So I sold a Mesa Boogie F-50 Guitar amplifier to a guy in NJ about a month ago. He purchased the amp, paid for it, and sent me a message as soon as he paid for it. It said this (these are direct copied and pasted messages btw):

"I purchased F50 and just have completed the payment. I'd like to have it by next Monday (1/30). Will it be possible and would you mind rush shipping today? Thank you."

Now, on my eBay listing, I said that I needed 1-3 days of handling time, then was going to ship USPS priority mail to NJ. I charged $50 shipping and handling because I needed to find a box, get the packaging, and find a way to secure an amp that weighed 57 lbs (tube circuitry) for the long, perilous journey to NJ from NC. Since I had already posted all of this information before he even bid on it, I sent this back:

"I could send rush shipping, but that requires more shipping money. The shipping cost right now is the cheapest price out there, since the amp is rather heavy."

I mean, he was asking me to do something that I didn't have to do, and since I alotted up to 3 days of handling due to my class schedule, I only asked him to compensate me for doing him this favor. He sent me this message in response:

"I understand what you told me. But I wonder if you can ship today. We are in NJ and it wouldn't take long from NC if you ship today. Thank you."

Well, it was apparent that he didn't give a flying fuck about what I requested (which I think is fair...shipping on a 57 lb amp thats almost 2'x3' is hella expensive), so I wasn't going to rush that shit. I responded with:

"If you'll be willing to reimburse me for shipping in excess of $50, I will send it out tomorrow. I stated that I require up to 3 days of handling, but will try my best to get it done ASAP. Are you asking for next day shipping? Or what other shipping method were you considering? Also, I have access to both USPS and UPS, whichever you prefer. Awaiting your response about the shipping questions."

Being more specific and adamant that we pursue that course of action, I tried to get an answer out of him. To no avail, my NJ friend replied:

"Dear duhjeffmeister, $50.00 shipping and handling is already high enough. I was asking you because you mentioned to have it delivered 1/30 ~ 1/31. Taking 3 days in handling sounds too long. It will be desirable to have it by Monday(1/30), but Tuesday wouldn't make trouble to me. Please try your best to make your buyer happy and to keep your estimated delivery date that was posted as below: Thanks.

Mesa Boogie F50 F-50 1x12 50 Watt Electric Guitar Amplifier w/ Footswitch (250976585978) Paid on Jan-24-12 Price: $550.00, Qty: 1 $550.00 Estimated delivery: January 30 - January 31, 2012 USPS Priority Mail $50.00"

Now, this receipt that he had copied and pasted was from Paypal's website. As everyone knows, based on the date of payment, Paypal generates an estimated delivery. I hadn't sent the amp out yet, nor had I even gotten the box yet. I'm a double major in Applied Math and Jazz Guitar/Recording that's about to graduate in May. Needless to say, I'm fairly busy, either doing homework for my math classes or practicing my ass off for my jazz guitar lessons. That's the reason why I allowed myself 1-3 days for handling. I was getting pretty agitated and responded this:

"I'm giving you the lowest rate possible already, and i'm taking 3 days to handle it. Paypal gave a shipping estimate, not me. In fact, there is no shipping estimate that I myself have given, since I gave myself three days to handle it. I have my reasons for doing so and listed an accurate amount of time in my listing. It was in the item description, and you continued to bid on it. If you actually researched the product, you would find that the amp weighs 50 lbs, increasing shipping cost drastically. $50 is the lowest rate that UPS offers for standard ground shipping. Sorry you don't approve, but I listed all details in my listing. I'll follow what I published online. Thanks for your input."

(^I found that UPS would be more convenient for his house so I went with them)

No response to that. I figured that my trouble with this guy was over and I could get back to my studies. It also didn't help that I've been dealing with anxiety/depression and taking medication for it since I hadn't taken less than 22 credit hours in 7 semesters of being in school (all so I can graduate on time, which is still happening!).

Two days later I sent my amp, giving all of my packing supplies to the UPS guy so he could pack it. I was running late for a night class and had to leave the packing to him. Probably not a smart idea, but I don't like the idea of wasting thousands of dollars for college and not getting the most out of my classes.

I marked the item as shipped, gave him a tracking number, then waited to make sure I was completely done. (I also found out he has an asian last name, and as the messages kept being sent, the accuracy of his grammar was declining.) When the package arrived, he sent this message:

"I received the package yesterday evening, but found that the amp was not working because of broken tube. I need to resolve this problem with you ASAP>" <== Typo on his part

The dialogue follows:

Me: "Also I apologize for the broken tube. I brought in a box that the UPS employee said would work, then paid to have it both packed and shipped, so I didn't personally pack it."

No response from him

Me: "Would you like me to buy you a new tube?"

Him: "Please send me a new tube that works ASAP."

Me: "Please tell me which tube is broken and what model it is."

Him: "The broken tube is the left one when you see from back and the model# is 5881/6L6 WGC, SOVTEK 1001"

Me: "Tracking number for the tube is: 9101969005339501501317"

Him: "Thank you for following up, but I couldn't locate the tracking in USPS.com. I also found that both tubes were broken. The left one was totally broken with sign of burning and the right one's knob with legs was also broken. I found the broken plastic piece of the knob in the amp." <== Grammar? Also, what in the world is he talking about "sign of burning" (Where? Details please?) and "the right one's knob with legs was also broken"? Why didn't he check the whole amp before I ordered him a tube and had to spend $8 on shipping, only to find that I had to order him ANOTHER tube and pay even MORE shipping.

Me: "So two of the same tubes were broken?"

Him: "Yes, I found both tubes were broken in different ways as I described before."

Me: "I will order and send it your way asap"

Him: "The first tube was received yesterday and I wonder if the second tube in on the way."

Me: "Yes sir it is on its way. Sorry, I didn't know that both tubes were broken, or else I would have sent both at once."

Him: "I have received the second tube and mounted both tubes, but the amp still doesn't work. This is very disappointing and I don't know if I can repair the amp locally or send you back to make it work. Please let me know what you would do."

Right there, as soon as I realized he was going to put the tubes in himself, I started to kind of worry, since it seems to me that he doesn't know what he's doing or talking about. I kept thinking "Oh God...please don't damage the amp further..." Continuing...

Me: "Fix it locally. Much easier."

Him: "I agree, however, I need your commitment of reimbursement for the reparing cost. Otherwise, I have no choice but sending you back for fixing there. The amp sounds weird with lots of static. Channel switching also doesn't seem to be fine. As I saw the first tube was burn and broken, the circuit must has been screwed when the tube was burn."

My worst nightmare. He installed the tube incorrectly, which is denoted by the symptom of the lots of static and noise. Hopefully he didn't damage it too much. The footswitch (What he called the channel switcher) was completely fine save for the jack being a snug fit with the cable. You have to basically push with a decent amount of force to get the cable end in there.

Immediately I was thinking "Dude...you installed the vacuum tube wrong and probably messed the amp up more. Why would I have to pay for it? I didn't even pack it. The UPS guy packed it (which isn't uncommon, as I found out from local guitar businesses) and didn't do as good of a job as he should have."