Got a Bad Looking Pin in a Snail Mail Trade - HELP!

[mickeysaver]

I made a trade through PinPics. I liked the trade in theory. But, in reality, the pin I got was not a good looking pin. It has some sort of defect in the lettering of the words and it has some sort of pinkish/red paint on it. This totally does not make me happy.

Now, here is my question. I have not yet sent the pin that I was going to be trading for the pin that I have recieved. Would it be wrong to write the lady a note telling her that the trade is off and then return her pin without giving her the nicer harder to find pin that I had agreed to trade for what is essentially a hunk of junk?

I feel bad about this. I would be really upset had I already mailed the pin out. I had several traders that were going to hit the mail today, but I forgot and left them here at home. Let me know your opinion. Thanks! Maggie

 

[Luv2Roam]

First, if this was me, I would apologize profusely for not mailing a trade pin as agreed.
That being said, if I really did not want the pin I would let the trader nicely know why, return their pin and throw in another as an inconvenience. Even if it is just a common pin. Unless it was an obvious flawed/defective pin, and they made no mention of that prior to the trade.
Most likely if I was the person on the other end, I probably would not trade with you again.
Not to sound harsh, but unless something REALLY gets in the way, I let the other person know my error and keep in communication as much as necessary. We all make mistakes, and we all have at some point.
Sickness, etc does get in the way. We understand that. Good communication is the key in those situations.
Not mailing a pin as agreed and then wanting to return the pin you rec'd is not a good way to build faith.
But that is just me, and maybe I am being too harsh or don't know the full story.

 

[mickeysaver]

Just for the record....

The trade was agreed to on Monday night. I had not had the chance to get to the post office until today. I work in a pediatric office and with the Flu season hitting as hard as it has, getting out of the office during the day is impossible. I make it a rule to always mail out pins within 3-5 days. I had every intention of mailing out the agreed upon trade pin today, since I got out of work early due to our doctor's meeting at the hospital, but I made a human error and left the bag with the pin in it at home.

I did go to the post office today, that's when I figured out that I had the wrong bag with me. It was my error and I had plans to write a note to the woman tomorrow with a bit of an apology and the details on the certified mail tracking number.

Now, as for the condition of the pins. I had no info given to me prior to the trade about any condition flaws in the pin. I am still really new to the whole pin trading thing. I feel that if I am going to offer up a pin for a trade that I should advise the other party of any condition issues before I allow them to agree to a trade. I expect the same from other traders.

When I got the pin today, I was really upset, because the pin is just not what I expected. I wish I had a scanner so that you could see how bad the pin looks with the defect and the paint. I would be hard pressed to find it within myself to offer it to anyone as a trader. I really can't say that I want to keep it for the set that I am building either.

I have written a letter to the other trader. I explained my reluctance to complete the originally agreed upon trade. I also told her that I feel bad for not completing the trade, but that I also find the pin she sent to me to be totally unacceptable due to it's quality.

I am going to send her $3 to cover her fees and the defective pin. She had recycled the shipping envelope and used only $0.49 in postage. I think that's fair enough.

I hope this provides a little more light on the situation. I don't think that I am a bad trader. I always get stuff into the mail, just not always the next day. The closest post office to my work always has a line out the door. I am lucky if I can get in and out in less than an hour.

The defense rests. Maggie

 

[mickeysaver]

Ok, got a letter today from the trader. She says she didn't look at the pin before she shipped it and had not realized that there was a condition issue with the pin. She asked that I just ship it back to her without any money. She apologized for the error.

I can't just send back the pin without some compensation for postage and time. So, I am stilll sending her the $3 and I insist on sending it out certified so that I know she gets it back.

Looks like we have a peaceful resolution to the problem. I just hate it that this has happened though. Maggie

 

[Brer-Rabbit]

Just for the record.......

I think you were lucky, If I had been the sender of that pin, I would be VERY mad. Of course I would not have sent a bad pin to begin with, but that (to me) is irrelavent. If you agree to a pin trade on monday and agree to mail the pin, then you should have already mailed your pin.

That is NOT fair to the other person. I understand that we all get busy -- but 5 days is LONG time. You should have let her know that you did not mail the pin. I personally get VERY annoyed when I send my pin, but the recipient doesnt send theirs when they say they are going to, or waits to make sure they get mine before they send theirs, even though I have hundreds of refs.

If you have a hard time getting to the post office, you should buy some stamps and keep them at home. Put the pin in a bubble envelope, carefully wrapped, and slap two stamps on it and place in in the outgoing mail at work or at home. If I were that trader, I wouldnt trade with you again.

Sorry

JMHO

Michael

 

[mickeysaver]

Michael....

I never just mail a pin to the party with whom I am trading. I always send my pins out certified with a return receipt card. It costs me about $4-5 dollars per trade, but it also creates a paper trail that allows the person on the other end of the trade to track the shipment. It also provides me with proof that I did send the pin and that in good faith, I kept my end of the bargain.

I had not agreed on a set time to mail out the pin to the other party in the trade that went wrong. I do not feel that 5 days is too long to get a pin out. To me this is just a hobby. If there was a stated need for a more timely delivery because the pin needed for a gift, I would make the extra effort to get it out quickly or consider doing without the paper trail that would be created by sending out certified.

Now, some of you might think this is silly to send out pins certified. But, let me say that had I not done this with one of the few PinPics trades that I have done so far, I would have had the potential for disaster. I did a trade for the Santa's Pin List Mickey with a guy for the MVMCP Tink Dangler. He said that he didn't get it the day after the tracking number proved that he did. I also got the return receipt card in the mail yesterday with the guy's name on it. He had signed for it himself, but tried to say that someone in the house must have signed for it and not given it to him. He could have had me over a barrel in this trade had I not created the paper trail. Yes, his pin got to me first, but the time obviously was not an issue for him. I sent it out 4 days after the agreement to trade was made.

I don't see that this makes me a bad trader. I am disappointed that anyone here would think that it did. I will continue to carry on with this hobby as usual. If someone I am trading with has a problem with it, let them tell me. Maggie

 

[Mr. Plutonium]

Hi!
I think you both goofed. Sending out a damaged pin is not cool. We all make mistakes so I would give that person the benefit of the doubt. I really hate it when I promise to send a pin and then I don't do it on the agreed upon day.
I let the other party know that I'm going to be tardy and appologize. There are a lot of folks out there that wait for their pin to arrive before they send the pin to the other trader. There is a lot of mistrust out there; that's part of the game if the pin they are sending you is a Holy Grail. The worst are some Japanese who wait for your pin to arrive. They always send you your pin but you have to wait. I suspect there is a language problem on both sides so I wait and wait and don't send any mean e-mail until my pin comes. The Japanese pins are worth the wait. It's a gamble and I think in the end it's fun. I shut the trade assitant off when I am too busy to do trades in the mail.
This sort of stuff is part of trading in the mail. We all lead busy lives and pins sometimes have to take a back seat. I think you handled the situation well all things considered. There shouldn't be hard feelings.
-Gene

 

[chef's wife]

People............this is a pin not a replacement liver for Alonzo Mourning...........life is going on in case you did not hear!!!!!!!
So she did not send the pin out.......ooohhhhh it's the end of the world as we know it......and I feel fine!!!!!!!!!
Too bad, mail it tomorrow, hey and if you received a bad pin, it was a sign from above not to mail the pin you were about to get sc#%#%!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Send it back and tell them doo doo happens send me a good pin or keep your crappy pin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love Manny.......no, not the Wench!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By the way, Ed needs a new wife can anyone get one out to him today, "not defective"