Fred :
Ok, you asked for it, here's my $.02. Yes, you're off-base.
First of all, this is an eBay purchase, and there is certainly the potential
for fraud just for that reason. It's not at all difficult to steal
someone's identity, both on eBay and email, so a certain amount of "arm's
length" is not at all remiss even when dealing with what you believe is your
friend.
This is not a trivial amount of money to most people, and especially with
your asking to have the item shipped to a third party, I don't find your
seller's position unreasonable.
Allowances should be made, even among friends (perhaps especially among
friends) for personal foibles. Your seller is more comfortable seeing your
check first, why not accommodate that ? Customs vary in different places,
and some of my friends are downright odd by any standard. (Come to think of
it, so am I.) IMO you should just take this as a eccentricity on the part
of your seller, not as a comment on your honesty.
When I pass on to the next world, I would much rather have friends than
money. I wouldn't want to lose a friend just because they didn't feel the
same way ...
Randall
>
> I recently won a auction on e-bay from a fellow list member,
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