As you can see by the subject title - this is not a happy post.
This is a post directed to 2 people who are buyers/sellers on a popular second-hand children item FB group.
I admit - I don't speak Finnish or write Finnish because I worry about confusing the written words and the spoken Finnish and then nobody understanding me. It's more like Finnglish if I write something...
So anytime I try to make a purchase or a claim on an item on this FB group - I use simple English.
"I can buy, can you deliver to downtown?" something like that - that hopefully translates to understandable Finnish...and if the person writes back in decent English then I go from there.
I've had people completely ignore (or they've been away to the countryside for their 5-weeks of vacation) my interest in an item (i.e. double strollers) and I'm the only one interested in that item being sold.
I've also had a few super awesome and fast purchases from sellers and those were things we really needed and are great experiences.
So, what has happened recently that is causing this huffy post?
1) I'm selling a double stroller (3-wheels, ABC Design brand, basket below is ripped up and one buckle cracked but everything else is working fine) for 50�. I've used it for less than a year and bought it second hand over 100�. Why am I selling it? Because the bar across the children's laps is not removable and causing us a great deal of strain to pull the kids out and to put them in the stroller.
One lady is interested and says, sure, she'll come and pick it up - can I hold the item for her until July 26th. Sure, why not? Then I can make more space in the storage and basement area. Okay - unless there's another faster buyer - then it's hers.
Two days before - she tells me she's not sure what time she's coming by but she will. Fair enough - I give her my number and that is that.
The day of - I'm waiting until about 10-11am - no message, no call - nothing. So I send her an email telling her I'm heading out with the kids but to let me know 30 minutes in advance and I can rush back home no problem.
She responds she can't come now because her car is broken and fine, sh*t happens, but can I hold it again until August 7th and then the car should be ready.
I advise her that I am not available after the 10th of August - so August 7th is the FINAL date I am willing to hold and sell it to her.
She writes me something in Finnish and I write back in Finnish and she thanks me and that yes, she'll come by with the car August 7th.
Tomorrow is August 7th. I emailed her today to remind her to come pick it up but to avoid a certain hour due to an appointment.
Now, she is advising me that cannot come to pick it up as the car repair ate up quite a bit of money.
BEFORE YOU START BITING MY HEAD OFF and suggest that I am a horrible, sh*tty-arsed person for being so un-kind and heartless...please bear in mind - the car repair was awhile ago and she would have known awhile ago that she would not be able to afford to pay for the stroller or pick it up even.
I consider that rude and in-considerate. There's nothing to be ashamed of in having a broken car or not having enough money for something you really want or need of course, so I think that she could have contacted me on her own in Finnish or English to tell me this.
I'm sure I'm not the only person she did this to because I noticed she commented on other people's photos asking if they could reserve items for her...SO.
2) A seller posts a pretty awesome swimsuit in blue - it's not a Speedo style (sooooooo common in Finland - on men too) and it's not a trunks/shorts style..it's like a full body one (well stops at the knees I guess). It gives great UV protection and perhaps would encourage my little man to go into the water a little more if he wasn't feeling so cold etc.
Well, I exchange a few basic comments with the seller, asking if she'll sell it to me and if she could deliver to downtown (price is 15� normally 50� for a new one - what a deal!). She said she was able to deliver it to downtown on certain days...okay - great! I forward her my phone number and have been waiting for over a week to hear back from her. She said she's able to post it to me for an extra 4�. I HIGHLY doubt it costs 4� to ship to me from across the bridge...what a rip off - so I told her I can meet downtown.
No response.
In the mean time, she's been posting new items and no response.
Today, she drops the price down to 10�...THANKS A LOT LADY.
So I left a comment asking why we're not meeting and that I was still very interested in purchasing this item (hint hint, I was the first one to comment and nobody else has said anything).
She JUST emailed me now asking for my mailing address because she doesn't have a car. She'll send it to me and is only charging 2� for postage. Great! (And she couldn't tell me this before because.....?)
Hallelujah. Now my son will get his swim suit just in time for NEXT YEAR.
