Brian, I like you, and I did not intend to indicate how I would or have acted, simply what the rule of law says. No need to get personal. And, well, I consider myself an ethical guy, and strangely, I have never faced that issue. I rarely have been offered insurance, probably because I almost always buy less expensive chips. On a more expensive chip, however, I believe I would pay for insurance (I have a couple of times), in any case. It is my understanding, however, that insurance protects and pays to the shipper, not the receiver. Therefore, it is clear that the seller is simply asking the buyer to pay for the seller's own protection. Is that ethical? Maybe if you understand the reason for the rule, then you might think differently. The rule exists because the buyer has no control over anything that happens between the time payment is given and delivery is received. The seller is free to choose any carrier they want. Typically, the buyer has no say. The carrier is an agent of the seller, theoretically working for them. The unscrupulous seller can also send damaged or inferior goods, or simply nothing at all. The buyer has no control over any of that. Thus, the seller is responsible for delivery of the goods offered in the condition offered. If the seller wants to turn the tables, and make the buyer responsible, he should definitely make sure the buyer understands what the buyer is getting into. Simply offering insurance does not do that. At least, I would never assume it would. That's why the rule stands as it does. Although I have never sought my money back after refusing insurance, I have no problem with anyone who does, unless the auction made it extremely clear that if the buyer chose not to, they bore the risk of loss. Since it is the rule in EVERY State in the United States, sellers should be aware of this rule. It is not a new or obscure rule. It is not difficult to understand. If a seller chooses to ignore the law, that is their risk, not the buyer's. And yes, I would sleep quite well following the law. By the way, if I ever thought that the seller was intending to put the risk on me, but failed to do so by a technicality, I would explain it to the seller before ever paying them, and work something out. On an $85 purchase, I would simply pay the insurance, and not bother the seller.

If you don't like the basic rule of law, you can always try petitioning your Congressmen or women. I don't think you would get too far, though, because it is a good rule of law.

Michael Siskin