Postal Perils

I have a bunch of ongoing searches for items on eBay, some of which I pursue more intently than others. I have very casually been looking for a Liberty of London floral-pattern tie in cotton, in the event that I have to go to a wedding or other dress-up event during warmer weather. Liberty ties are colorful and fun, yet still dignified enough for adults.

I didn't have any particular colors in mind; I'd just take a spin through the listings here and there to see if anything struck me. A couple of weeks ago I found something interesting. The print had the look of a watercolor painting, the tie was a standard width, the condition was excellent, the colors were bright but not overpowering, and it had a low starting bid.

I ended up being the only bidder and got it for something like $7 plus $2 shipping. I figured the seller was going to send it by first class mail, which meant it wouldn't be trackable. That's how these things go sometimes.

It didn't get lost, which is how these stories typically go. It arrived a couple of days ago, in one of those apology-festooned plastic sleeves the postal service uses when a piece of your mail gets devoured by one of their machines. I took pictures to document its condition:

It was sent in only a plain business envelope (addresses blurred, because duh). I contacted the seller right away and explained what had happened, and he issued a refund immediately, which was great. But I wasn't even concerned about the money, since the tie had been so cheap. I was more disappointed that the tie was ruined, because as you can see it was a really pretty tie. Here's a closer look at the damage:

It really got crunched and munched. And who knows how long it will be before I find another that I like as much.

As someone who's sold plenty of items on eBay, I know the importance of protective packaging. When I ship shoes I use bubble wrap and pack the box with wadded tissue paper, to prevent the shoes from banging around inside the box. Sure, a lot of the stuff that gets bought and sold on eBay is used and not necessarily of high value, but nobody wants to receive a purchase in this condition.