AG shoppers are a different breed, y'all.
Jul. 19th, 2022 02:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impyWarning: the following may be an unpopular opinion but here goes.
Last week was the Madison Children's Museum Benefit Sale.
Every year (I think COVID just delayed it til later in the year?) we get the MCM Benefit Sale. AG donates a bunch of stuff to be sold (I think they donated a BUNCH a few years ago and the Sale has been divvying it up since then) but is not technically affiliated with the sale and they really have nothing to do with it since their part is just "here's some stuff, mostly returns, make your money."
Until COVID, the MCM Benefit Sale was always in person and always, always a madhouse. But because it wasn't anywhere nearby and I don't travel well, I never really super wanted to go to it since the travel expenses would offset the savings for me personally. But for a LOT of people, this is either not an issue because they make a weekend of it, they're resellers, or y'know, locals. But the resellers are real. I need you to keep this fact in mind. The Benefit Sale has resellers who buy entire pallets of dolls to resell elsewhere. It's why people ask about the little black x on a doll's butt. If it's got one, it's from the Benefit Sale and can't be exchanged and a few other doll hospital issues.
Last year I think the sale was online but you had to pay for 'tickets' to shop and I don't remember if it was pick up only or if you could have things shipped.
This year, however, the sale was online and free. No tickets required. So I signed up because I was curious. Mostly I wanted to see the CYOs being offered but also straight up wondered what it was like. I saw the CYO list (I have it somewhere annnnnnnd I nerded out over compiling data and we might discuss this later) and since a few really did speak to me, I eyed the rest of the info. In EVERYTHING ever communicated from the sale, right from the announcement that the sale was coming, MCM clearly stated that shipping was going to be high. Like possibly dealbreaker high for a lot of people. They didn't have exact costs because this isn't AG doing the shipping. It's a bunch of volunteers using the UPS store to ship things. They were VERY upfront about that and how it wasn't the ideal shipping situation but it's what they had.
Sidenote: I don't think this applies to anyone here, but if you've never even looked at the UPS Store for shipping, that shit is fucking expensive. AG people should know this, mmkay?
Included was this shipping estimate table:
Personally, I took one look at that, realized real quick this was a best case scenario and said NOPE because you didn't find out your shipping costs until after you'd already spent a bunch. There was no way of knowing what you'd be charged and you were agreeing to pay, no matter what they charged. If you didn't, no refunds. They kept your stuff and your money. Again, SUPER UPFRONT ABOUT THIS. SO MANY DISCLAIMERS ABOUT SHIPPING BEING HIGH.
So. Sale opens and people go nuts. I literally clicked the link at opening and the 35th anniversary dolls had already sold out. From the 241 or so CYO dolls they were down to like, maybe if I'm being VERY generous, 45. In just a few minutes. Under 5. People bought like craaaaaaaaaaaazy.
I genuinely don't know why they started trying to ship things before the sale ended. There are a few things I do fault MCM with and that's one of them. People's shipping quotes were uh, basically double what they expected. Except for most of these people it's because they were buying dolls AND something else, either in a prepackaged bundle (the CYO dolls count for this since their box is bigger/heavier as it's meant to include their accessories) or because they went nuts buying things. So yeah, the shipping estimate was blown out of the water.
eta: According to one of the posts/emails, they realized pretty early on in the sale that in order to stay on schedule they'd have to start shipping sooner than expected. I still think this was a bit odd since they started trying to ship while the sale was still ongoing and one of the only perks to this online free to the public sale was the ability to go back, time and time again and only have to deal with one (admittedly huge) shipping cost. So contacting people ahead of the sale ending was... not a great idea.
And at first I felt bad for those posting their WTF shipping quotes because yeah, shipping seemed to be as high as I feared and the prices at the actual sale weren't great unless you wanted a Truly Me doll or something that was retired/no longer available and harder to find.
