An eBay Tragedy...

I really like eBay, and I do mean really REALLY. The problem comes with a bad transaction after XX number of good ones. Sometimes people aren't satisified with what I'm selling, sometimes I'm not satisified with what they're selling. Kind of a Buyer Beware situation.

So when I go into a transaction, I do my best to cover my hiney. I read the previous feedback, I look at the photos of the item, I check out the payment options, I look at the seller's length of time on eBay, and so on. No matter how careful you are, something may happen that was not expected.

Case in point:

I purchased a cute pattern on said auction site to make some *cough* lingerie for myself and paid immediately upon winning (doncha love PayPal, too?). The seller was supposed to get the item ready for mailing and all that jazz. It was early November.

Couple-a weeks go by and I haven't seen said item. Getting worried, I email the seller through the eBay system (keeps it from bouncing as spam if they don't know me). No answer.

Another few weeks. No answer.

Last time, I thought to myself as I sent one last email stating that if I received no reply I was going to file with eBay for a refund.

Lo and behold, a response! Yes, yes, it was never sent because the seller had computer problems, blah, blah, blah. (Problem is, seller had other auctions going on at the same time and new ones listed, as well. Not sure I believed this statement. Still unlikely.) Yes, it was going out TODAY! This was early December. Good thing no LIBRARIES have computers with internet, huh? Or FRIENDS/RELATIVES?! (Yes, that dripped with sarcasm.)

Okay, still no problem. It's coming.

Uh-Oh. Problem.

Here it is FINALLY January 6th and I'm tired of waiting, it's been 2 months, and I file a dispute with eBay. (Should have done it before, I think.) Seller replies that it was mailed 12 December. Even if it was mailed that day, I've never had Media Mail take more than 20 days.

Seller agrees to replace the original item with another one. Could have tracked it with Delivery Confirmation no problem (at the time of purchase I told seller that I would be glad to pay extra for Delivery Confirmation, no response.) Seller states that s/he will mail it on 7 Jan.

Jan. 26th comes and I'm wondering where it is already! Send another message on the still open dispute and find out that seller is STILL SITTING ON IT!!!!! Seller says "Oh, ice storm" which I know hit pretty hard, but God Almighty, did it last THAT LONG!? All ice, all the time, always raining from the skies?!

Finally the small package arrived today.

Postage due.

Sh*t.

I paid full postage costs and now I have to pay AGAIN?! Craps.

I always feel bad about leaving bad feedback but tempering the bad (never sent, never sent, late, postage due) against the willingness to resend an item (wondering if it was never sent in the first place?) I ended up leaving neutral feedback.

I should have left negative. Too late to change it, but I hate leaving negative feedback.

Long story, short moral:

Sometimes you get kicked in the hiney no matter what you do to CYA.

Maybe my hiney's too big?