WLV CHAT Only Thread ~ Come Get to Know One Another!

[#1]

Welcome to our CHAT thread where you can introduce yourself, ask a question, tell a joke, say what you're up to or what you're having for dinner! A place to meet one another. A place to procrastinate and get away from it all for a few minutes. Feel free to post something you like in another team member's shop. If you want to ask a question about something in your shop you may post a link to the item.

What you can't do on this thread is self-promote : ) All random self-promotions will be deleted. Since the leaders of the team can't be present 24/7 we ask members to let us know of any self-promotions by Page # so we can delete the post and keep the chat flowing. If your post is deleted please don't take offense. There is a separate thread for self-promotions where you can show us your new listings, relists, etc. and we look forward to seeing them!

If you are new to the team, there's no need to read pages and pages of posts. Just jump in! Our posters are friendly and helpful!

Please keep your posts clean, positive and family friendly.

Please no calling out on Etsy, administration or other members.

Please keep any harsh differences of opinion in convos and not on the thread.

Let's chat!

MrFilthyRotten
AuntSue
Waalaa

[JaipurrugsDesign]

https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/764803055/cotton-rug-block-printed-round-rug

https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/764776481/cotton-rug-block-printed-round-rug

https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/749710230/jute-cotton-multicolour-chindi-rag-rug

https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/749703222/navy-jute-braided-saturn-border-area-rug

https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/750919270/cotton-rug-block-printed-round-rug

https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/750922186/cotton-rug-block-printed-round-rug

https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/750924044/cotton-rug-block-printed-round-rug

[lionsandmoons]

blacksporegardens

Plant spirit medicine is the shaman's way with plants.
Store Link Click Below
https://www.etsy.com/shop/blacksporegardens

https://www.ebay.com/usr/blackspore

https://www.facebook.com/ShamanicProphet

Mugwort live plant 8 inch Organic Medicinal Sacred Wiccan  Click Below
https://www.etsy.com/listing/764612131/mugwort-artemisia-vulgaris-woodworm-live?ref=shop_home_active...

Aloe Maculata Southern African species Vera 8 inch Live plant Gifts included Organic
Link Below Click Here
https://www.etsy.com/listing/839391264/aloe-maculata-southern-african-species?ref=shop_home_active_1...

Cereus repandus, the Peruvian apple cactus 25 Seeds Organic !! Gifts Included
Link Below Click Here

https://www.etsy.com/listing/839405768/cereus-repandus-the-peruvian-apple?ref=shop_home_active_1&frs...

Mimosa Seeds Click Below
https://www.etsy.com/listing/756304171/mimosa-pudica-shameplant-25-fresh-seeds?ref=shop_home_active_...

“Dualism is the proto-dream underlying clock time and all modern dreaming. Dualism might be defined as the illusion that there are two discreet principles in the universe: self and other. Dualism implies isolation, conflict, and a continuous struggle of opposing forces. For this reason, actions based on dualistic vision are simplistic, aggressive, and destructive.”

[CaritasColorSpace]

Lots of spam on this page, found some nice friends though when reading back! Have a great weekend every one! 

I have been sorting out,driving to the Charity lots of boxes filled with nice things that I just cannot have at home any more. Working as leader for painting and ceramics. Painting and soon driving my works to an exhibition. And my interest in ECO printing on paper is still strong, just the time is hard to find now. 

I hope to see you here (it was really hard to find this thread now) or FB or Twitter too. 

http://www.caritasiren.com/eco-printing-on-paper-and-other-works-.html 

[ClassicMemories]

Hi Carita so good to see you.

Your paintings are lovely.

wishing you much success.

[CaritasColorSpace]

Thank you, Classic!

Today I finished 4 big works for an exhibition starting on sunday the 13th september.

Have been trading some ACEOs but not much time for Etsy, so sorry for that. I miss you all, we had such fun and cool digital parties! 

Leonard Cohen   

[JunqueGypsy]

Sorry that this group's thread seems to have given up the ghost. Used to be fun and helpful to chat with like-minded vinties.

But just in case anyone checks in, I'm sharing a message I just received from my daughter about upcoming shipping delays. Yikes! Doesn't look good for those of us in e-commerce. And I'm still suffering from delays, losses, and denied insurance claims from USPS since the leadership changed in June due to "new policies." 

Anyway...

"....He works in logistics for a major car supplier. He said the supply chain is still messed up from the spring - weeks delay on ocean liners, empty containers in the wrong parts of the world so even if there is a ship they have no containers in the right place to load product, etc. And he said it will be getting even worse as the vaccine starts to be moved around the globe. Add to that UPS/DHL/FEDEX have all promised to allocate 50% of their capacity to vaccine shipping. So.... moral of this story is if you have any Xmas shopping plans on line better do it now. He said vaccine shipment supposed to start in 2 weeks (or so his company is being told). So slowdowns will start to be noticed soon."

[CaritasColorSpace]

Thank you, for the info!

