I'll be spending the weekend regluing many envelopes, and making a bunch of new ones too.

For those that have read this far,  please know that most independent sellers of handmade items want to provide you with high quality products, and awesome customer service.  If something goes wrong, or just isn't what you expected, please reach out before you leave neutral or negative feedback.  Most of us will work actively to correct the problem.