Sands Between My Toes

So - eBay and I have this love hate relationship. eBay is great when it works - you buy super cheap items you have been lusting over for ages - or snap something up on the spur of the moment. As a seller it is amazing how one person's junk is another person's treasure - and making a bit of spare extra cash is always welcome. However, eBay can be a bit of a minefield, especially if you are looking at selling and buying regularly. I have been selling/buying for just over six years now and have learnt many tips along the way. I thought I would share with you some ideas and advice that may help if you are falling out of love with eBay or are just starting an eBay love affair.

Buying

1. Always, always...always read the description and view as many super sized photos as possible. It is obvious but then again all too easy to see an item ending soon at a good price - bid on it impulsively then realise after that the item was super cheap because of x, y or z.

2. Set yourself a limit if bidding - it is so easy to get carried away in the moment and then after regret that you've spent your last bit of wages on that ' oh but it is gorgeous- I'll probably wear a couple of times' coat/top/skirt whatever. Set a limit and remember - the item you are bidding on maybe relisted by another buyer and at a cheaper price, so always try to be realistic about how much you are willing to spend and if it is worth it.




3. Problems - ok so you have bought this beautiful coat that cost quite a bit because it's sold out online but you received it and it is looking a bit worse for wear - firstly, if an item leaves you feeling disappointed check and double check the item description and photos. If the seller has listed the item as excellent condition and there are no clear photos of any wear or tears you may be able to claim your money back under the eBay Money Back Guarantee. Obviously there are a few blurred lines within this guarantee - but strictly speaking, if an item has been mis-sold to you then you may have a case.



4. So, assuming the item didn't arrive or you have a feeling the item was not as it should be first of all contact the seller. Be polite as eBay do read all communications if a case escalates - and explain the problem. I always wait at least 15 working days before raising a case of item undelivered. Usually the seller will be helpful and wanting to keep a good customer service record, so in most cases will refund you straight away or send another item out to you. Sometimes however it is not as straightforward as that and if you feel the seller is being unfair I would recommend talking to eBay.

5. eBay customer services - my experience. You can contact eBay over the phone/email or online chat. I find the phone is the best way as it's so much easier to  just chat with someone rather than explaining everything via typing - however the chat has usually less waiting times. In regards to the waiting times be prepared to wait up to 30 minutes if not more at peak times. I have almost always found eBay customer service to be helpful and point me in the right direction. They are usually very realistic and if they believe you to have a case after reviewing evidence (photos/descriptions/messages)  they will help you as much as they can. If you decide to take a case further, which I would recommend doing if you feel let down, it does take a few days and if the seller doesn't respond within that time frame and you are not happy with the outcome eBay will decide what action to take.

6. Refunds. I have always found eBay are pretty good in this area. If your item didn't arrive and there was no proof it was delivered eBay will almost certainly step in and refund you via the seller. There have been times when cases have escalated and eBay have refunded the buyer but also the seller has kept the sale money. I have found overall that eBay are more fairer to buyers than ever before and usually will do all they can to make you happy and have an overall positive experience - which is what it is all about at the end of the day.




7. Returning an item. This use to be a complicated process and as a buyer you sometimes felt that it was easier to just cut your losses and keep/chuck/donate the said item. However, I have had to return two items recently and as a buyer the process was fairly simple. First of all I bought a coat which was stated as the wrong size. I messaged the seller and they agreed for me to return the item. The second case was a clock radio I bought brand new and when I tried it out it didn't work. The seller didn't send me any communication but did accept my return request. eBay will send you a link with a pre paid postage stamp. Once this is printed bag up your item - if you happen to have the original packaging I would recommend using that - and then all you need to do is take it to a post office to be scanned through the system. eBay will then alert you once the item has been delivered back to the seller. This is super easy and very quick and once this has all gone through the buyer has a few days to refund you. The only draw back is you will need access to a printer. It can also be annoying if the returned item is showing up as undelivered as I experienced. I messaged the seller gently reminding them that the item was being held at their local depot. It did take quite some time from the start of the process to claim back my refund but eventually I received it.


8. Feedback - this is a touchy subject for sellers as feedback scores really affect their selling limits and therefore sales. I would really reconsider leaving bad feedback especially if an item didn't arrive. After all, is this the seller's fault or the courier company? Sometimes situations are beyond sellers control and as buyers it is worth keeping this in mind. If you have had a bad experience with a seller I would report them to eBay in the first instance. Depending on how bad the experience was and the outcome neutral feedback with a brief description of the event is usually enough to give a seller a wake up call that they need to up their game.


I hope as a buyer you found these tips useful. As a buyer over the years I would say my experience of eBay has been an overall pleasant one. I've hardly ever not received an item - and if an item has turned up not matching the description I have found most sellers to be apologetic and helpful. I am hoping to draw up a list of tips for selling on eBay over the next few weeks as I would say that side of eBay is definitely more complicated than buying!

