Shipping etiquette

[brianrhoff]

Hello friends!!

I have a bit of a situation on my hands and I wanted to get some opinions.

I've been lusting after a very specific reference for quite some time. It's not very common so when it comes up for sale I always seriously consider it. The stars seems to have aligned last week when the watch I was seeking out was available and I was in a good place financially to pull the trigger. This was a Friday.

We exchanged payment information and I send full payment + $100 for fedex next day shipping via paypal. Hoping to have the watch dropped in the mail that day for a next day (Saturday) delivery.

The seller, who I will not be naming here. Was unable to drop it in the mail that Friday. He assured me he'd be dropping it off first thing Saturday morning...meaning I would not get my precious watch until Monday morning. At this point I look in the mirror and say to myself that I'm a grown man and I will be patient. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Saturday afternoon I get a text with USPS tracking information (not fedex) for a Monday delivery by 8 PM (not first delivery). At this point I'm just happy to have the watch on the way. I spend the rest of the weekend with my family and at the omega boutique trying on references similar to mine also pre-ordering the adjustable deployment clasp so it can be fitted and installed on my watch when it arrives on Monday.

Monday comes and goes. No update from USPS at all. The tracking information has it just sitting right where it was dropped off. This is the point where I ask for a picture of the shipping receipt so I can try to dig in a bit more and get a realistic idea on where my watch is and when it will get to me.

The seller sends over the receipt and I see that he spent $39.00 on shipping.

I told him that I was not happy to see that shipping was $61 dollars less than what he quoted me. I was told that "the box and bubble wrap isn't free".
I can't help to think that if my $100 was spent on shipping on a faster service or a different carrier I wouldn't be in this situation.

Is this acceptable practice? Should we not, as a community, be honest with each other? Was my $61 worth it to this guy? Should I ask him for that money back?

Anyway...It's now Wednesday and I don't have my watch. Tracking is saying that it's still sitting at the post office where it was dropped off. I've opened a case with USPS but they need 2-3 business days to get back to me. Wish me luck.