But then these assholes started going off about how they'd dispute the charges with their credit card companies and fuck the charity. I'd like to say I added that last bit but I did not. People tried pointing out that um, you agreed to pay what they charged so disputing the charge was basically fraud and also really fucking shitty. It has been a real shitshow.
This is the nicest "wtf is wrong with you people" I have ever seen, btw.
I think they want me to feel bad for them but dude. You're the ones buying 10 dolls at a time and wanting them shipped across the country and then also decided to buy doll furniture and other shit without paying attention to allllllllllllll the warning signs that shipping was basically going to suuuuuuuuuuuuck.
I've maybe seen three people whose shipping situations made me actually feel bad but at least one of them fell into the dispute charges club so fuck her.
It's gotten so bad that they had to send out another email asking people to not harass the UPS Store employees and also have to explain to grown ass adults how shipping without a big corporate discount works, particularly when you buy a lot of different sized shit.
I'm including the FB post for this and gimme a second and we'll get the email exclusive "don't be an asshole" bit.
I know it repeats some of the info from before but I'm not breaking out the editing unless I have to and you're all awesome and understanding.
To counter the shipping sticker shock, I saw a LOT of people in the one FB community I'm in offering to pick up and ship people's orders. Annnnnnnnnd guys. I cannot begin to convey how my spidey sense just went off.
I will buy and eat a goddamn hat if we don't wind up hearing about people being ripped off by these offers. All it'll take is ONE person who takes one look at the loot and decides it's worth keeping. ONE. Or one person who truly meant to be generous and kind but overextended themselves and fails to ship shit out and yeah. I will eat my hat if there's not at least one "oh shit!" post out of this by the end of all this mess.
Last week was the Madison Children's Museum Benefit Sale.
Every year (I think COVID just delayed it til later in the year?) we get the MCM Benefit Sale. AG donates a bunch of stuff to be sold (I think they donated a BUNCH a few years ago and the Sale has been divvying it up since then) but is not technically affiliated with the sale and they really have nothing to do with it since their part is just "here's some stuff, mostly returns, make your money."
Until COVID, the MCM Benefit Sale was always in person and always, always a madhouse. But because it wasn't anywhere nearby and I don't travel well, I never really super wanted to go to it since the travel expenses would offset the savings for me personally. But for a LOT of people, this is either not an issue because they make a weekend of it, they're resellers, or y'know, locals. But the resellers are real. I need you to keep this fact in mind. The Benefit Sale has resellers who buy entire pallets of dolls to resell elsewhere. It's why people ask about the little black x on a doll's butt. If it's got one, it's from the Benefit Sale and can't be exchanged and a few other doll hospital issues.
Last year I think the sale was online but you had to pay for 'tickets' to shop and I don't remember if it was pick up only or if you could have things shipped.
This year, however, the sale was online and free. No tickets required. So I signed up because I was curious. Mostly I wanted to see the CYOs being offered but also straight up wondered what it was like. I saw the CYO list (I have it somewhere annnnnnnd I nerded out over compiling data and we might discuss this later) and since a few really did speak to me, I eyed the rest of the info. In EVERYTHING ever communicated from the sale, right from the announcement that the sale was coming, MCM clearly stated that shipping was going to be high. Like possibly dealbreaker high for a lot of people. They didn't have exact costs because this isn't AG doing the shipping. It's a bunch of volunteers using the UPS store to ship things. They were VERY upfront about that and how it wasn't the ideal shipping situation but it's what they had.
Sidenote: I don't think this applies to anyone here, but if you've never even looked at the UPS Store for shipping, that shit is fucking expensive. AG people should know this, mmkay?
Included was this shipping estimate table:
Personally, I took one look at that, realized real quick this was a best case scenario and said NOPE because you didn't find out your shipping costs until after you'd already spent a bunch. There was no way of knowing what you'd be charged and you were agreeing to pay, no matter what they charged. If you didn't, no refunds. They kept your stuff and your money. Again, SUPER UPFRONT ABOUT THIS. SO MANY DISCLAIMERS ABOUT SHIPPING BEING HIGH.
