Probably some combination of cheap, lazy, and a touch dishonest. The Postal Inspector had every right to open the box, because a chain guard box isn't going to look like any kind of media... I can see why some people would send it back because it is kind of a piss off to have it happen, and who wants to pay more? It's a legitimate response. But I figured, $10, bite the bullet and get the thing. When I get the box, it's a mess - all taped up and stamped with "Opened by USPS" and "Inspected by USPS". I can see why... it doesn't look like any kind of magazine I've seen.
So I pay, get the box home and open it up. Of course if you don't pay for real shipping, you don't pay for packing either. The chain guard is just in the box. And by "box", I mean it was a portion of a diaper box that had been cut up and roughly shaped into a box and then taped up.
I will admit that opening the box, my assumption is the thing is all dented and mangled. It sort of looks like it's going that way. I was surprised to find it was in better shape than described in the listing and not damaged at all. Well damn... sometimes you luck out. It's a very nice, large chrome wing-shaped chain guard. I won't buy from that seller again though. You don't luck out twice with that kind of seller behavior.
The thing that annoys me the most is just the pure element of dishonesty. Yes, shipping is expensive. But come on, don't deliberately mislead the postal service. If I were an inspector, I'd have opened it and done exactly what USPS did. It's lazy, cheap, and dishonest by a seller.