ATTENTION: I DO NOT SELL SHOES ANYMORE ON EBAY.

Folks -  if you want to know what it's like having the shoe on the other foot, read my guide: Sellers - Protect Yourselves from PayPal Buyers Scams  (subtitle: How to Lose Money on eBay).

Hmmm. Does this sound like sour grapes to you? Smelly feet? You are absolutely correct, and I'll tell you why.

But first, thanks to everyone who read my guide "Selling Women's Shoes on eBay: DOs, DON'Ts, etc." and voted YES on it.

If you voted NO ... well, maybe you knew more than I did!   

I enjoyed selling shoes on eBay, until ...

First, there was a customer in Asia who bought a pair of Pucci shoes for about $50.00 - - they would have cost well over $350.00 retail. I gave specific measurements: width, length, you name it. I stood in line with the Customs form and sent the shoes to Asia. After she got them, her interpreter emailed me that the shoes couldn't possibly have been the size I said they were, and could she return them to me. Evidently she didn't understand what inches were. I let her return them. I lost money and time on those shoes. After that, I made it clear that I would not take returns on overseas sales.

Second, there was a U.S. buyer who argued with me about the height of a heel. In case you don't know, there are lots of ways to measure heel height. She wanted to return the shoes because, according to her, the heels were 1/4" higher than I said they were. I sent her an ebay listing of the same pair of shoes from another seller, who said the heels were the same height that I did. I didn't let her return the shoes. Sometimes you just gotta' stand your ground, even if you don't know how high it is - boooo  ;-).

Third, there was the woman in Europe who complained that it took five days for the shoes to get from the U.S. to Europe. That's five days from the time the auction ended! She wanted to know why I was "holding onto her money" for five days. I told her off.

Last, there was the woman in the U.S. who wanted to return a pair of gorgeous green suede Prada shoes because they were too long for her foot. I always put the inside shoe measurements in my listings, and I ask people to compare the measurements with shoes they already own. I did let her send back the shoes and I re-sold them.

                                 So many shoes, so little time ...

My conclusion: don't sell shoes on Ebay. It's a thankless job. Buy shoes for yourself and enjoy them!

Thanks for letting me get it off my chest and foot. If your feet don't hurt, don't forget to vote YES.