evry1nositswindy • seller since 2013
So I was thrifting as usual and came upon an old cheapie calculator. Didn't have much more than 10 numbers and a few basic functions. It reminded me of the one my dad had in the 1970's...a big clunky one that blinks a few times while its ciphering the answer. Bright orange. Definitely 1970's. Price was .99 cents. Can't beat that!
Turns out that its one of the first calculators Texas Instruments made! This calculator apparently played a crucial role during the manufacture of the original 1977 Star Wars lightsaber. The story goes, George Lucas charged the prop department with constructing a futuristic weapon to be used in the movie. The prop people tore up a bunch of junk: old computer equipment, cameras, car parts, etc., and this calculator--the Exactra 20. They used the bubble strip from inside the display to give it that futuristic look, I guess.
Lucky for me it seems there are folks out there who are willing to spend thousands to acquire a lightsaber made with the exact original vintage parts used in the film prop. (If you ever find a Dick Tracy style camera called the Graflex 3--GRAB IT. It's worth a fortune as it is the handle for the original lightsaber.)
Only on Ebay can you find such wonderfully obscure items! I was happy to sell my Exactra 20 for $225. (Probably should have auctioned it...but that's ok.)😉
One day as I was creating a new listing, a new message chimed in. I saved my draft and hopped over to my eBay inbox.
“Hi there, I ordered this item a while ago, but I haven’t received it yet. Do you have a shipping update?”
As a routine, I review order details before responding. So I pull up the transaction record. The item had shipped over a week ago. It shipped by Priority Mail, in a flat rate padded bubble mailer.
That's odd, I thought. It should’ve arrived by now. Let’s see what USPS says. So I click the tracking number, and up came the record:
The seller has provided a tracking number. The tracking status will be updated once the shipment reaches the carrier.
I stared at the result in utter disbelief. What, no tracking history? My heart skipped a beat. No acceptance scan? But that’s impossible -- our post office always scans every package! Thoughts raced through my mind. A data glitch? Is it lost? Did I really ship it? Geez, did I even pack the order?? Taking a deep breath, I pondered what to do.
So I hustled to check tracking for all other packages that were mailed the same day. Every single package – except the one in question - was scanned and delivered just fine. I was stumped. But I couldn’t delay any longer. I decided to reach out to the buyer with an apology.
“I’m so sorry about the unforeseen shipping mishap. I’ll get a replacement shipped out right away. It should be to you in the next few days.”
He responded, “No problem, thank you very much.”
The replacement package made a quick and smooth journey to its destination. Shortly thereafter, the buyer left positive feedback. Yay!
I continued to wonder how a package could go missing like that. Why no scans? How could I not have mailed it? Maybe the shipping label didn’t print for some odd reason? That might explain it. If the label and packing list didn’t print, maybe I didn’t even pack the order.
Ultimately, I concluded I was the only one to blame. I told myself not to look back; it was simply a strange oversight but at least all ended well. Most importantly, I was grateful to have such a patient buyer who gave me the opportunity to make things right.
Three weeks later ...
As I was revising some listings on eBay, my shipping assistant strolls in and taps me on the shoulder. He had something in his hand. I couldn't believe it, but ...
it was THE MISSING PACKAGE!
"Oh my gosh! Where the heck did you find that?!" I exclaimed.
In a near whisper, he sheepishly utters, "Um, it was in my motorcycle saddlebag."
He said sorry, and decided he would make post office trips only by car from then on. I told him not to worry; the buyer already received his item, and everything was fine.
What never occurred to me was the fact that my assistant had taken his bike to the post office that day. All of our small First Class packages were in the left saddlebag, but the single Priority package was in the right saddlebag. He apparently forgot to check the right saddlebag!
So there you have it. The mystery package was hiding out in a motorcycle all along. We might have found it sooner, but my shipping assistant very rarely takes his bike out for rides.
We had a good laugh about the whole situation. In fact, my assistant eventually came up with a brilliant new idea. He told me if I ever run out of padded bubble envelopes, I need look no further than the saddlebag of a certain Honda Shadow Phantom. 😊
Okay, if you've read this far, go ahead and click the "Spoiler" below!
Spoiler
Yep, that's our emergency stash of Priority and eBay branded bubble mailers in the saddlebag. 😉
I know I'm disqualified from winning this contest because I'm sharing this with my posting ID. I hope at least a few of you out there enjoy this story nevertheless. Thank you for reading! 🙂
Yep, that's our emergency stash of Priority and eBay branded bubble mailers in the saddlebag. 😉I know I'm disqualified from winning this contest because I'm sharing this with my posting ID. I hope at least a few of you out there enjoy this story nevertheless. Thank you for reading! 🙂
I became an eBay seller in 2013. It was a chance trip to my local library that got me started. There were a couple of boxes full of vintage boxing magazines in the lobby. The librarian said they were dropped off and she didn't know what to do with them. I offered to take them and she was thrilled. I jumped in with both feet and became a seller that day...and I had never even shopped online before.
I sold one of those magazines to the nephew of one of the boxers on the cover. It was his uncle's one and only cover as a newcomer because he found out quickly that he was a bleeder and his career ended before it even began. The nephew was so happy to have a piece of his family's history. I was happy he shared his story with me and I was hooked.
I love putting vintage items where they belong. I have so many stories like this. Another story that stands out just happened last month. I sold a program to an Ice Skating Revue in Germany, The buyer was a guest, so she was unable to leave feedback. She took the time to write a personal thank you note and sent it tomy house. She said she saw the show in 1957 as a young girl and was transfixed. The program brought back sweet memories for her. I had tears in my eyes as I read her heartfelt note.
So when I go to auctions and estate sales, I look at the vintage (old!) items that others may overlook. I see value in old items, as do my buyers. I love the history and I love hearing stories from my buyers. The personal touch is what I strive for. It would kill my soul to sell new items that will be thrown out and replaced within a year. Give me 'old' any day! THIS is the kind of items eBay should be proud of selling.
Thank you all for your entries. The contest is now CLOSED!! 
We are currently tallying the votes, and we'll contact the winners in the coming days.
*****drumroll*****
and the winners are..... @theshoppingmom2 & @hombrecabrionet.
Congratulations to both of you, we'll see you at eBay Open 2018 in Las Vegas! 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
A huge THANK YOU to all of our entrants! We loved reading every single one of the entries. 
Thank you all for selling on eBay!
