Fixing a mistake

At the end of November, I won the above Ty Hensley card on eBay for $.99 + free shipping. Solid pickup for my PC, if I must say so.

So I waited and waited, and it didn't arrive. The seller said he sent it. Given the free shipping, and the fact that end of the auction was less than $1, I figured one of two things:

1. I got unlucky and the PWE got lost in the crazy December mail blitz.
Or
2. The seller said he sent it, but didn't, because it sold for less than he thought it would.

I always think of #2 when I win a card for cheap, especially when free shipping is part of the deal. Why wouldn't the seller just say "screw it" and say he shipped it, then just refund the $.25 or whatever it was I paid.

I hate to think that way, but I do.

Anyhow, the seller was nice enough to refund my money when this card didn't show up. It's only $.99, but still, every penny in my PayPal account adds up.

So last week, as my wife and I were driving to Maryland, we stopped at a rest area to attend to my screaming daughter. You know, those piercing screams during a car trip? As she's getting out of the car, my wife goes, "Hey! An envelope for you was down here by the door. I must've grabbed the mail in the car a few weeks ago and this slipped down by the door." Sounds right out of Christmas Vacation, doesn't it?

And in the envelope? No, not a membership to the jelly-of-the-month club. It was this:

So I was in a little pickle, as the seller refunded my money, but the card actually did arrive. Not wanting to be a cheapskate, I sent a note to the seller explaining what happened and asking if I could send the money back to him. I offered to paypal him directly, or to buy one of his $.99 auctions and he just wouldn't send me the card. He said, "No, it's ok, I understand."

Not good enough for me. I returned his $.99 via PayPal. It was only right. I felt better about myself, and I also had the Hensley I needed. We all won in the end, it just took a little longer than expected.