Running a Business is an Emtional Investment

Sometimes when I received a message from a lovely customer, giving me a pat on the back, I felt like goose bumps were all over my body. 

May has been extremely difficult for me. I came back from my vacation on May 6, and received my very first order on May 7. It was a double flap Jumbo in black caviar with GHW, followed by another 9 orders within the coming week for original quality Chanel bags, 4 of which were for double flap Jumbo. It was tragic. This particular model was made wrong with 3 obvious mistakes. 5 returns, 1 bad review that almost ended my business in the forum. Headache, insomnia, nausea, bad temper, it's like doomsday for me. I asked these customers to return their purchases for a refund or an exchange, and sent the exchange order without even before I have receive the return. I believe no other seller will do this, but I have trust in my customers and am eager to get these issues resolved. Fortunately, I've handled these return cases well, and these customers went for exchanges and were extremely happy with the items they received for the second time. 

However, when I received the last piece of the return merchandise today, I felt very uncomfortable. The plastic wrapping on the chain strap was removed by the customer, and there is a well-acknowledged rule in the entire business that no return can be accepted if the plastic wrapping is removed. My worries were proved when I sent the bag to the factory for an exchange. They said no. I was almost begging them to take the bag back, as I only want an exchange, not a refund. Still a firm no. Then I had to sell the bag at a loss in the community. A long time customer (I would say she is a best friend as well), Lisa, PMed me that she is ready to take the bag, knowing the obvious flaws. This is not the first time she made me a favor. The other time was about a bag I sent, the lock got stuck from time to time, and she did not even tell me about the issue until I asked her for feedback of the order. Neither did she bother to send it back for an exchange.  This is something I feel extremely proud of. My customers, they are the biggest treasure ever since I ran this business on my own!

The other day, another client emailed me saying that buying a bag is not just a financial investment, but also emotional. It's true with dealing with customers. If you take them personally as a friend, you are gonna get exactly the same friendship from them. That's a law when you are doing any business.