ebay fail: the liability of not looking closely at listings

I have a special spot in the kitchen reserved for a mid-century atomic style clock. And, I have been looking at eBay listings for mid-century atomic clocks for a long time. I finally spotted the perfect clock. Before you can say "buy now," I entered a bid.

This picture is from the actual listing. Don't you think the Indian on the wall is a nice touch?

After entering my first bid, I was immediately outbid. Which caused me to pause and think twice. No, of course not. I quickly entered a "max" bid. Ha!

What were the signs I overlooked?

1. Brief description: "It's a beautiful piece of mid-century design that would look perfect in your mid-century atomic ranch home.  It is in perfect condition but needs a new battery. 16" diameter."  It has the dimensions because I emailed the seller and asked.
2. Blurry Picture (see above)
3. Weird Seller Feedback: Buyer rated seller a "neutral" and mentioned shipping; the seller called him a jerk.

And what did I get? One beat-up, scratched, rusted, non-working mid-century atomic (?) clock. I hung it in the office to remind me of my foolishness. Oh, and it doesn't keep time, not even a little.

Dents and scratches.

Rust. 

Dents and rust combo shot.

Annie is perplexed. I usually have such good taste.

Disappointed.

Maybe I can parlay it into something like Dana's clock wall?


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