Ever lost something...only to find it just after replacing it...

[knave]

Murphy's Law is a real thing I am certain of it now.

This has happened to me before but never in such a profound way concerning something that has some sentimental value as well.

I couldn't find my watch...at first I was sure it would turn up because I only ever put it in two places when I take it off and I must have missed it etc...
Time passes and I think maybe I lost it at the GYM...call them and it's not there. "OK", I think to my self it has got to be here, so I look all over with no luck.
At this point I'm trying to stay positive and think that it will turn up...

Well, now I get sentimental about the watch. (yeah sappy I know but I like the watch, it was a gift from my wife before we were married) So I look more, call the gym again and recall dropping it on the floor of the locker room as I was getting dressed. "Did I forget to pick it up?" That would be stupid of me but I'm not above such things...

Anyway...today I just happen to look on ebay and find a screaming deal on the exact watch brand new...(it was not a cheap watch...the most valuable I had ever owned)

...I ponder for a bit and eventually decide it's worth it to jump on the deal (it was ending soon) and if I find the watch later its ok to have a back up. So I "buy it now".

No sooner than I had clicked the button my wife is texting me..."did you find your watch?"..."No", I reply..."How much is it worth to you?" she sends back.

At this point I'm thinking, No F-ing WAY" I ask her if she found it and she proceeded to play games and not give a clear answer. (I would have done the same thing)
My heart is racing...I look up Ebay...you can ask to cancel an order...but I need confirmation. Minutes seem like hours as I try to get a clear answer. I call home and my daughter says we bought you a new watch!

Wait What! I stay calm..."Really?" I ask...No, they found it. Under the Baby's crib..."Child I will speak to you later" (really my fault)
So Now I briefly decide if I should keep the new watch and frame it as a symbol both of humility and because "Murphy you are a rat bastard!" But thanks for having my watch be found.

Tonight I will have a drink in Murphy's honor. Thank you!

Unreal...the timing of it all.

[pbj]

You can also just not actually pay for it on eBay.  There's no real penalty.

[Howard_Casto]

I've been having a Roseanne moment myself.  Ordered some spray paint for my car.... after 3 1/2 weeks of waiting I contacted the company, they concluded that it was lost in the mail and sent out another one... I got it in about a week.  Then two days later the original one comes in.  I expect to find a third one in my mailbox any time now. 

[BadMouth]

I've been having a Roseanne moment myself.  Ordered some spray paint for my car.... after 3 1/2 weeks of waiting I contacted the company, they concluded that it was lost in the mail and sent out another one... I got it in about a week.  Then two days later the original one comes in.  I expect to find a third one in my mailbox any time now. 

I was unsure of blowing $270 on a refurb vitamix blender.  I really wanted a blender with analog control so you can dial in the exact speed to keep the vortex going.  I wasn't finding that option on any cheap ones so when the deal came up on the vitamix, I bit.

It was nice, but still overpriced and the included dvd said I'd bought into a "lifestyle" which is always a sure sign that you're being ripped off.

The next day, a second one shows up.  Credit card was only charged once.  Both invoices are identical.  It turns out that there is a law in the US that if you receive something in the mail addressed to you, but that you did not order, it is yours to keep for free. The sender is not entitled to payment of any kind nor are you required to return the product.   This law was made to prevent companies from mailing you ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- you didn't ask for and then demanding payment.

So I sold the second blender to a foodie friend for $200 and now have zero buyers remorse.

As far as losing stuff.  I don't.
My father had a messy workshop and would often just go buy new drill bits or saw blades at the hardware store around the corner rather than spend the time trying to find them in his shop.  He's also missing two fingers and a thumb from three different accidents.  I learned what not to do from him.

[pbj]

It turns out that there is a law in the US that if you receive something in the mail addressed to you, but that you did not order, it is yours to keep for free. The sender is not entitled to payment of any kind nor are you required to return the product.   This law was made to prevent companies from mailing you ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- you didn't ask for and then demanding payment.

This used to be Southern Living's entire business model with their cookbooks.  You used to see women lined up out the door at the post office returning those things. 

Then my family sprouted a lawyer.  That was the end of returning them. 

[CCM]

Why not just re-sell the new watch?  If you got a 'screaming' deal on it, you should be able to sell it for a profit...

[knave]

I could...a lot of things.

I was able to cancel the new purchase...If I had lost amy watch bought a new one a few weeks later  and then found the old one it would not be worth talking about...but seconds after...

...Really this is all due to my stupidity. I need to keep track of my things. Like Badmouth I don't...until now. But I guess I didn't really.

In any case I didn't want to deal with it. Minutes after I ordered the new watch, I was able to cancel the order.
But in all honesty don't need to be spending money on backup watches.
I really considered keeping it but in the end it would have been irresponsible. Who needs two watches...and who has time to sell things. If I did My Garage would be much more empty.

My wonder here is in the timing. It just feels creepy. if a week had passed and then my wife found the old watch I would have laughed and rolled with it. but I literally was just on the confirmation page. Sure it's a coincidence...but it feels like Murphy's Law is in full effect and wants me to know it.

My wife is so laughing at me right now...and I cant blame her...but it feels uncanny.

Bottom line:  I am overjoyed to have my watch back...In a week It will not seem like such a big deal.

[shponglefan]

I don't tend to lose things so much as just forget that I've bought them.  I do own a few duplicates of things that I totally forgot I already owned (mainly books/graphics novels).

[lilshawn]

3 words...

network crimp tool.

can never find the damn thing when i need it so i buy another...only to find ONE of the others i have shortly thereafter. so yeah, i have like 3 of them now...you'd THINK id be able to find them now right?

[SlammedNiss]

Wife lost a diamond pendant necklace once. Even thought her brother's g/f might have "accidentally" picked it up by mistake. Didn't want to turn it into insurance because out deductible was $1000. I think a year went by and one day, by sheer accident, she found it. She must have taken it off while doing laundry, and set it on our wireless router shelf above our PC. She has a very bad habit of losing stuff btw, especially her keys. I've tried getting her in the habit of putting them in the same spot day after day, but she never does. Sometimes their on the table, sometimes on the stove, bedroom, living room side table, etc. I thought I could change her. Boy was I wrong.

[blacketj]

My car was stolen a couple years ago. My squash racquet and darts were both in the trunk. I needed both of those on a weekly basis, so I ordered up new equipment. About a week later, just a few days after my new equipment arrived, I recovered my car. Everything was still in the trunk. Of course the new stuff I picked up had to be better than my old gear, so now the old stuff just sits in a closet as backup.