I bought in october a little painting from Russia here at Etsy. 

It was with tracking.

The delivery time was three weeks, I consider it a short time, just because of Covid. 

I traded some small ACEOS from Canada and US in april - and some letters still missing. Some came after two months. Nothing is sure in these days, maybe if you pay a lot for tracking everything.

The post closer here, like Scandinavian, is quite ok now. But yesterday Sweden got very hard restrictions to follow, so I suppose we will be slow in everything.

Take care, stay safe, I hope we will meet with a digital party when times get better! XOXO

[Sassydoggs]

Thanks for posting this @JunqueGypsy .  I am not sure why groups are no longer relevant, now that we need the community more than ever.  I have been part of this group since it was just a late night daily chat, in the days before the introduction of "groups".  My shop has had a long history of safe arrival of my shipments, up until this year.  In the past several months, there have been two my orders that arrived that looked like the boxes were run over by trucks. I did not bother to file a claim because there are so many roadblocks set up, and small chance of winning any claim.  I no longer ship international, even though I had shipped thousands of items around the world.  It used to make up 1/3 of my sales.  It has reduced stress and problems to ship only  within the US,  but  I miss the international buyers. 

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

Hi Gypsy,

I still get notifications so I saw that you posted, howdy! Sorry that you're having so much strife with the shipping, I have been really lucky, only a couple weird delays but nothing too severe. 

Yes, it will be interesting times for a while. I cut off almost all international shipping due to the offsite ad fees, I only ship to Canada anymore and only in very lightweight classes.  It's already surprise billing not knowing when I'm going to be charged for an ad fee, this month so far I'm over 75% of my orders supposedly coming in from ads and I've paid $216 so far for the month, and that's JUST OA ad fees. Sometimes when I look at my finance page I honestly start to cry a little because I'm so mad that they've forced this on us with no control over budget. I don't need to work for nothing when an international sale comes through and have to pay 12% on that shipping! So while I need the money, I'm thinking of going into vacation mode maybe a week or more before Christmas. I don't need the aggravation. Not that we have plans, but I'm not willing to sacrifice my holidays because of all of the above, plus add in a touch of psycho, now those I've had a few this year. 

Thanks for the head's up and, yeah, miss the good ol' days of this team, funny what it's morphed into as far as the chat thread here.

I'm planning on closing before Thanksgiving, also, but not 100% sure there. 

[CaritasColorSpace]

Waves to Funky! 

[VintageMaineia]

I'm recovering from my latest unkind buyer. Neg feedback AND she is returning it. {sigh}

[ClassicMemories]

Hi all, good to see some team mates.

I may take a small vacation like Funky. I was thinking of starting it mid Dec and then come back near Jan. I am tired and stressed with everything and as Funky said I don't want to have buyers expectations get unreal with holiday delivery. I have had a  few not too pleasant transactions here with buyers this year like I never had before.

Funky you have a good time off and enjoy. Sorry about the off site ad money. Bummer.

I don't ship internationally, so I have been saved some grief.

I also miss the old days and the team mates who came to chat. Times have changed but  I wish all a happy healthy holiday season and New Year.

[CaritasColorSpace]

Waves to Classic!

[VintageMaineia]

You may appreciate that there is a new site for checking reviews left by Etsy buyers:  https://karencheck.com/

You must input their Etsy username from the web address link on their profile page, which may be different from the common name that they use on Etsy (for example, my username is "PlantsNStuff").

[VintageMaineia]

You may appreciate that there is a new site for checking reviews left by Etsy buyers:  https://karencheck.com/

You must input their Etsy username from the web address link on their profile page, which may be different from the common name that they use on Etsy (for example, my username is "PlantsNStuff").

[JunqueGypsy]

VintageMaineia So is this a way to check for the chronic complainers?

[VintageMaineia]

@JunqueGypsy yes it is, if they are chronic leavers of bad feedback. Last I checked, we can still refuse a sale on Etsy.

[JunqueGypsy]

Oh! So good to see posts from Sassy, Funky, Classic, and Carita before the crickets covered my shout-out yesterday!

Some of my horror stories of USPS shipping since June include a domestic Priority Mail package that sat in a warehouse in Pennsylvania for 27 days before finally being delivered with not one single tracking scan beyond the original at the drop off postal counter. And in 11 years of Etsy order shipping, I'd filed only 10 insurance claims, all of which were paid promptly after I provided the photos and receipts via the on-line claim form. But since June I've filed 2 claims----one was for a tweed traincase that had been shipped in a heavy box which looked as if it had been driven over by a fork-lift and the other was a small monetary claim for a broken piece of Tupperware. Both claims were filed on the day packages had been delivered. And both claims resulted in letters saying items had to be presented to the post office for inspection. (My local post mistress said in her decades of postal work, she'd never seen a letter requiring this "confiscation," but she could give no alternatives.)

