re: last night's thread, i'd like to hit some points about online shopping (and convention) attitudes.

as a consumer you have a lot of choice. we always talk about supporting or avoiding certain business practices. do you really follow that advice beyond the surface?

a thread.

this is an important time where small shops are closing left and right. everyone's hurting, of course, but if you have the spare cash to make an effect, you can always help.

you're spending somewhere. if you're not? don't sweat it. be responsible to yourself first and foremost.

requirements have become increasingly strict to maintain a 10% fee discount that makes a lot of businesses viable. 10% is a dramatic number, especially if your margin is low.

but you know me. I'm always pro-small business, support your local stores, be a responsible consumer.

this is competition. it's not pure competition as monopolies are rigging the game. but still, you either do what everyone else trends towards, or you fail.

there is nuance behind it all that most people don't realize.

returns generally hurt small business, sometimes greatly.
shipping costs have exploded in the past few years, and are often a significant percentage of the item price.

of course, shipping is "free" because again, the algorithm and benefits in the original tweet of this thread.

in a market where having the lowest price is king to even being seen, this matters.

but let's run with a simple example.
$20 item, $3 profit
$3.50 shipping x2 = $7 cost per return

so you must now sell this item twice to just make back that return! this is about average.

so what happens when you double that 1/3 cost? on an item you have a 15% margin on?

$30 item, $4.50 profit per sale
$10 shipping
$10 return ship
= loss of $20 + fees via return, plus extra labor + possible damage

now you have to sell through that item 4 times to make it back!

in the examples above, those sales (which involve restocking! and assume a 0% rate of scamming or mistakes!) still just put you back at square one. $0.

you still have the item and still have to sell it again, for the 3rd or 5th time, to make money.

and when an item sells? you consider that sale, interpret it as demand, look at the pricing, and restock.

so? 5th time sale to make the product cost back?
nah, you probably have 1-2 more of that item now as a result of the sale. hope your funds account for that.

in a lot of markets we would simply say "increase price to cover costs". pass it to the buyer. in a marketplace with options, that doesn't work so nicely, especially with big or undercutting players. a strategy assumes a low % of returns & losses. thankfully that's true.

I think that in the world of big-box retail and giant online monopolies it's easy not to think about the smaller players. honestly, I don't mind if you use those sites and their return policies. but, try to be responsible with your purchases, and usage, of any store or service.

in a decade of managing a store, I've dealt with every style of case, every kind of buyer. I've also seen an increasing sense of entitlement and absolving of responsibility of the buyer, thanks to large businesses who pay their workers pennies on the dollar to be pro-consumer

and those companies lead the path for other marketplaces to adopt their platform. get as many buyers regardless of the quality of loss that could be seen to sellers.

it just sucks seeing the blood, sweat and tears of running this ship boil down to that, + covid/usps right now?

in any case this isn't meant to be a deterrent from using returns if you need to. but so many buyers now either (a) don't think about it much, after all, it's free right? or (b) are actively hostile about this which blows my mind.

I also think a lot of people will use some really (american pioneered(tm)) baseless ideas... that good return policies leave room for customer retention, that the customer is alwa-- nope nope can't even finish that one

we have a lot of pro-consumer laws in the US. other countries do, too. it allows for basic protections against businesses, and isn't really intended to be a free for all to do what you want.

ultimately: think before you purchase, do research, and consider any purchase final.

the reality is that even in a lifetime most customers who have a tendency to return items will not make back those costs or losses.

but overall the returns are a small % that is outweighed by general cash flow and are easily factored into cost.

this is different for high-$ tech

(neither here nor there but the same is true of theft aka shrinkage. anyone who'd consider lifting from a small business is 100% in the wrong. you can't have your anti-capitalist rhetoric and directly hurt the small guys too. choose your targets, please!)

are all eBay sellers, convention dealers, small shops good? of course not! it's also most likely the "best" surface deals that tend to be the worst experience.

there's a big cost associated with doing business. after this pandemic I never want to hear a word about prices again

on con vendors I hardly have to say it at this point but shit is rough right now.

a lot of people seem to think you can just flip a switch to make it all work online. we've been nonstop working for nearly 6 months. we aren't even close. the bills are still here for it all.

to wrap it back to the main topic, if you're returning something at a con that's all good! do it as soon as possible, and be very clear with your reasons. most of us are totally good with it! same day, same con is best (5 min before closing on sunday... not good.)

support them when you can when this is all over.

if you appreciate a business, keep them close, support them, tell a friend. it matters.

advocate for your views and don't be ashamed of speaking up.

most of us either work far more than 40 hours a week to run this, or put a lot on the line with that work.

again - most con vendors? not so great. support those who deserve it. now and always.

1- know that a marketplace is a 2-way street
2- be responsible as a customer
3- support small businesses
4- be kind to workers, even when behind a screen
5- be aware of how amazon and similar players change the game, and resist that change
6- support the USPS

thanks

p.s. a giant asterisk on "when possible" but in general,

use takeout over delivery
support stores that have responsible policies at this moment
try to buy from anyone but amazon if you can
avoid gig economy apps
fast food chains that pump money to bad places don't deserve you