I’ve had a guts full.

Yip. A guts full of Trade Me.

Up until a few weeks ago, I would only use it occasionally to buy or sell the odd thing. But a few weeks ago, of course, Man Piece and I made the move from Auckland to begin a move to Australia.

Queue me trying to sell basically everything that I don’t use anymore, which is a lot of stuff. I’ve been selling clothes, DVDs, CDs, bags, and miscellaneous objects. It has been going alright. Seeing money coming into my account still has mostly been the reason for it going alright.

However, I don’t think I have ever encountered so many stupid, obnoxious, annoying people in my life. These people I talk of are the Trade Me regulars. The ones who pretty much buy all their stuff from Trade Me and want basically everything for nothing. Who think they can bitch and bully you into giving them what they want.

When I say this, I do have to mention that several people I have dealt with have been absolutely marvelous. So thank you to those people.

Yet it is aways the few that ruin it for the rest.

I have had the few that put bids in and email you initially saying they have paid and this is their address, but you wait and wait for their payment which never comes. They obviously never intended to pay and make up some story about “urgently” needing the goods so that you ship them as soon as possible. Yeah, I’m not falling for your lies. After repeated emails and a week having passed since the auction closed, you have to request your success fees back from Trade Me and start the process all over again.

Yay.

Then I’ve had the ones that email you non-stop. Seriously. For one pair of shoes I sold, I got emailed five times in one day by the same person. I just don’t even…

Then there are the ones that are unhappy with the goods you shipped them. Some just give you bad feedback saying this is not what they expected. Sure, that’s a cross you bear buying things off the internet without seeing them first hand. This happens all the time when people buy things from online stores. But maybe next time, you should read the auction more carefully or examine the picture, or even ask me a question! *shock horror*

Then there are the ones who take it even further. That when they are unhappy with the product they seek a refund. I’ve had one buyer accuse me of advertising a pair of shoes inaccurately when, in fact, she just needed to know the definition of the colour ‘midnight blue’ and needs to grasp the fact it is not navy. ‘Cause seriously, it’s not. It’s described as a colour so dark it is almost black. So basically it’s black with blue undertones and in sunlight it looks a very, very dark navy. Navy in natural light and artificial like looks navy. End of.

This buyer can’t seem to accept that fact, she just wants her money back so has complained to Trade Me about me. I have provided evidence which is indisputable, yet she still has it out for me. Well, I’m not going to budge, because you know what lady? I’m not the first person you’ve played this game with and you will not win.

[Dems fighting words, they are!]

But after this experience with a Trade Me buyer, I’m done. I actually can’t be bothered with Trade Me anymore. If this is how I am treated by someone I do not know, who makes false accusations about me, and is a down right bitch towards me, I don’t want to have that experience any more.

So once the current auctions (unfortunately which I listed today) run out and my fixed price offers expire, or someone finally buys my stuff, I’m out. Goodbye Trade Me.

It is not just the user experience which has lead me to this decision. The fees are ridiculous as well. I know it is a business and it needs to make a buck, but gosh, I’d rather just donate everything than get charged 10% of the winning bid.

Oh, and just for the record, I am not a store. I don’t have to do shit.