The Saga Continues

Here's an update on the single pannier I won on eBay and its twin sister that I tried to buy.

In case you haven't been following the story, I bought a pannier on eBay. When I bought it, I thought it was a pair as they are usually sold that way. Only after I bid did I realize it was a single. The seller didn't actually point out that it was a single but he didn't really say it was two either. Technicality.

So I figure, oh well, I'll find one that sort of matches. And what do you know if not a couple days later, the same seller puts the other half up for sale. I have the right side and now the left side is up for sale. They snap together when not on the bike and one side has male snaps and the other female. That's how much of a pair they are.

This time though, his starting cost is $15, higher than the $13 I paid. I waited until the last day to bid when I noticed that someone else bid first. I set my max at $16 and waited.

Minutes before the end, I was outbid. I bid again, outbid. Again, I'm winning. Same bidder comes back, I'm outbid. I try to wait 'til the last second and I lose out.

So now, someone else out there has the other half to my pannier. I contacted the buyer and told her the story. I offered to sell her my half for what I paid for it. Of course I'd be willing to buy her half for what she paid. She has yet to respond.

I suspect though that this is some sort of shill bid operation where the seller bids with another account to jack up the price. After all, when you manage to sell one half of a pair to someone, the second half of that pair suddenly increases in value to the sucker who bought the first half.

And such is life.