Missed Opportunity

Have you ever missed a really good deal on eBay and had a hard time getting over it?  I had that happen to me last night.  But first some background.

I've been trying to find an American Girl Mia doll.  You know, the girl of the year from 2008?  I love how beautiful she looks in everyone's pics and in videos on Youtube.  I'd also like a Ruthie Smithens doll to be my look-alike doll.  At first, I thought I'd like a MAG #41 as my look-alike, but I realized after some study that Ruthie's eyes are actually closer to my color.  Mine are grey-green, and MAG #41's eyes are such a bright green that they just didn't quite fit.  Anyway, moving on.

I've been following Craigslist for a while, have bid on several eBay Mias, and even checked places like shopgoodwill.com and bonanza.com.  Nothing's worked out so far.  Part of the problem is I can't spend $100 on a doll at this stage in my life (or any past stage of my life, for that matter), so the eBay ones always go too high.   

I've had a Mia doll saved on my watch list for a few days now, and for some reason I didn't really look closely at her until last night (probably because the starting bid was $99.99, and we're trying to be more careful financially right now).  Last night I took a closer look and got really excited.  She had a buy it now option for $110, with only $8.99 shipping.  The auction included Mia, both of her books, her original meet outfit, her accessories (just missing her ipod player), her 2-in-1 skate outfit (just missing the hockey puck), her skate practice outfit, and her green ice skating outfit, plus the four boxes for her outfits!  I did some research on what her things were going for by checking completed listings.  I checked AG playthings to see if there were any missing items (which is how I found out that her ipod and hockey puck were missing). 

The important thing to me is the Mia doll herself.  While I love her outfits, I wasn't planning on making her an ice skater.  I figured if I bought her, then I could sell all the clothing and accessories in different lots to help pay for her.  I'd recently made $70 from Craiglist sales.  I was confident that I could get back $85, at the least (meaning I would have spent $35 on a Mia doll in excellent condition from a smoke-free home!). 

The problem was the initial price.  I almost just clicked buy it now, but I didn't feel right about going for it without talking to my husband first.  So I called him at work...and immediately lost my nerve.  I know it's silly (he's not an ogre or anything), but I could tell he was really busy and I felt so selfish asking for it when we've been trying to be good.  I didn't want to just spring it on him, either.  I just asked him how things were going and if he knew when he'd be home (he didn't)...and hung up.

I gave the girls their baths, but the whole time I was going crazy.  Mia only had a little over one day left, which meant that she could go at any time, especially with that amazing buy it now price.  Finally, I couldn't stand it any more.  I sent him a text ( a really long text!!) explaining everything and then nervously waited.  While I waited, I checked the computer again, only to discover a big "Ended" sign over Mia's picture.

I know it's silly, but I literally felt sick to my stomach.  I couldn't believe I'd missed it!  I'd known that someone would snatch her up soon...I'd just hoped she would last until I could be the snatcher! :}  I sent my husband a short text:  "Never mind-just ended. :( "

The funny thing was, he didn't get my texts until an hour later.  He called me and said he was sorry I'd missed it.  I told him it was okay and wished for the hundredth time that I'd just spit out my question the first time I'd called him.  He probably would have said yes, because I was going to tell him he could use it as my Christmas present, and he always stresses about what to get me.

Okay, so that's my pathetic confession of the day.  I get waayy too involved with eBay.  As I sat there planning and studying, I was already picturing Mia with my other dolls, and already planning the wording for my eBay listings when I sold her clothes.  It was like I already owned her, so to have her suddenly gone was a blow.

I've been comforting myself with the fact that she was probably purchased for a little girl who's been wanting a Mia doll instead of a silly mom like me who already has plenty of dolls for herself. :}  It's also nice to know that God's in control of everything, even eBay purchases.  If I really had needed a Mia right now, it would have worked out.  I'm also hoping that maybe someday, by some miracle, I'll find Mia at a garage sale or flea mart or something.  Until then, I'll just be content with what I have and try not to keep thinking about my missed opportunity.