I have been meaning to write this post for awhile now as I am encountering a growing number of cases of people contacting sellers directly- either through accounts they have created on apps themselves or via Twitter/Instagram DMs, etc.- and volunteering me for shopping without contacting me first. Under no circumstances should you contact a seller yourself and volunteer me to buy something without contacting me first, this includes sharing my service name or any personal details about me with a seller.
As a general rule, I only buy things when I am the one to initiate the purchase and handle any and all communication with a seller or shop. This applies to both professional shops and private sellers, such as those on apps and auctions, and indie brand owners.
If you have questions for a seller, even if you can speak Japanese, I still ask that you DO NOT ask the seller yourself if you have the intention of buying the item through my service. Depending on the seller, it can be considered rude to swoop in on a sale if there is active questioning going on- and the seller may not know that I am buying the item on your behalf and think poorly of me for buying it out from under another interested person. Seller attitudes on apps in particular very greatly, ranging from very laid back to extremely strict. I do not want to be volunteered for a purchase when I do not meet or know the seller’s expectations.
Another issue is that “shopping services” are often not trusted and disliked by sellers, this is especially a problem on apps. Some will not sell to “shopping services” because they are known to cause problems for sellers, such as not paying, having poor communication, not having the ability to communicate in Japanese, and so on. “Shopping service” is also sadly linked with “reseller” and “scalper” at times, another reason for general distrust and dislike of the term. I am vehemently opposed to scalping and ban people if I find them using my service to buy items to scalp themselves. Even if you do not use the word “shopping service” with an negative connotation, you do not know what stereotypes and opinions a seller may hold due to their own experiences.
I act as a private party/person on apps, auctions and when shopping online. For example, I do not buy things under the name “Tenshishop.” A seller will know me by my real name. I DO NOT want this information associated with my shopping service’s name, social media accounts, and so on. I keep personal and service accounts strictly separate for this reason and it puts me in a tight and uncomfortable spot when someone volunteers me to buy something as “Tenshishop” when that seller might only know my personal accounts/information/name/etc.
I understand that shoppers that contact sellers have no ill will, and are often worried about an item selling out before I answer, and they just want to reserve the item. I try to be as on top of communication as possible, but sometimes it will take me 24-48 hours to respond to you. Or if I am on a holiday or break, or perhaps get sick or have a family emergency, it could take longer. I am just one person running this service. I have no employees, no back up- if I am unavailable, the service does not function. If you tell a seller I will buy something on your behalf but I cannot do so promptly, it is an annoyance for the seller, uncomfortable for you, the buyer, and could also possibly damage my reputation.
So in summary, please do not communicate with sellers yourself for items you intend for me to purchase on your behalf. This includes putting items on hold for me to buy for you and asking questions you have about an item (condition, size, extra photos, and so on). Please let me handle the purchase, including all communication with the seller/shop, from start to finish. It is what you pay commission for and I want to earn it 🙂
Thank you for reading. If you ever have any questions about this policy or any general questions about my service you can contact me at service@tenshishop.com and I will try my best to answer!