Ebay purchase and game theory, low stakes

[darwinbulldog]

I recently won an ebay auction for $2.91. I paid that plus $2.75 shipping. I received a delivery notice from USPS indicating that I owe $0.85 in postage, so I'm guessing that means if I don't pony up another 85 cents, the card will be returned to the seller (roughly 1,000 miles from me) who was somehow able to get it to my neighborhood with insufficient postage.

Clearly the card is worth more than 85 cents to me, and the seller knows that, so will he just count on me to make the short-term economically rational decision of paying the additional postage to get the card, or will he worry that I might refuse to pay out of spite and then demand a refund or a second mailing of the same card? (Clearly the USPS doesn't care, or they'd realize it's cheaper to just give me the card now that it's in town already, and realize that I'd realize this, and so on ad infinitum.) Or will he just give me the 85 cent refund? He seems inclined not to so far, but then, I haven't explicitly asked for one. What is the economic value of one negative feedback posting to someone who already has feedback in the thousands? So many mildly interesting questions, and all over 85 cents.

[phikappapsi]

If you assess a monitary value to your time...then I'd say you're already in the red, so I'd just pay the .85 and move on. Life's too short to deal with such frivolities.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by phikappapsi

If you assess a monitary value to your time...then I'd say you're already in the red, so I'd just pay the .85 and move on. Life's too short to deal with such frivolities.

Great suggestion.

[cardinalcollector]

You haven't even asked for a refund and you take the time to type a thesis on what to do about an .85 problem? If this is your biggest problem, you are living a charmed life. I have shipped packages weighed at the post office that arrived postage due for some reason. The buyer informed me of it, but refused the payment I offered. Life is too short, there has to be bigger problems to deal with.

[D. Bergin]

If I was the seller and the buyer let me know I'd Paypal you back the difference + a little extra for your trouble.

I doubt the seller was trying to get one over. Probably guessed at the weight slightly wrong, or one Post Office thought it was ok for him to ship 1st Class Letter and the receiving Post Office decided they wouldn't deliver it for less then 1st Class Parcel.

I've even had the Post Office muff up a couple times and declare my perfectly legel 1st Class Parcel package needed to be delivered Priority Mail at it's destination, because they read the rule book incorrectly.

If I'm informed, I just apologize for the mix-up and refund the shipping back to the buyer.

What are you gonna do? Fight it?

[frankbmd]

Get a hungry Lawyer

[RobertGT]

You are thinking way too much into this. I can almost guarantee you this was not intentional on the seller's part. Likely there was an error in weighing the package or a post-office screw-up. I am sure he would make good on 85 cents if asked, but to me, it's not even worth asking.