Designer Villains bring out the worst in people

So I started peeking in here again after a long absence. I was hoping maybe things had changed, but I am quite sad to see they have not.

Last morning I found a thread offering a co-op for the Designer Villain pins.

Perfect. Someone I am friends with who adores the Queen of Hearts was in Florida, so I offered to buy the pin for her. All agreed, payment was sent, seller seemed even quite excited about it.

Boyfriend okay'd me being Mali in the end, so I messaged could I buy Mali. I was told I could buy, but instead a trade for Mali and two others were suggested as I had "many pins" that person really liked. I promised to get my list out but said I'd pay if necessary and that was agreed on. To me that was a done deal for the Mali pin. I am not sure how much more you need for that.

Then the pin world woke up and the "OMG I missed the set" posts started. I was offline for some hours and the PMs from the person running the co-op flocked in saying she was getting haunted for the pins and could I reply. I did send the list, apologizing that I couldn't find the pin she wanted most.

Instead of setting on anything I kept getting a flurry of more PMs saying how much she regretted running the co-op and what she could have got for the Queen of Hearts pin, and that she always got burned helping others get pins at cost. That's my problem because? I do the same and learned my lessons who to help and who not to. And it's definitely not my fault someone underestimates the popularity of a set!

Then from a list of pins worth roughly $ 250 that I offered (I even told them they could have all because I knew how popular the pins are) suddenly only three were of interest. My offer to get more stuff from Paris in the future was completely ignored.

I felt like that person was clearly trying to emotionally blackmail me. So I replied that hey, I was trying to be nice and give them more than was originally agreed on in the co-op, I could as well just have paid the original purchase price and went my merry way. I tried to make it clear that I was not backing out. As I said above, we had a purchase agreement for at the very least Mali. It was her that suggested the trade instead.

You can probably imagine my surprise as I find a PM in reply to tell me the deal was off because that person was refusing to deal with someone making "idle threats." So telling someone that you intend to follow through with an agreed on co-op is threatening someone now? Since last night I had a feeling they were just looking at a chance to get out of the agrement and yeah, guess they found one.

I'm hoping they at least keep their end of the deal and deliver the Queen to the friend I bought it for.

*steps off soapbox*

Aw... boo. to someone backing out of a sale/trade.

The hype will deminish. The freak out will mellow. The prices will drop. And you will eventually get your pin.

Good job keeping this post from pointing fingers. Sad you needed to vent, feel better. it happens to the best of us.

I'm so sorry to hear that. That really, really was not right... I'm hoping that you get your pin. It's disheartening to hear stories like this, I feel for you

I'm sorry. Sounds similiar to other peoples situation. I hope you get the pin.

Sorry to hear this =/ Hope it all works out!

I've had something similar happen to me too and I posted my frustrations up a while back with that release. In my opinion I feel as though negative feedback should be left for cases like this. If an agreement is made then people need to honor it. Good luck in acquiring the pins because the prices are getting crazy ridiculous and in my opinion people are hoping that these pins will carry a similar value as the Princess Designer Pins.

I'm sorry that this happened, but we're only hearing one side of the story, and while I'm certainly not saying that you shouldn't be upset and that from your point of view you're not in the right, but as I said we're only hearing half of the story and as the old adage goes there are 3 sides. And while none of us know what happened from the other person's perspective, why are we so quick to assume the worst? While it may seem to you that they were "blackmailing" more pins out of you, or they got a "better offer" we don't know what happened, only that other person knows why they backed out of a deal. It seems like these forum has become more about vilifying each other than about communication. Maybe instead of posting threads about getting cheated, we should be talking to other person, because the best advice my dad ever gave me is that, "it's not what we intend to say, but how it is perceived." Misunderstandings happen, and if these pins just came out last night, it seems like there wasn't nearly enough time for a clear dialogue to happen before it lead to this thread.

While I'm sure Vala is a great person and honest and kind, I know that there are people on here who have the same things said about them who have been involved in bad deals and I know that there are people on here who others have talked unkindly about who are also great people. To assume that we know a person's character based on pin trades is absurd. We are all so much more than this forum.

