Tailor Archive
Thread: returns
Usually I don't take returns. Nothing as irritating as having someone try to return a spec ops duster (that he bought three weeks ago, mind you)as payment toward a gunman duster. I don't CARE if I made it, I don't want it back! Usually I'm willing to take something back if I exchange it for the same item (i.e. customer buys blue shirt that doesn't quite match with blue pants. I take back the blue shirt in exchange for custom made matching blue shirt.)
But yesterday, people bought items from the vendor, and then put them back on the vendor for the same price as "offers." No e-mails, no explanations, and all different items. So I rejected them. Since my labeling is not deceptive <Item name> (color) crafted by me, I don't see any reason to take the items back. Any thoughts on this?
That's one of the most annoying things about vendors, the offer function of them. I wish there was a way to disable it. No, I don't want to buy your combat knife, dress shirt, belt, melon etc.. that you found asa drop for 500 each (OK, I will buy the melons, but only if they are pre-nerf 
) If you want to unload that stuff, sell it on the Bazaar.
If I sell you something, you keep it, it's yours, sell it on the Bazaar if you are finished with it. After they implement clothing decay, it might be a different story. People will actually wear out the clothes, so there will be no need to trade it in.
I'd say yes in some cases say they didn't know they couldn't wear it and want to trade in for somehting they can. Then sure why not I bought stuff I wasn't able to wear when I first started.
But if they just want something new nope, they need to sell it on the bazaar.
I had someone do this once, he bought 20 items and tried offering them back. Same situation, no email and when I tried /telling him I got no response. I had gotten the sale notifications while I was in a different city, so I had already crafted replacement items for most of the things he bought. I had even sent him an email thanking him for his large vendor purchase. It seemed kind of wierd, so I assumed he was buying for friends as well as himself. Then I saw that he had just offered them all back, not even keeping one item for himself. I was completely shocked and more than a little ticked off. So I rejected the lot of them.
He sent me a very rude series of tells over the next few minutes that I had better take those things back, because he just wanted to try them on. Apparently his regular tailor lets him do this. I explain that I only allow customers to try on clothes while I'm with them, that the vendor is kind of like the bazaar and I expect people to use it only when they know what they want. I have a sign(a renamed Military Pack is the perfect height for a sign) up saying that if someone doesn't know what they want they can email me for an appointment.
He yells at me a little more saying he just hopped planets and can't take the things back so I'd better buy them. Of course since I'd already rejected the items I can't even see them anymore.At this point I'm starting to see why maybe he doesn't go to his regular tailor anymore. I'm guessing he got banned from their shop, whoever they were. He wouldn't tell me when I asked.After all this, he cursed at me badly enough that I was tempted to /report him, but settled for putting him on /ignore.
Maybe if a customer absolutely couldn't arrange to meet me, I'd allow them to try on things using the vendor. But even then I'd make it clear that they could only do it once because my regular policy was to deny that type of returns. I try to keep a really wide variety of things on the vendor, and I usually try to keep one of all the most popular items in at least 5 colors, sometimes more.
If someone pulled everything I had in a certain color, or, for example, a bustier in 4 different colors, just to "try on" that would severely limit the selection for my serious customers. Those items wouldn't show back up for the folks who are ready to buy until I logged on, made it to my store, and relisted them all. My shop is almost 2000m from town so I don't want to make folks run all the way out there to an empty vendor!
Personally, I like the offer feature, but I wish we could maybe set permissions on it and have a set list of folks who can use it. I have several resource suppliers that use it, and some of my PA members drop things that they'd like to give me into it. But I am getting a little tired of folks offering me their old outfits, or whatever crap they happened to loot. If they list it at a relatively cheap price I'll usually be a sucker and buy it to save them a trip back out. But I only do that for looted items, I'm not paying them for an old player-created outfit that they're tired of. I mean, what am I supposed to do with it?
For example, a wookie bought a cloaked dress in light grey and oliveish green yesterday. Obviously he couldn't wear it (and WHY exactly would it be so bad for the system to just TELL you when you are browsing that "you can buy this, but you won't be able to use it" before you plunk money down) - but I happened to be 30m from him when he got it and heard him grumbling about 10 seconds after I got the email (luckily, before I started sending my usual 'thanks for buying' email) notification off the bazaar. So, even tho it cost me 20c, I was perfectly happy to buy it back from him. My feeling is that cost me all of 3 minutes and 20c to send the message to one potential customer that 'yes, I care about making sure you get what you really want'.
I'm quite trusting when it comes to handing people outfits to try on for fit. So far I have not *knock plastic* been burned by someone just waltzing off with a couple of outfits.
I've gladly remade items for folks that have just bought something to match the colors they like. I figure that, A.) if I sold it once, I can sell it again at the same price, and B.) I'm distinguishing myself to the customers as a tailor willing to take the time.
I've allowed people to go through all my 'in inventory' stock before I put it up on my vendor, trying them on one at a time to give them a chance to find something they like (about 1/2 the time this leads to a multiple outfit sale, 1/4 of the time a single outfit sale and 1/4 of the time no immediate sale)
All that said - I would probably not buyback a stack of 20 items that someone bought and offered right back up on the vendor. I certainly won't buy back an item that's been 'out' for any material time. I treat it as if decay was in place, so any return that's more than 10 minutes or so after the sale would be turned down.