This is a post directed to 2 people who are buyers/sellers on a popular second-hand children item FB group.
I admit - I don't speak Finnish or write Finnish because I worry about confusing the written words and the spoken Finnish and then nobody understanding me. It's more like Finnglish if I write something...
So anytime I try to make a purchase or a claim on an item on this FB group - I use simple English.
"I can buy, can you deliver to downtown?" something like that - that hopefully translates to understandable Finnish...and if the person writes back in decent English then I go from there.
I've had people completely ignore (or they've been away to the countryside for their 5-weeks of vacation) my interest in an item (i.e. double strollers) and I'm the only one interested in that item being sold.
I've also had a few super awesome and fast purchases from sellers and those were things we really needed and are great experiences.
So, what has happened recently that is causing this huffy post?
1) I'm selling a double stroller (3-wheels, ABC Design brand, basket below is ripped up and one buckle cracked but everything else is working fine) for 50�. I've used it for less than a year and bought it second hand over 100�. Why am I selling it? Because the bar across the children's laps is not removable and causing us a great deal of strain to pull the kids out and to put them in the stroller.
One lady is interested and says, sure, she'll come and pick it up - can I hold the item for her until July 26th. Sure, why not? Then I can make more space in the storage and basement area. Okay - unless there's another faster buyer - then it's hers.
Two days before - she tells me she's not sure what time she's coming by but she will. Fair enough - I give her my number and that is that.
The day of - I'm waiting until about 10-11am - no message, no call - nothing. So I send her an email telling her I'm heading out with the kids but to let me know 30 minutes in advance and I can rush back home no problem.
She responds she can't come now because her car is broken and fine, sh*t happens, but can I hold it again until August 7th and then the car should be ready.
I advise her that I am not available after the 10th of August - so August 7th is the FINAL date I am willing to hold and sell it to her.
She writes me something in Finnish and I write back in Finnish and she thanks me and that yes, she'll come by with the car August 7th.
Tomorrow is August 7th. I emailed her today to remind her to come pick it up but to avoid a certain hour due to an appointment.
Now, she is advising me that cannot come to pick it up as the car repair ate up quite a bit of money.
BEFORE YOU START BITING MY HEAD OFF and suggest that I am a horrible, sh*tty-arsed person for being so un-kind and heartless...please bear in mind - the car repair was awhile ago and she would have known awhile ago that she would not be able to afford to pay for the stroller or pick it up even.
I consider that rude and in-considerate. There's nothing to be ashamed of in having a broken car or not having enough money for something you really want or need of course, so I think that she could have contacted me on her own in Finnish or English to tell me this.
I'm sure I'm not the only person she did this to because I noticed she commented on other people's photos asking if they could reserve items for her...SO.
2) A seller posts a pretty awesome swimsuit in blue - it's not a Speedo style (sooooooo common in Finland - on men too) and it's not a trunks/shorts style..it's like a full body one (well stops at the knees I guess). It gives great UV protection and perhaps would encourage my little man to go into the water a little more if he wasn't feeling so cold etc.
Well, I exchange a few basic comments with the seller, asking if she'll sell it to me and if she could deliver to downtown (price is 15� normally 50� for a new one - what a deal!). She said she was able to deliver it to downtown on certain days...okay - great! I forward her my phone number and have been waiting for over a week to hear back from her. She said she's able to post it to me for an extra 4�. I HIGHLY doubt it costs 4� to ship to me from across the bridge...what a rip off - so I told her I can meet downtown.
No response.
In the mean time, she's been posting new items and no response.
Today, she drops the price down to 10�...THANKS A LOT LADY.
So I left a comment asking why we're not meeting and that I was still very interested in purchasing this item (hint hint, I was the first one to comment and nobody else has said anything).
She JUST emailed me now asking for my mailing address because she doesn't have a car. She'll send it to me and is only charging 2� for postage. Great! (And she couldn't tell me this before because.....?)
Hallelujah. Now my son will get his swim suit just in time for NEXT YEAR.
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