Disillusioned

How quickly we fall. Buoyed by the success of my first foray into eBay, I had high expectations for the second sale. I suppose I should be happy that my item sold for more than any other identical model in the past few months (the results of past auctions are only available for a limited time). Still, the condition of the equipment had led me to believe the ultimate selling price would be higher. What I hadn't counted on was the fact that, throughout the one week auction, four other identical models of the equipment were put on sale.

With such a choice, I guess none of the buyers felt compelled to pay a premium for my particular one. But that's not even what bothers me the most. While the buyer of my first item was communicative and active in the process of closing our deal, the buyer of the latest item is worse than reclusive. He has avoided all attempts at contact, by email or phone. His posted information was "out of date" (some might claim purposely elusive), and I only managed to track him down by doing what I do best - using the power of the internet. He was not pleased that I managed to track him down. In fact, the only email he did answer was in response to a phone message that threatened to cancel the transaction.

Will I get paid? That remains to be seen. One thing is for sure... if the payment does arrive, it will be in my bank for a good long time before I ship any goods.