2894: The Darkening Ground
There is the slimmest of possibilities that the touch I purchased last week is sitting in the main office for our complex, but when I went over to talk to them [first] this morning, they were locked up tight as a drum--no "back @ whatever o'clock" sign or office hours posted [I just realized] or any of that. I guess they could have opened at noon or something, but after standing at the post office for a half hour and grumbling, I'm too tired of this drama to care anymore.
Basically, I put a $200 coin in a slot machine, and DING!, then I didn't get any money [or other such payout]. As a seller myself, I'm having a hard time blaming the seller enough to leave a negative--though insurance for something worth more than $50 seems the obvious thing to do even as an option, I perhaps was naïve/not paranoid enough not to demand it or otherwise make sure this $8 shipping surcharge of his actually included services that might ensure I actually got it, rather than letting the one odd thief in our complex happen upon it in the three hours between its "delivery" and one of us getting home, because the carrier is too lazy to write me a pick-up slip and take it back to the post office for me [not a thief] to collect.
Well, maybe that's a complaint right there, but I already admitted it was my own oversight, and I believe "no insurance = relinquish seller responsibility" as it is, so I think I have nothing [to a third-party judge, as well as literally]. Even PayPal might not back me up--it DID have Delivery Confirmation, even if the USPS (carrier) effectively lied about that, so even if I file a claim, I don't know if they'll read that as me scamming them or whether my fight is solely with the USPS here. I'm not even sure I want the $200 back if I have to go through much more of this hassle. Braid taught me that we throw money at stupid shit, so that I lost $200 effectively on a gamble really isn't something I can get TOO worked up about, especially since this was from a disposable fund in the first place.
Thing is, even if the seller claimed it was a dupe gift [sort of--already had an iPhone, what's the point of a touch as well], is the $200 more important to him or me? Him, if he refunds the money, he's only out $8 + whatever eBay "Final Value Fee" bullshit, whereas I'm out $200. But if I'm Donald Trump, and he's single mother with five kids, I'm going to feel bad asking for it back when it's really my own problem.
"So you're saying you're just going to concede this $200 if the USPS doesn't give it to you?" Actually, yes. I don't fucking care anymore. I'm not even angry. [I'm being so sincere right now.] I'm actually more annoyed.
The follow-up is, of course, if the touch isn't found, will I buy another? If I do, obviously it will be from a store, because this $40-50 odd I saved by going the eBay route [and being impulsive in my sniping] turned out to be a trap and why throw away even more money to get nothing [except maybe feedback+, which isn't much consolation].
That will actually be a year from now, tho, after the price has maybe dropped to something a little better than [what amounts to me as] $430 plus whatever sales tax actually is to get ONE touch. I mean, $430 to get one is better than $200 to NOT get one, but throwing away $200 is preferable to throwing away $430, since I was really kind of ambivalent about getting it in the first place and--out of a "let's see what happens" curiosity--happened to chance on getting the one I [sort of] got. I was basically just going to use it as portable Internet, something I can honestly live without [though, no, I didn't expect to pay $200 to live without it anyway], so getting one sooner than that is just going to have this emotional bile with it that isn't going to not make me feel like an idiot for having spent that kind of money for something I won't even use that much [prolly--won't know 'til I get one].
I was right about hating this purchase, tho =/ Might as well keep gradually buying the Braid OST--at least I feel like I'm not just throwing money at nothing.
Edit: "What if the seller offers you a refund anyway?" Well, then I'd take it, and I'd maybe feel bad, but I'd still put off buying one... if for no other reason than Target periodically gives me 10% off, so I might as well wait for the coupon to come in first.
Basically, I put a $200 coin in a slot machine, and DING!, then I didn't get any money [or other such payout]. As a seller myself, I'm having a hard time blaming the seller enough to leave a negative--though insurance for something worth more than $50 seems the obvious thing to do even as an option, I perhaps was naïve/not paranoid enough not to demand it or otherwise make sure this $8 shipping surcharge of his actually included services that might ensure I actually got it, rather than letting the one odd thief in our complex happen upon it in the three hours between its "delivery" and one of us getting home, because the carrier is too lazy to write me a pick-up slip and take it back to the post office for me [not a thief] to collect.
Well, maybe that's a complaint right there, but I already admitted it was my own oversight, and I believe "no insurance = relinquish seller responsibility" as it is, so I think I have nothing [to a third-party judge, as well as literally]. Even PayPal might not back me up--it DID have Delivery Confirmation, even if the USPS (carrier) effectively lied about that, so even if I file a claim, I don't know if they'll read that as me scamming them or whether my fight is solely with the USPS here. I'm not even sure I want the $200 back if I have to go through much more of this hassle. Braid taught me that we throw money at stupid shit, so that I lost $200 effectively on a gamble really isn't something I can get TOO worked up about, especially since this was from a disposable fund in the first place.
Thing is, even if the seller claimed it was a dupe gift [sort of--already had an iPhone, what's the point of a touch as well], is the $200 more important to him or me? Him, if he refunds the money, he's only out $8 + whatever eBay "Final Value Fee" bullshit, whereas I'm out $200. But if I'm Donald Trump, and he's single mother with five kids, I'm going to feel bad asking for it back when it's really my own problem.
"So you're saying you're just going to concede this $200 if the USPS doesn't give it to you?" Actually, yes. I don't fucking care anymore. I'm not even angry. [I'm being so sincere right now.] I'm actually more annoyed.
The follow-up is, of course, if the touch isn't found, will I buy another? If I do, obviously it will be from a store, because this $40-50 odd I saved by going the eBay route [and being impulsive in my sniping] turned out to be a trap and why throw away even more money to get nothing [except maybe feedback+, which isn't much consolation].
That will actually be a year from now, tho, after the price has maybe dropped to something a little better than [what amounts to me as] $430 plus whatever sales tax actually is to get ONE touch. I mean, $430 to get one is better than $200 to NOT get one, but throwing away $200 is preferable to throwing away $430, since I was really kind of ambivalent about getting it in the first place and--out of a "let's see what happens" curiosity--happened to chance on getting the one I [sort of] got. I was basically just going to use it as portable Internet, something I can honestly live without [though, no, I didn't expect to pay $200 to live without it anyway], so getting one sooner than that is just going to have this emotional bile with it that isn't going to not make me feel like an idiot for having spent that kind of money for something I won't even use that much [prolly--won't know 'til I get one].
I was right about hating this purchase, tho =/ Might as well keep gradually buying the Braid OST--at least I feel like I'm not just throwing money at nothing.
Edit: "What if the seller offers you a refund anyway?" Well, then I'd take it, and I'd maybe feel bad, but I'd still put off buying one... if for no other reason than Target periodically gives me 10% off, so I might as well wait for the coupon to come in first.