I won an auction last week for a $5 chip from Carson City that I didn't have in my collection. When I'm unfamiliar with the seller, as was the case here, I usually check out his feedback rating before bidding, but I spotted this auction only a few minutes before it closed and didn't check. Big mistake.

He didn't list a shipping charge, and when he finally got back to me two days later with the amount, it was $5.46. That's to ship one chip. When I questioned that amount, he said he pays someone else to ship and that there was a handling charge built in.

I got a good deal on the chip, so I reluctantly decided to go ahead and pay it. I paid him through PayPal, and he responded two days later that he would ship the chip "when the payment clears." That means, according to him, when the funds are in his bank account, not his PayPal account. As those who use PayPal know, that is a ridiculous position to take.

Anyway, the seller's eBay name is fooble. Avoid him. He has five negative feedbacks, and if this chip doesn't arrive in perfect condition, he'll have six. I've done more than 2,000 eBay transactions as a buyer and seller without having received one negative feedback, but I expect this will be the first, despite my paying the full amount quickly.