I sell LED toys and glowsticks at festivals. Its an absolutely wonderful thing, and I always have fun doing it. I make a nice profit, I make a lot of people happy, and everyone has a great time. :)

However, in my experience with glow stick and LED ("blinky") sales, there is one thing to be expected...and that is "death by shipping." By this I mean, your glowsticks will get knocked around before they get to you...and some may "die" before they reach you because of it; your LED order will relatively often contain at least one "dead" item because the "on" function was pushed at some point prior to reaching you and it ran its batteries out. In general, I have a clause that a "GREAT ORDER" is recieving 0-5% stock loss when I receive it, an okay/acceptable order is 6-10% stock loss when the order is received by me, and anything over 15% stock loss prior to it reaching me is unacceptable and needs to be reported to the seller.

MOST sellers of LED/blinky items and/or glow sticks that I have purchased from on eBay are very reputable sellers who are willing to compensate a loss over 25% without being asked. Simply report the number of unworking items, and the seller will offer to either reimburse you or send replacement when they receive your defective items. As a seller of glowsticks or LED toys, the seller should accept that a certain level of stock loss is normal, but a certain precentage is unaccptable, and they will be accustomed to having recall orders, so don't hesitate to let them know. The appropriate way to approach a seller about returns or reimbursement is simply to contact the seller in an non-confrontational manner (usually by phone is the best method,) and tell them your problems. If you go into that call/email with "guns blaring," consider how the response from your seller will be - I assume they will be defensive, as you would be attacking them. S/he did not probably intend to sell you anything defective, and is not entirely responsible for the level of abuse your package received during transit.

What not to do is this... FREAK OUT AND IMMEDIATELY LEAVE NEG. FEEDBACK. I understand that many people order a lot of 12 of something for children's parties, and to have a few unworking items seems unfathomably rude to you...but it is the nature of this product. I've seen many a LED/glowstick seller on eBay have to deal with an overly-irked client, who, instead of calling the seller, apparently decided that shipping breakage never occurs or that a seller from goodness knows where who's never met you wants to "scam you," but let me assure you, I've bought these items straight from the warehouse with me picking them up from said warehouse, and still received damaged items. NO ONE is picking you out for persecution. ;) Before you get in an eBay rage, think, call your seller, and politely tell them what has happened to your order, and let things go from there.

Of course, there are bad people out there, so there will be times when you need to leave negative feedback. If you have exhausted all of your avenues of sorting out the problem with the seller, if they are overly defensive or accusatory, there is a good chance that they are not worthy of your business and that you may have to warn the greater "eBay public," about your transaction. 10 bad glowsticks in an order of 500 is definitely normal, - they get knocked in shipping, and they are sensitive, - but 100 bad glowsticks in an order of 500 is absurd. The seller should offer to have you return the defective product for replacement or reimbursement, and if they do not, they are not a reputable seller.

To purchase LED/blinkies/glowstick lots successfully and with minimal hassle, you might be well-advised to use the following guidelines...

*Try to order at least 2 weeks in advance to whatever you need your wholesale lot for. I have definitely purchased some items with scary-small windows in which to receive them, but my average time to receive my packages has been 3-7 days.

*How long has the seller sold "blinkies" or glowstick items? If it is less than a few months, you may wish to pass. If it is longer than 8 months, what is their "track record?" Read all of the feedback, even the neutral and positive, and you will see. Some people leave a (+) and next to it, "3 out of 12 do not work, but fast shipping." So...if the person is leaving a (+) feedback with that remark, perhaps you may want to look deeper into the seller's feedback, and also glance at their "returns" policy. Also, what does the f/b say about shipping? Some sellers will ship TOO SLOW, and should be avoided. This will be reflected in their f/b.

*Check the (-) feedback against the available closed listings. Does this type of glowstick often break or leak during regular usage or from shipping? Do these LED toys have a history of not "making it," in acceptable working order? Remember, your seller is a business wo/man and has purchased this stock her/himself in the hopes of making a profit. Sometimes sellers make BAD bulk purchases without realizing it until 5 clients are complaining about this brand of glowstick leaking, or that brand of LED toy falling apart, etc. If there are a lot of complaints regarding the item you wanted to purchase, reconsider your purchase before making it.

*Does the seller offer a return/reimbursement policy? If not, then you may not wish to purchase from them.

Once you've received your order, note the following:

*How many (if any) items are not working....what is the base percentage of unworking items to working? (PLEASE NOTE, DO NOT snap all your glow sticks to figure this out - if you have a lot of leaking glowsticks or run through several unworking ones, SHIP YOUR ORDER BACK to your seller without checking the rest of the lot. "Snapped" glowsticks are not returnable, or proof of a "broken" order because you could have used them all up and then sent em back.)

*Where is the location in the package of the unworking items (ie, is it the ones on the bottom, in a particular area?) Note the COLOR of the unworking items (ie are they all one color such as all of your pink LED bracelets don't work?)

*What condition was the order packed in?

Tell your seller your complaints based on the condition of your order. Your seller may need to change distrubutors or mailing services, or your seller may have received damaged goods without knowing it and may need to return THEIR stock to their seller. Either way, you probably have a refund or replacement coming to you as long as you alert the seller in a mature and adult manner.

Glowsticks and LED toys make wonderful party favors for adults and kids alike. I recommend them as affordable favors, decorations, or even just for fun! This guide is not meant to scare you off of purchasing these items, but rather to educate you. During my entire experience with purchasing LED lots and glowsticks on or off eBay, I've actually encountered LESS problems with the eBay purchased merchandise! In fact, eBay purchases have made up the vast majority of my 0% stock loss buys, so please just check out your seller's policies, check their feedback and bid with confidence.