With that I encourage everyone who didn't get the pins to not give into the hysteria. If you wait (which seems to be impossibly hard for pin people) the prices will come down. Buyers determine the price.

Thanks guys.

I'm normally not the one to make topics like this. But it shocked me to the core to be accused of threatening someone when all I did was telling them we had an agreement and I was not backing out. If that is making a threat nowadays I guess I am guilty as charged.

I have only a few pet peeves, but one of them is traders going on how much they do for others and then when you encounter one of them and things go not in their favor things go "poof." But I'm a firm believer in karma and what goes around comes around. Whatever they get for the pins instead, I hope it was worth losing a good and reliable Paris contact because I sure as hell will not ever offer to help them out again. And I hope whoever gets the pins does appreciate them.

I am meanwhile used to people backing out left, right and center - that wasn't even the main reason for my post. But making those accusations instead of simply disappearing was a whole new level.

rubyslipperedgoddess said:

I'm sorry that this happened, but we're only hearing one side of the story, and while I'm certainly not saying that you shouldn't be upset and that from your point of view you're not in the right, but as I said we're only hearing half of the story and as the old adage goes there are 3 sides. And while none of us know what happened from the other person's perspective, why are we so quick to assume the worst? While it may seem to you that they were "blackmailing" more pins out of you, or they got a "better offer" we don't know what happened, only that other person knows why they backed out of a deal. It seems like these forum has become more about vilifying each other than about communication. Maybe instead of posting threads about getting cheated, we should be talking to other person, because the best advice my dad ever gave me is that, "it's not what we intend to say, but how it is perceived." Misunderstandings happen, and if these pins just came out last night, it seems like there wasn't nearly enough time for a clear dialogue to happen before it lead to this thread.

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There are several PMs within a couple of hours going on that this person is regretting setting the co-op and is crying because she was offered such great pins that she can't get now because she "stupidly set up that co op too early". She even named one of those offers and was going on about it. What other thing can I possibly think?

I tried talking to her nice since yesterday morning your time making different offers and suggestions. Basically the first page of my inbox is full with those messages. All were shot down with crying smileys. Then the first definite post from me saying I was trying to make a good offer, but could only do so much and was not backing out and boom... I am being accused of making threats. A simple "hey, I'd rather not trade." instead of coming up with something like that and it would have been fine. I would have accepted her decision. The two extra pins that were brought in the trade came from her in the first place, not me. If she had cancelled those no problem. I still stand by the fact that we had a payment agreement about Mali and would likely not have let that one go so easy. But if you change your mind tell people. Don't use the first cheap excuse coming your way. I do agree, communication is the key. But if you get the feeling you are talking against a wall that doesn't exactly help much.

They were not even trying to blackmail me into giving up more pins. What I offered I did offer voluntarily, and I do not regret making that offer. The offer was made because I felt the original co-op went for quite cheap and I wanted to do something nice. The blackmail impression I was getting was that they wanted me to completely back out of the deal so they could get the pin they were going on about which they clearly preferred more than what I could offer.

As I said above, I hope whoever decides to pay that price appreciates the pins. I definitely won't get into any bidding wars. I like my villains, but no pin is worth dealing with things like this. Hopefully the Queen of Hearts goes to my friend and that's all I care about right now. She's completely innocent in all this.

Petra !!! So good to see you back, but on such a sad (albeit common) occurence.

I am so sorry you had a bad experience. It seems to me that the other person acted out of good will, but started that co-op somewhat prematurely and then regretted upon finding out what a set like that can fetch in $$ or in trades. The right thing would be following up on it as an agreement appears to be reached. Oh well .... live & learn

Pins, especially coveted low LE pins, are like Sauron's ring :rofl:

I hope that you, and the rest of us, will get the villains eventually. But more importantly, since you are here now, you will stay ... despite the villains. Are you still going to Cali for Halloween ??