BDW Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I don't know if I'd be so confident of priority mail boxes being a safe shipping alternative. They have become very thin recently and I have actually had items shipped to me in them with interior padding where the box was crushed in and the item was damaged. It seems to be happening on a regular basis so I suspect in an effort to combat all the free box misuse, they went cheap on the construction and legitimate users are paying the price. The financial Titanic known as the USPS has much bigger problems than people bogarding their free boxes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SabertoothRetro Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 I messaged the seller regarding a return. Hopefully they are better with customer service than they are at packing. I will definitely begin requesting boxes moving forward as others have suggested. A similar thing happened to me with a copy Fatal Run last year. That seller shipped the games with no padding in a cereal box (TRIX!). It must be the pricier 7800 games that I have bad luck with. Maybe I should get back to the Lynx? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I don't know if I'd be so confident of priority mail boxes being a safe shipping alternative. They have become very thin recently and I have actually had items shipped to me in them with interior padding where the box was crushed in and the item was damaged. It seems to be happening on a regular basis so I suspect in an effort to combat all the free box misuse, they went cheap on the construction and legitimate users are paying the price. The smaller Priority Mail boxes, the ones that are often used to ship single boxed video games, are MUCH thinner than they used to be years ago. And they do crush very easily. I will not use those boxes to ship boxed games, even if it means I have to spend 40 cents on a new box and use more packing material to ensure a boxed game will arrive safely. The USPS boxes are fine for cartridges and other less-crushable items, though. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 A similar thing happened to me with a copy Fatal Run last year. That seller shipped the games with no padding in a cereal box (TRIX!). It must be the pricier 7800 games that I have bad luck with. Maybe I should get back to the Lynx? Geesh, the walls of the cereal box are probably thinner than the chipboard stock used for the Fatal Run box! I can just see someone's kids finishing a box of cereal and the parent running over screaming, "Don't throw that box away, I need it!!!" ..Al 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knirps Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I use eBay and I can't imagine ever shipping a game in a bubble mailer... Heck, I have an auction for cards and a tin where I plan to use a bubble mailer, and I'm so scared that the tin is going to get messed up, but I really don't want to switch to a MFR box... Then again, nothing is selling, so I'm sure it'll be fine. lol As far as the USPS flat rates being of inferior quality, I sorta agree. I have about 200 right now and every third one I use is misaligned, doesn't fold right, has gaps regardless of how it's packed, etc.. I already go overboard packing most of my items, but I find myself running out of tape faster and faster to ensure that the boxes even stay together...but that free $50 insurance, free box, and not getting charged 3 bucks EVERY TIME on calculated postage is worth it. Besides, with all the free boxes, I have ample strengthening cardboard for the boxes...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 (edited) ebay stongly encourages free or cheapest possible shipping, . Which is great advice for a US based company to US based users who can ship anything of a certain size and weight WITH tracking for a few bucks. As well, this is contradictory information (not from the user I'm quoting, from ebay) because ebay also encourages tracking and even delivery confirmation - all which greatly adds to the shipping price and contradicts the whole "ebay strongly encourages the cheapest shipping possible" because if something happens to the package and you don't have tracking? Guess who gets dinged? The seller. Any dishonest buyer who sees something shipped without tracking probably salivates because they know they'll get both their item and their money back. "Sorry seller, your item didn't arrive (wink wink) I'd like my money back (wink wink) - and they get it. So even though I always package boxed games in boxes, I have to charge crazy shipping prices in the range of $15 - $20 to cover my ass or I'M screwed. And who wants to pay $20 shipping for a $10 game? Edited July 22, 2014 by AtariLeaf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icemanxp300 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I just shipped a factory sealed pocky and rocky 2 snes. Since the value was extremely high, I went the extra mile. I wrapped game in bubble mailer then placed inside a metal cash box. I surrounded game w/packing peanuts then locked the box and taped key to top. I then placed the metal box in a medium flat rate surrounded by more packing peanuts. I told buyer the only way this game is not getting to him in same condition it is now is if it gets ran over lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bixler Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 (edited) We need a modern day super hero that can fly around and castrate anyone that pulls this shit. Beyond idiotic and defies ALL common sense. If you're that stupid, you should not be allowed to reproduce. We need a modern day super hero that delivers packages undamaged by USPS. Edited July 22, 2014 by Bixler 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captmorgandrinker Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 The smaller Priority Mail boxes, the ones that are often used to ship single boxed video games, are MUCH thinner than they used to be years ago. And they do crush very easily. I will not use those boxes to ship boxed games, even if it means I have to spend 40 cents on a new box and use more packing material to ensure a boxed game will arrive safely. The USPS boxes are fine for cartridges and other less-crushable items, though. ..Al http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E81L9U2 28 cents a box if you have Prime, they work perfectly for boxed games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I ship plastic in bubble-opes all the time (genesis, loose carts, nes, etc..) Now as far as Cardboard?? That should be a no brainer that its going to get damaged... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icemanxp300 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 (edited) I had to cut off ending of video because it showed addresses, but I recorded myself so in any event a chargeback is tried the only option they have is to go after usps for insurance. Just covering my ass.... not saying I'm paranoid or anything https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ9sTAx8GRc Edited July 23, 2014 by icemanxp300 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojay1997 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I had to cut off ending of video because it showed addresses, but I recorded myself so in any event a chargeback is tried the only option they have is to go after usps for insurance. Just covering my ass.... not saying I'm paranoid or anything http://youtu.be/kJ9sTAx8GRc To be honest with you, putting a soft box inside a metal box where there is any chance at all it can shift around is a huge mistake. I can't really tell, but if that SNES box can possibly strike the inside of the metal box, it may dent and damage the SNES box. Also, if you went through Ebay, they will still find in favor of the buyer. Ebay policy requires that the item be delivered in the same condition as described and they won't accept USPS did the damage as an excuse, even if you provide video or photos of good packing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icemanxp300 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 To be honest with you, putting a soft box inside a metal box where there is any chance at all it can shift around is a huge mistake. I can't really tell, but if that SNES box can possibly strike the inside of the metal box, it may dent and damage the SNES box. What's it going to strike, the smooth metal sides? It has bubble wrap around it surrounded by packing peanuts so it can't move anywhere. The only metal I can see possibly causing damage would be the locking mechanism but that is in the area I placed the packing peanuts so the game can't get into that spot. I think I'm all right. The game can't move inside that box, it's snug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nanochess Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I've learnt to pack loose cartridges in bubble mailers and CIB games always in sturdy cardboard boxes filled with these tiny plastic things. Fortunately I've good experiences related to cartridges and CIB games. I almost never buy CD or DVD, most sellers put them in exact size cardboard boxes or bubble mailers, and the external pressure simply breaks the jewel case. Fortunately most of times the disc is in good state, but it's disappointing when I hear the broken pieces rumbling inside the package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydro Thunder Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I have only once paid a large (relative) amount of money for a game, I won an excellent condition Tooth Protectors with Manual (2600) off ebay several years ago, the price was over $200 but under $250 if I recall right. I didn't even think to ask them to ship it in a box (much less to go the whole yard as icemanxp300 did above!!!), kind of expecting so. I expected wrong, they used a bubble mailer, and put no cardboard inside. The manual had (and basically still has despite my attempts to gently flatten it out) creases in the shape of the cart that it had bent around while packaged this way. I was so disappointed! I did get a partial refund from the seller, and admonished them to please please please use a box in the future for any sales of rare games / manuals. It's amazing what little care people take when shipping things. I have taken more care while shipping *broken* game controllers sold for free / cost of shipping before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stringfellow Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 When I got my Battlestation II Joystick the seller just slapped a shipping label on the joystick box. Pretty lazy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 When I got