Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Oh For the Love

Well. Remember my awesome 99 cent Red Wing find and its attendant negotiations? It arrived today.




Yes, pre-broken for my enjoyment. Really. When I was engaging in all my clever and delicate negotiations with the seller about honoring the auction price, I should have also said, "Now, don't forget to take the bowl out in your backyard and throw it at a tree! Thanks!" 'Cause she might as well have.

Y'all, I just don't know why people don't understand the laws governing How Stuff Does and Does Not Get Broken. All that bubble wrap so lovingly taped around the dish would be great for a crosstown move. But wrapping a brittle object in bubbles and then putting it in a small flat box does not protect it from the slamming and jarring that is part of the concept we call "shipping." Slamming and jarring are why shipping is not called "gentle cradling."

So this is me being done with buying pottery on ebay. Done. Crocodile Dun-dee. Because you know, I am now posing a threat to the world's supply of vintage pottery. One day it will run out--they ain't makin' any more of it. By winning these auctions and inciting inept people to "ship" me things, I am hastening the demise of perfectly nice ceramics. So from now on they can all stay right where they are at the sellers' houses, probably wrapped in Kleenex and stored safely under bricks.

I have a feeling that this seller may be difficult about this refund. Lifeforce . . . dwindling.

Let's be careful out there.

18 comments:

delaine said...

Good Grief! I think I detect a pattern here. Was this the same seller as last time? Maybe it's time to hit the junque stores and antique malls. Shipping seems to be beyond the pale.

Becky said...

No! Not the same seller! But apparently they went to the same School of Crappy Packing.

Casey said...

What is it with you and broken pottery? You might as well make your own. And send me some. Thanks.

Michele R said...

Wait a sec, you couldn't of expected to pay just $ .99 and $16.00 for shipping AND expected to get it in ship shape order, did you?

I was horrified and almost yelled, no say it isn't so!

I'm so sorry--that is just yuck. And sorry about using could of in this comment.

Amy said...

Oh, for HECK'S SAKE!!! Hard to believe. These people have done this before, right, this "shipping" thing?? I can't fathom that they happened on a piece of pottery, for the first time ever in their lives, and felt the urge to immediately sell it on eBay... yet it seems apparent that they are complete shipping naifs.

Life force, indeed... yeah, this one has "difficult" writ large all over it. Sigh.

Jane said...

Oh, my. This has become quite the tragic saga. So sorry your bowl got broken! It was lovely.

Michele said...

I agree that it is time to throw in the towel. Maybe you can make something crafty out of the pieces?

Amy said...

Unreal! Please update us on how getting the refund goes. The lack of common sense here is pretty impressive.

gretchen said...

Oh good Lord. You know, the fates are just doing this to your pottery so you'll have excellent stories to blog about.

Amy said...

So are you gonna give her bad feedback?

Sara said...

But did it reek of cigarettes?

Now surely you don't think they did it *on purpose?!* Totally, on purpose? Possibly even before it went in the mail?

I think when she said 'handling charges' she might of meant 'ransom.'

Can't wait to see what she says.


And I really am sorry about your breakage, even if I do enjoy the posts! Both of them were such pretty colors. (I'd maybe glue them until I could find some local replacements.)

The Dental Maven said...

Have these Ebay shippers never observed the goings on in a UPS store at 5 pm??????

Camp Papa said...

Oh, the humanity!

Keely said...

Ugh. I kinda saw that one coming.

*mourns the pottery*

Lisa Lilienthal said...

Make a really great mosaic out of the broken pieces and give that seller some bad feedback mojo. All's well that ends well. And have your check out that place in Chamblee -- My Favorite Place? They might do you right with some pottery. If that's not the right place let me know and I'll get the name from my mom.

Marie said...

Ya know, Beck, I hate to sound cynical, but I think the "shipper" in this case just didn't care. She probably thought about just sliding the piece into an envelope and mailing it.

Lawyer Mom said...

Becky, sad to say it but I think you and this ceramic fig leaf were not meant to be . . .

steenky bee said...

I have a difficult time wading through all the e-bay claims of "vintage" in the product descriptions. Whatever...2005 does not make it vintage.

It sounds like you might be better off investing in a kiln in your basement and create your own works of art. I call dibbs on the first vase thing that looks like an ashtray! Oooooh I've missed you!!! I'm stalking your archives today. Can you feel it?