*All views/pictures and experiences are entirely my own!

Love this very candid photo of the girls (plus puppy)

So This week has been half term and we have been crazy busy! I had this goal of going out everyday especially in the mornings as my other half sleeps and therefore with two kids and a mad puppy in the house that was not going to go down well! At the start of the week I wrote up a plan of places to go and things to do and somehow we managed to stick to it more or less. We have been out for some epic walks in the morning with the dog and the afternoons have been on the beach with my other half who has usually woken by then! So here's a round up of what we have done so far....

Monday - Walked to Carn Marth - Carn Marth is basically a quarry sat high on a hill. There's a lovely circular walk we usually do to the top and back. It has views from each side of the coast of Cornwall from Falmouth to St Agnes and you can even see St Austell on a clear day!

Tuesday - It was so warm and sunny we took a trip to Trevaunce Cove at St Agnes. As it is still winter the car park is only £1 for a day which isn't bad considering the money goes back to the Parish which I think is great. Trevaunce has some lovely coastal walks but we spent a couple hours down on the beach which was so quiet. I took lots of photos, which I posted on my Instagram page.

Trevaunce Cove

Thursday - We attempted to walk to Carn Brea - another hill where we live. There's some rocks for the kids to climb over up there but it was so muddy the children fell in the mud half way up which we weren't really prepared for so we turned back and instead followed the footpath on another walk around Carn Brea village. When we came home we watched The Monster in Paris film which we all enjoyed!


Friday - We met up with friends and had an all you can eat breakfast at Table Table. It was delicious! Usually they take your order and then you wait till it's served and more often than not it comes out wrong but it was served on platters this time around which was so much better. After we stuffed ourselves silly we went to Helston for a walk around Penrose Estate and then walked around the boating lake. We must have covered 8 miles altogether!

A Sunday morning stroll around Hayle Estuary

Saturday and Sunday - I took the girls to watch Moana on Saturday which we all enjoyed and now can't stop singing all the songs! Sunday morning we went for a lovely walk in Hayle. We started at St George's Memorial walk and ended up at the beach, as you do, and enjoyed beach combing and watching the waves before heading back again before the fog and rain descended on us!

Woah.....how did February suddenly catch up with us? As I look over this corner of the web that is a little bit of my own it has dawned on me what a busy year 2016 has been. From starting the year off with this blog and then getting back into work - to finding a second job and all that life throws at you in between it is hard to grasp just how quickly life changes and how time just flies by while we are all busy getting by!
So over the past month I've been thinking how I really want to pick up the blog again as I realise how little I've contributed to it lately and hopefully I can do a regular weekly roundup to get me started.
So I have the next couple of weeks off before a new chapter opens once again - I'm determined to spend some time on myself and get into the right frame of mind. I've decided on some goals for this year:
* Read  more - I read so much last year then a few months ago I lost motivation and must start reading again!!

* Put down the phone - my new job should hopefully stay in the office and not be brought home with me - for this I will be thankful.

* Enjoy the moment - being conscious of life and the simple things - going for a walk enjoying a sunset and being aware of the little moments.

*Exercise more - oooh I find this one so hard but somehow I need to come up with a plan to integrate more of this into my life!!!


Here's to 2017 - to goals, to changes, to challenges and to pats on the back!

I thought I would do a little write up on my weekend just gone. I worked a ten hour shift on Sunday -which was ok as I got to do quite a few bits in the morning like catching up with family - but Saturday was a nice easy day for me and although we did the boring Saturday 'stuff' in the morning we had a chilled afternoon. In the evening I took my eldest to the theatre to watch the musical Jesus Christ Superstar! It was amazing and was made up of a cast of teenagers; they were fantastic and both my daughter and I enjoyed it so much. We don't do many things just the two of us and I thought it would make a nice treat since started Secondary school we could both enjoy the night. She loves drama and it was an interesting play to watch - not only mixing history with modernity, but musical with rock and throw in a whole heap of emotions - I don't think there was a dry eye in the house by the end of the show (I didn't realise how dark the show got!)  I would recommend it if you ever get the chance. Sadly I wasn't able to take any pictures mid show but did sneak a pic of the stage beforehand!

This photo doesn't do any justice!! But the whole experience has made me want to go to the theatre more often. I use to go to the Minack theatre in Porthcurnno every week in the Summer with my Uncle and I loved the whole experience! My dream is to take the children and other half down there - hopefully next year, now that the youngest is older.

