There's nothing better than someone making a purchase from your store. It makes you feel like someone else appreciates your taste and effort in presenting an item in its very best light. What's even more fun is having someone make an offer and bargaining back and forth until both of you are ready to conclude a purchase.

So now the fun begins. Before packaging I go over the item with a fine toothed comb to make sure I've not missed anything. If I see a button loose, a seam opening or anything else that is taken care of and the item is either steamed or ironed.

Then the item is carefully wrapped up, sometimes in tissue paper for delicate items and then contained in a large plastic bag to keep wetness out. Once that's done my business card is attached to the outside of the bag and the item is boxed up and labeled for what's inside.

As time passes along first one day and then two days I ponder why the item has not been paid for. Perhaps the buyer has had a shortfall in their paycheck or perhaps an emergency has come up and that person is not able to complete their purchase. More time elapses and several more days go by. At this point I send out a reminder email that their item has not been paid for and ask that the buyer contact me.

Unfortunately in my experience, the majority of buyers who do not pay within 3 days never pay. They don't communicate why or make arrangements for more time to pay. They simply disappear into that huge galaxy known as cyberspace, never to be heard from again. Unfortunately the anonymity of the internet makes it simple for buyers to put the seller out of their mind.

So on day 8 after a purchase that item so lovingly checked, steamed and packaged is removed from its box and hung back up in storage, waiting for the right buyer to claim it. It can be a bit disheartening to have this happen. It makes you wonder why the buyer hasn't contacted you. I would rather have someone contact me and let me know they can't complete a transaction than wonder if after the first rush of a purchase, the item was found lacking.

However, the saving grace after a transaction gone awry is when you receive notification of a sale and 10 minutes later a payment arrives. It helps to restore your faith in humanity that there are customers out there who value your items and follow through with their purchase. It takes much patience to be a shop owner these days. With the economy the way it is and more and more people losing jobs with very little notice, these are truly the times that test men's souls, or in this case a shop owner's patience. My suggestion for buyers is if something happens and you are unable to complete a transaction, let the shop owner know what has happened. I know as a shop owner I would rather know that you cannot complete a transaction than never hear from you again.

Marge Leyden, Born Too Late Vintage
http://www.rubylane.com/shops/borntoolatevintage