Same reason a dog...never mind.
Today I had the opportunity to have a good think about this after I checked my mailbox. Way back in July I purchased a pair of vintage Specialized Turbos in 28mm. I wanted them for a couple mid-July gravel rides I was considering (one was the Palouse ride that never actually materialized and the other was a day-trip up to the Hyak tunnel); these old Turbos have a pretty darn thick tread and 28s are fatter then anything else I've got.
I paid my money and waited - and waited, and waited and waited. By the 24th (my payment cleared July 1) I was wondering what was up and asked the seller. He wasn't too helpful, basically falling back on "it's out of my hands once USPS has it - ask them". Long story short, after another week, without consulting or even letting me know, he sent another pair. By this point, both events were past and I was wondering wtf about shipping and all so when he told me he shipped a second pair I informed him I'd be returning them because it was a month since I'd paid for them and I really didn't have any pressing need for them any longer. Plus, he wasn't interested in refunding a portion of the shipping at least for the delay.
I got the tires and they'd been folded (which I'd been expecting), but not in a box. They were simply wrapped with Priority Mail Tyvek envelopes; looked like an anemic doughnut when it arrived. I was afraid to cut the package open for fear of damaging the tires, and anyway, I was sending them right back. Ebay sided with me in the dispute, I returned the item the same way I got it and was issued a full refund. Sometimes it goes that way; lesson learned.
Guess what? The pair of tires originally sent - and lost - showed up today. The label says they were sent on July 2; what I found a bit funny was that there was no note or anything with them explaining why it took almost 3 months to get from Illinois to Washington State. Anyway, since I'd long since gotten my refund, I felt it safe to give it a go opening the package. Took 40 minutes of careful cutting, but I got them out. I yanked the disintegrating Michelin Selects from the Casati and put these in their place (I'd left them on that bike for the interim, but they are done for riding as the consensus on the thread about them was that they'd fail soon). I took the bike out for a quick 10 miles and the tires feel great!
Think the seller will freak out when I ask for his PayPal addy and send him the full amount for the tires? Because that's what I intend to do. I don't have any obligation to return them as regards Ebay, but my conscience is a different story.
So why did I post here? I honestly think we help each other because it's the right thing to do and if we can, we do. This same principle applies to people we don't know but are still bike people. Because USPS lost the tires the first go-around, this guy was out one pair of tires (valued at around $55) and the shipping for my return. He deserves better; we all do
DD