Well today I had a day off which was most welcome. I haven't been working as much lately with the holidays and going back to school routines but once last week settled I've been putting in the hours. Today has been productive - I've been for a job interview eeekkk - and so far made a fish pie! And as I was just writing this I was offered the job! It is another relief position - in the similar sector that I work in now but completely different if that makes sense! I'm not giving up on the day job but this is literally a ten minute walk from my home and is better money so it made sense to apply and who knows what will happen. I love the job I do now but it involves a great deal of travelling and the pay is not great, but because I enjoy it so much it does make it worth it. Who knows though...watch this space!
So I've treated myself to a week off. I've been for a lovely walk with a good friend yesterday picking blackberries and apples. It was an unusual walk; one I've not done before which was interesting and I hoping to go back soon. Here are a few photos:



These were the fruits we picked along the way there was a huge apple tree which had dropped so many apples on the floor there was a carpet of them! I made stewed apples in the evening just baking them in the oven for ten minutes then adding brown sugar and a drop of double cream. Yum! The walk is around the Poldice valley in Cornwall. It is really hidden away and popular with bikers for the varied terrain.

And rest.....ah I really wanted to blog more during the summer holidays as I know I've blogged very little lately but here goes! It's the last week of the holidays and we are all gearing up for going back to school here. The air is already turning cooler and darker and there is that feel of Autumn hanging in the air. I'm pretty gutted as I love Summer and feel it has gone all too quickly - but then there is a part of me that can't wait for cosier nights and the build up to Halloween/Bonfire night/Christmas! This is an exciting time of year and the next few months will  be exciting and challenging, I'm sure. My eldest is taking her first step into secondary school and it is going to be such a culture shock. Over the holiday's we have already had a barrage of attitude and mood swings thrown at us so the next six years should be joyful! Then my youngest will no longer be the youngest at primary where she will move into year 1 - and already this summer she looks as thought she has grown up far to fast her independence soaring and her head on those shoulders that little bit taller.
We are just about getting ready for our last camping trip of the season. I should be looking forward to it but apparently the weather is going to be pants (thunderstorms/rain the usual!) and I just dont seem to have any energy - I just cant muster any motivation at the moment - I'm hoping my mojo comes back soon! Perhaps being out of routine has thrown me off course so once school is back in full swing and Autumn rears it's golden head I will feel a little more centred. Here are some photos of our last camping trip. We were so lucky to have a heatwave (Oh my godness!!) the
 whole time we were away and practically lived outside for the week it was lush!
Here's to Summer 2016!

The beach was a ten minute walk away - you can hear the waves crashing onto the beach at night

View from the tent - beautiful sunsets

My dream cottage - how adorable?!!!

We took our new tent the Vango Avington 500 with us. We were excited as it is a big tent but not overly big that you feel like it takes hours to set up - it is ready in about 20 minutes and you can buy an extension for it which we think we will decide to do next year. Hopefully I'll be able to take some shots this week and blog them next week weather approving!

Oh dear....looks like someone hasn't blogged for a rather long while. In my defence I have been stupidly busy juggling work, family life, volunteer commitments....the list goes on but it has been crazy and I wanted to take a breath and  just sit down with my trusty laptop and write about it for a bit!

So - looking back I haven't blogged since March and so much has happened since then. Mainly consisting of work which has taken a front seat. It seems that I don't do things in halves and instead when I do something I do it all guns blazing! For me getting a job meant working part time hours a few days a week that I could juggle effortlessly with family life but we all know it is never that easy. I work as a relief support worker and I must admit I've been picking up work left right and centre which is great but I am looking forward to a week off during the half term!
After 5 years of working from home/extended maternity leave/studying for my degree - I finally took the big next step and applied for jobs. For me I felt ready to move on - both my girls were in full time school and I had worked from home and it just didn't feel 'fun' any more. I use to enjoy working from home and running a small online shop but lately things had become harder and as it became more costly to run there didn't seem to be much reward at the end of the hard work I'd been putting in. I applied for a couple of jobs and because of my family situation (basically sharing childcare between my partner and myself) I was beginning to feel as though finding the right job would be near impossible. I thought about going down the teaching route after graduating but even trying to find volunteer work in a school was a matter of jumping through hoops of fire. For me earning my own money is important and I love the feeling of being financially independent even though my partner and I share everything - nothing quite beats your own hard earn money even if it is only in your bank for a short time! I was offered a couple of jobs but mainly working as a relief worker filling in sickness and so on which at first didn't appeal - I needed guaranteed hours. But then the company I work for now explained that they could almost certainly give me as many hours as I wanted working the hours that I wanted on relief as long as I was willing to chase up the hours it wouldn't be a problem so here I am! I completely let go of my insecurities and jumped into something I knew very little about doing things every day that challenge me and scare me but I love it and am so glad I took a leap in the dark and actually found myself; the person who had been hiding away in the dark for way too long.