Having said all that... can someone that knows the economics of it, please explain to me how real world stores (f.e. Lane Bryant) can have such seriously generous return policies - especially seeing as they will accept items back that they simply have no way of reselling as 'new'. I have friends that without the local store management batting an eye, will cycle through three or four outfits every few months. Perhaps the secret to this is that these same friends will also make new purchases quite often as well. Perhaps the other aspect of it is that the clothes they are getting in the first place would seem to be higher margin items. After all, Wal-mart doesn't offer nearly the same kind of 'returns experience' as LB.
I admit.. I do take returns, but only if they're garments that have been made by me and have appropriate colour labelling (so that they can actually be sold to someone else), and if the person comes to me to make the request. I do not buy items that are just offered up to vendor -- at the least because it seems pretty rude, in an offhand sort of way.
But occasionally, I get someone who's decided that this pale grey swoop helm doesn't work for him, and he'd like a brown one instead, for instance -- and under those circumstances, sure, I'll take the helm back for a third or so off the new item. Usually, folks I do this for don't make a habit of it, which is fantastic... and if they do, I stop buying from them. I am not a used clothes store.. *grins*
First of all I keep a log of everything I sale and who I sale it to.
If someone buys something from me, whether it's off my vendor or a custom order, they have 1 day to put a return offer on my vendor along with an email of the problem. I fully reimburse them if it's legitimate and I know if it's mine because I have my tag on the name of the item.
People, just like in real life, have reasons for returning things. Besides I always seem to be able to resell the items returned.
I have a firm return policy.
I had a guy email me immediately after purchasing a Transport Flightsuit saying that he didn't want it becuase he couldn't wear it with his duster. It was a lot of money, would I please take it back? Of course I said yes. Two days later, he shows up, thanks me for agreeing to it, but has decided to keep it after all. Could I please make him matching gloves, boots and a cool belt? What a great customer! Anyway, if someone purchases something and they either can't wear it (race/sex specific) or they can't wear it with what they intended to as above, I will take a return no questions asked, full refund. If someone purchases something off the vendor and the colour isn't quite right, I will happily replace it with the colour they do want. I do not accept returns of any other kind. No, you can not trade in 4 gowns I made you weeks ago for a Grand Ball Gown and a cool headpiece! No, I will not buy back things you are tired of (that's what the bazaar is for). No, I will not take a dropped swoop helm and give you one I make in black!Oh, the other thing I will do.. if a dancer brings me back (for example) a fleshwrap I made that some bloke in the cantina gave her as a gift, I will make her a different colour or I will give her credit towards a new outfit. A lot of guys buy those and expotic leopatards <see the posts under "gotta love this" thread if you dont' get that joke> to give to dancers instead of tips. I know one dancer that got three black fleshwraps inside of 2 hours one night! As long as they are made by me, I will do something with those. I'll just sell it to the next bloke that wants to impress some entertainer!
I've had the occasional customer try to bully me into taking trades. ONLY things I take in trade are rare materials or hides. Generally, the customers that try that can't even bring themselves to face me after I tell them off and buy off the vendor. Which is a good thing in my book!
Nalinya Dreamstar
Master Tailor of Valcyn
How do you have time to send replies to every email when someone purchases something? it would be a 24 hour a day job if I were to do that. Just like restocking my vendors... could be.
I will take almost all items back, unless it was made by someone else. I guess I am soft. I normally don't get many returns though so its not too much of a hassel and makes people happy.
The only time I won't take an item back... only happened once.. someone bought 2 GH robes and a flightsuit. then they came back the next dayand said 2 other tailors would have made the same thing for just 5k each. i was quite angry because I spent 2 hours (remember I have a RL too)with this guy. It's easy for another tailor to say this AFTER YOU spend all your time with him.
Customers who just want a bargin or a deal are not the kind of customers I want in my shop anyways, nor are they thekind I want to service. However, 99% of my clients say "Are you sure that's enough?" when I give them the price of their outfit and then theytip generously.
Chiana
I had a guy today that bought a pair of gloves, then realized he couldn't wear them so he returned them to my vendor. No problem, that kind of thing happens, so I bought them back. Wasn't till he bought and tried to return a second item that I thought to check my price list...
He made 260cr in profit off of me!
I felt like such a sucker. I hope it was an honest mistake on his part...Anyhow, I guess I'll give him two strikes. One more and he won't be able to darken my doorstep again.
I'll take back clothing the same day (or if im not on and have an email explaining it). Long as I made it. I refuse to buy npc drops, if they're offered they're rejected, i dont contact i dont explain i just reject them.
And unless its a very very good customer, im not exchanging an item 2 weeks later because you want a different outfit/color/whatever.
I do refunds for a couple of reasons:
1. Customer bought an item they cannot wear by mistake. If this is done immediately after the purchase and is followed up with an email to me explaining the problem, I have no problem doing a refund as soon as I see the emails. The same goes for items that were purchased but could not be worn together when that was the original intent. Again, the request that I refund the purchase price must be in the form of either a direct tell to me or via email if I am offline.
2. The color was not a match, and the customer asks to come back another time with the clothing item they want color-matched. Again, with an email or a tell for the request.
Do I take trade-ins? No. I am not a used clothing consignment shop. What annoys me most is players who put all kinds of things on my vendor as an offer...I think they believe it is like the bazaar and whoever comes into my shop might see and want their items and I do try to explain to people that offers to my vendor are offers to me only, not to anyone else. I wish there was a confirm box to players offering items to vendors to let them know this. I remember a time when if an offer was rejected the item was forever lost to the person who made the offer. Unretrieveable. It still makes me nervous every time I reject an offer and so I spend time instead either sending a tell or an email to the individuals to let them know why I do not purchase offers of anything other than resources that I have agreed to buy in a prior discussion.