Twice now I’ve received the wrong colored item from power sellers on eBay when I clearly cared about what color I got. It was always a shipping mistake in the hurry. Things were taken care of both times (and this time, I loved my pebbled leather satchel so much, I made a deal to buy both, hee hee). But there was one time I ordered a Pink iPod Mini and the seller had run out of the pinks. Sometimes eBay sellers put up listings faster than they can get shipments in. (I got my payment refunded and had to continue my hunt.)

There are many things to take away from this. First is that it can’t be avoided by the buyer, but you should be generously kind with your seller. Do double check every word in the listings, too. We should respect the hectic business of working full time on eBay. Then again, we should worry about laymen going professional in such a way. Have you ever received the wrong item from Cole Haan, say? Of course, any very busy service makes mistakes. I’ve probably had troubles with Zappos.com.

Here’s a little lesson, if you don’t have the money, don’t get too attached to your wrong item. If you do, try to get a little deal! And if you really love your intended color, don’t give up and keep the wrong item without getting your replacement. Stick to your guns, use the listing as proof, and be polite.

Lastly, don’t keep both without paying! Ha ha, obviously. But not even for a little while. Ship as quickly as you’d expect in return. Hey, I know how hard it can be to get to the post office, etc. I suppose you should consider the ability to ship back quickly … with any online shopping. I know what a large pile of “returns” looks like. Not pretty.