So. Sale opens and people go nuts. I literally clicked the link at opening and the 35th anniversary dolls had already sold out. From the 241 or so CYO dolls they were down to like, maybe if I'm being VERY generous, 45. In just a few minutes. Under 5. People bought like craaaaaaaaaaaazy.
I genuinely don't know why they started trying to ship things before the sale ended. There are a few things I do fault MCM with and that's one of them. People's shipping quotes were uh, basically double what they expected. Except for most of these people it's because they were buying dolls AND something else, either in a prepackaged bundle (the CYO dolls count for this since their box is bigger/heavier as it's meant to include their accessories) or because they went nuts buying things. So yeah, the shipping estimate was blown out of the water.
eta: According to one of the posts/emails, they realized pretty early on in the sale that in order to stay on schedule they'd have to start shipping sooner than expected. I still think this was a bit odd since they started trying to ship while the sale was still ongoing and one of the only perks to this online free to the public sale was the ability to go back, time and time again and only have to deal with one (admittedly huge) shipping cost. So contacting people ahead of the sale ending was... not a great idea.
And at first I felt bad for those posting their WTF shipping quotes because yeah, shipping seemed to be as high as I feared and the prices at the actual sale weren't great unless you wanted a Truly Me doll or something that was retired/no longer available and harder to find.
But then these assholes started going off about how they'd dispute the charges with their credit card companies and fuck the charity. I'd like to say I added that last bit but I did not. People tried pointing out that um, you agreed to pay what they charged so disputing the charge was basically fraud and also really fucking shitty. It has been a real shitshow.
This is the nicest "wtf is wrong with you people" I have ever seen, btw.
I think they want me to feel bad for them but dude. You're the ones buying 10 dolls at a time and wanting them shipped across the country and then also decided to buy doll furniture and other shit without paying attention to allllllllllllll the warning signs that shipping was basically going to suuuuuuuuuuuuck.
I've maybe seen three people whose shipping situations made me actually feel bad but at least one of them fell into the dispute charges club so fuck her.
It's gotten so bad that they had to send out another email asking people to not harass the UPS Store employees and also have to explain to grown ass adults how shipping without a big corporate discount works, particularly when you buy a lot of different sized shit.
I'm including the FB post for this and gimme a second and we'll get the email exclusive "don't be an asshole" bit.
I know it repeats some of the info from before but I'm not breaking out the editing unless I have to and you're all awesome and understanding.
To counter the shipping sticker shock, I saw a LOT of people in the one FB community I'm in offering to pick up and ship people's orders. Annnnnnnnnd guys. I cannot begin to convey how my spidey sense just went off.
I will buy and eat a goddamn hat if we don't wind up hearing about people being ripped off by these offers. All it'll take is ONE person who takes one look at the loot and decides it's worth keeping. ONE. Or one person who truly meant to be generous and kind but overextended themselves and fails to ship shit out and yeah. I will eat my hat if there's not at least one "oh shit!" post out of this by the end of all this mess.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-07-20 12:24 am (UTC)By the bye, this is what we'll be faced with if the USPS goes out of business. UPS and FedEx are in it for the money and charge ridiculous amounts for shipping (the fact that there's a difference by zip code tells you all you need to know about their bottom line). I'm a big fan of the USPS (in general) so I hope it doesn't go away.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-07-20 12:10 pm (UTC)I'm just surprised at how blatant people are being about their encouraging people to commit fraud and how they're tripling down when called out. At first it was just one or two very, very vocal people but then it became a whole tide of fuckery and it's like you idiots do know just because someone is very insistent that they're right and you're wrong about how something will play out doesn't mean they know shit or what they're suggesting is legal/right, don't you? And apparently they don't know that at all.
I love the USPS for the most part, even if I wouldn't shed a tear if my mailman happened to be attacked by the Canadian geese and was never seen again. While the geese are at it, they can take out DeJoy, too.