The Tupperware buyer was very nice about it, but said she was unable to make the trip to her distant PO during business hours because she was sole caregiver for her special needs child. She said the item was still useable, if not attractive, so she would just make-do. Received letter that claim was denied because item had not been provided during the short period of time given. Made me mad that she'd not ended up with what she'd paid for and I'd not ended up with the insurance coverage I'd paid for. So I ordered her a replacement part and sent it to her. She was very grateful and left good feedback. (I didn't make any profit on the transaction, but at least didn't lose money.)

The suitcase did not end so happily. The buyer gave me top score feedback initially, sending me a side message that she knew it wasn't my fault, but that the case had been damaged. So I filed the claim immediately. Again, a letter saying item had to be presented to PO for verification of damage. She took it in. The postal clerk was disinterested and ill-informed on the protocol so sent her to another post office branch where they kept the case and said they'd file the paperwork and the check should arrive soon.

Nope! Another letter that item had not been provided during the required time span (which is absolutely not true). I have spent hours and hours on the phone and on-line trying to resolve the issue. Was told by the supposedly top layer of claims dept that the post office had not filed the correct form to verify item had been taken in. So I had to appeal and go back to original post office for verification. Still waiting for resolution and in the meantime the buyer changed rating from top to bottom score and has sent me (understandably) angry messages.

My own very small town mail carrier tells me the system is in shambles since the new director and his policies began. She was near tears in frustration with the chaos.

Anyway---hoping for some improvements once the political shenanigans end. But I'm sure the pandemic and related issues will still keep things complicated.

Plans for holiday breaks from Etsy sound good. In my case, though, I'm afraid that a break would make it harder for me to get back in to the work. And I have way too much junque to let sit around indefinitely.

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

@JunqueGypsy 

Gypsy, believe me, the lack of the money coming in will motivate you to get back to work. I like to take 2 weeks off at the end of the year and I start to miss the money after about the first week, but determined to take a "vacation" from the madness!

[ClassicMemories]

Hey all

yes JG that link will show you all the feedback reviews of any user here.  Now if we could only block buyers,that would be wonderful.

Waving to Carita.

Joanne, sorry about the bad review, we are all getting them it seems now no matter how we try.

[BethJenniferVintage]

Oh my goodness so nice to see so many friendly Avatars! 

Waving and sending hugs to all.

I miss all the old chats and humour!

I need to drop in more often....

[ClassicMemories]

Yes, we can refuse a sale, but the buyer can leave a review for a few days unfortunately.

[naturepoet]

Hi everyone. It's been a long time. Finally back on Etsy. My health issues have cleared up quite a bit and I'm getting used to living alone. Doesn't seem I was gone 4 years. i had no heart for Etsy after hubby passed but this last year I've been getting my strength up both physically and emotionally, so here I am. 

So nice to see all the avatars from when I first jointed the team 

Aunt Sue

Tony, 

Waalaa

Classic Memories

Junque Gypsy and so many more. So glad to be back and see some of my old friends.

[JunqueGypsy]

@naturepoet So good to see a familiar team member from the days when we were one big support group! I miss the comradery. It seems that over the recent years, Etsy admin has added so many hoops (and fees) for us to jump through to maintain our shops that no one has time for just chit chat with team mates. So glad to read that you are feeling better able to get back to your shop. It looks good!

[Sassydoggs]

@JunqueGypsy  I just happened to see this come up in my notices.  I rarely ever visit teams, but for some reason I still keep the old I Love Vintage membership.  I was a member of the group before there was teams.  It was a nightly chat with Tony, Aunt Sue, WaaLaa and others who dropped in late at night in the old forums.  I am remembering back to 2008, 2009, 20010.    For those old timers who remember JM from TBK Lovers, I am sad to report that she passed away a couple of years ago. JM was the lady who was mute her entire life. She loved her koala bears, and was passionate about her local politics in Denver.  She came to visit me in San Diego because she had tickets to the Antiques Roadshow, and invited me to attend with her.  She had been diagnosed with cancer, and wanted to do some things on her bucket list.  I took her to see every single antique carousel within reasonable driving distance of San Diego during her one week visit with me.  JM was a unique, feisty, but child like individual that loved life,  but she was limited in her interactions with others because of her disabilities. Her Etsy shop was her main means of income.   She communicated using a notepad and pencil, but she had no problems with online chats.  Although I did not hear from her after the visit, one of her few close friends sent me a note about her passing.  I think about JM every time I see a vintage koala bear.  @naturepoet I am so glad that you have decided to rejoin all of us vintage lovers again here in vintage land.  For me, Etsy is a lifebuoy ring that keeps me afloat.  Etsy is a connection to so many things, an ongoing challenge, but in many ways it is a safe retreat.   

[JunqueGypsy]

@Sassydoggs 

Thanks for the update and background story on one of the early team members. Sounds like you were a good and gracious friend to her.

Sending all of the WLV old-timers greetings and best wishes for good sales as we enter the holiday shopping season.