Sorry, no pictures this time. And thanks for the over 400 hits on my poker chip-Playboy post, a record for me. I don't think I'll duplicate that here.

My words of wisdom are:

¶ be smart and don’t buy or trade expensive chips based on lofty principals of commerce. Regardless of the law or prevailing ethics, take the time to make sure that chips will be sent insured -- get it in writing or by e-mail. (Of course you don’t have to get in in writing if it says you get insurance in the auction description.)

¶ if nothing is said or asked, it is each person’s responsibility to have the chips he sends delivered.

¶ it is foolish to forego a good deal because you don’t like the shipping/insurance rules. Why cut off your nose to spite your face and let a $100 chip get away because the seller, who is asking $50 for it, wants you to pay $5 for postage-insurance? Just look upon the total cost ($55 here) as the cost of the chip.

¶ For really big transactions, I get firm assurances that the stuff will be sent insured. (Pride go before the fall, as they say.) I just won a $200 old gambling book on eBay. The auction description said “Good Condition. S&H $2.00.” The seller billed me $202.00, which he said included S&H. I emailed him whether that included insurance, which I wanted. He emailed me back “yes, it did.” It was smart to ask outright and not rely on armchair chip lawyers that “of course he has to insure delivery.” If I didn’t get the book, I could be legally right, and I still wouldn’t go through the effort of suing him.

¶ another thing I imagine is that too many buyers are just too cute (and lazy too) about not asking about insurance. They want to have their cake and eat it. They are afraid to ask the seller to insure it because they are afraid he will ask for more postage to cover the insurance. So by not asking, they hope to save some money, and then hope that the seller will make everything good if the parcel is lost or damaged in the mail. The better approach is to iron out all problems in advance.

¶ I think the seller should insist that all valuable items be sent insured, and he should either bill the buyer or (if he is happy with the high price) to be a gent and pay the shipping-insurance costs himself -- it is his choice.

¶ Insurance (for stuff over $10 - $15 - $25, anyway) does give peace of mind and protects against the glum feeling that someone lied to you about not receiving a parcel. The insurance might not pay off in the long run in a dollars and cents way, but pays off in an intangible way, particularly if you are the nervous type.

¶ It is a chore to go to the post office to insure things, so just let your outgoing parcels pile up, and go to the post office once a week or so.

¶ another advantage of insurance is that the green and white insurance receipt slips make a nice shipping record of stuff you sent out. Even if I don’t avail myself of the insurance, I write a big “UI” (for uninsured) on the green insurance slip. When I get home I file all the slips in one folder. On the slips I have notations as to what I shipped. the address mailed to, the fact that I left feedback and/or emailed the recipient that it was sent, that I received and deposited the check, etc. Very handy, those little slips. Good control.

Robert