An eBay mystery

Strange things are afoot at the local PO.

I sold a book on eBay on April 4. I shipped it a day or so after the person paid. On April 14, it showed up on my porch. Skeeter didn't remember putting it ON the porch, so I assume that somehow it worked its way back to me instead of to the recipient, although there was nothing on the package to indicate that.

I shipped it again on April 15. Last week, I got an email from the buyer asking if I had shipped it. So I sent her an email telling her what had happened. It hadn't shown up on her end though. I did send it media mail, which is occasionally very slow, and it was tax time. But, wanting to give good customer service, I told her that I would check at the PO to see if they had more information than is available online.

The woman at the PO was (not surprisingly) unhelpful.

Two days ago I found the package -- in the manager's office of the bookstore where I work!! I haven't asked the receiver yet, but I assume that they got it in with the regular shipments. I had used a box from the bookstore, and I had just taped the label over the original one.

I know for certain that I never, ever took the book to the store. There was no reason to. I packed it at the kitchen table, as always, and I even used packing paper that came from my Southern Living at Home shipment. And I remember taking it the post office because it was April 15, and I shipped multiple packages that day. And of course, they were all huge, so I had to make two trips to the car.

I was in the manager's office, getting ready to leave for the day. I needed to get something from a file drawer, and POOF, I saw my lost book sitting in the box in front of the cabinet! I shouted "That's my book!" and I think the manager jumped a foot. Of course, I had to tell him the whole story. I'm not sure he believed me, but I know he wanted me to shut up about my lost book, so he let me take it. LOL!

I kept babbling, "It's out of print. I swear, it's my book! There's a newer edition now. We don't even have any copies of the new edition in the store. And that's the packing paper that came out of my Southern Living at Home stuff. It's my book!"

So now I'm sending this book for a THIRD time, and I'm hoping that it will get there. I did learn a lesson from this though. From now on, I will always include the shipping invoice inside the package.