I ordered a couple ink bottles on behalf of a customer. The order went through with no problems and I’m pleased to say it hasn’t been cancelled yet. I won’t believe I’ve ordered the ink until I’m actually holding it.

Because stores that carry custom inks are trying to preserve their inventory for reasons mentioned yesterday, I’ve found that I’ve had odd encounters with the stores. I also can’t help but think that what the stores are attempting is self-defeating.

First I’ve had to order through highly detailed purchasing requirements only to discover that I didn’t actually order anything. One store, for example, offered ink in old style bottles but limited purchases to 1) no more than one bottle of one flavor; 2) no more than three bottles total (even though they had several flavors available; and 3) no more than one order per address. However, it seemed

After interpreting this I managed to get one order in hand but then waited and waited for the second. It turned out it had been cancelled because, even though I was sending to a different address, they decided it couldn’t go to the same person. I also misread the cancellation notice.

Recently I ordered inks on behalf of a customer only to find out that what seemed to be a limit of one bottle of each flavor per customer turned out to be only one bottle of one flavor per customer. I had to cancel three bottles and get only one.

Although I suspect I know what’s going on, and understand why they’d want to preserve some inventory, I find it odd that I can’t complete a set without resorting to complex legal interpretations and loopholes.

That said, I’m a buyer in a seller’s market. If it ever becomes a buyer’s market, I’ll probably be out of business.