my Battlestation II Joystick the seller just slapped a shipping label on the joystick box. Pretty lazy. I got my XBOX 360 VLX stick that way, you would think for $300 I would get an exterior box, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyranthraxus Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Interesting thread. I've been delving back into eBay after a long hiatus and am selling stuff to make room for more stuff! I'm very careful with my packaging. I have a nice stash of small boxes and padding. Part of this is to ensure safety but the other reason is to make sure I'm shipping efficiently as Canada Post is about twice the cost of USPS. Canada has a bigger landmass and a tenth of the population of the U.S. so it makes sense its more expensive. And CP until recently ran for 15 years at a profit, so they aren't scared of hiking the prices. Cheap national mail service is closely linked to e-commerce and the very collecting that brought us to AA. At a certain point as a collector you have to start hunting online. And to get your best price for many items, you have to sell online. And it all relies on cheap mail service. As a Canadian collector, I've found that most common games aren't worth the price of shipping individually, particullary MIB commons. I have to buy or sell in large lots to offset the shipping. I wonder how much eBay, Amazon and e-commerce in general relies on the subsidized USPS? As with highways and other infrastucture that promotes trade, it might be better to let the mail services operate at a loss. If USPS started doing Canada Post style rates, I expect many small e-businesses would cease operation. Could have an effect of a return to brick n morter shops, who knows? I'd love to hear your opinions on the state of USPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari181 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Interesting thread. I've been delving back into eBay after a long hiatus and am selling stuff to make room for more stuff! I'm very careful with my packaging. I have a nice stash of small boxes and padding. Part of this is to ensure safety but the other reason is to make sure I'm shipping efficiently as Canada Post is about twice the cost of USPS. Canada has a bigger landmass and a tenth of the population of the U.S. so it makes sense its more expensive. And CP until recently ran for 15 years at a profit, so they aren't scared of hiking the prices. Cheap national mail service is closely linked to e-commerce and the very collecting that brought us to AA. At a certain point as a collector you have to start hunting online. And to get your best price for many items, you have to sell online. And it all relies on cheap mail service. As a Canadian collector, I've found that most common games aren't worth the price of shipping individually, particullary MIB commons. I have to buy or sell in large lots to offset the shipping. I wonder how much eBay, Amazon and e-commerce in general relies on the subsidized USPS? As with highways and other infrastucture that promotes trade, it might be better to let the mail services operate at a loss. If USPS started doing Canada Post style rates, I expect many small e-businesses would cease operation. Could have an effect of a return to brick n morter shops, who knows? I'd love to hear your opinions on the state of USPS. The USPS is NOT subsidized. It is part of the government, but, in theory, self sufficient. It has been operating at a loss for a few years now and will continue downsizing and raising rates. Our tax dollars do not support the USPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 The USPS is NOT subsidized. It is part of the government, but, in theory, self sufficient. It has been operating at a loss for a few years now and will continue downsizing and raising rates. Our tax dollars do not support the USPS. The only reason the USPS is posting massive losses is due to that stupid rule put in by Congress several years ago that they have to pre-fund all their employes pension plans. Idioticy at it's highest. Once they finally get that noose off their neck things will get better. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reliant73 Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Last year I managed to win an auction (not on eBay) for an Atari STe in a pristine box and the unit in great condition....what did the seller do when he sent it? He stuck two pieces of A4 paper directly on to the front and back of the box with my address on one and his on the other and then ran masking tape all over it! So when it arrived the pristine box now had tape all over it and had been squashed in three places. I was very unhappy but the seller was not prepared to do anything except to say "Sorry Dude" GRUMBLE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SabertoothRetro Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Update to the post that started this thread. The seller refunded the full amount plus shipping for the NIB Alien Brigade. I got the refund today and I'm only out return shipping (<$5). He offered a partial refund if I kept the game but as I'm going for a CIB set, the box condition was important. I appreciate that the seller made it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watsonfmly Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I had an Amiga 500 shipped me in a big box. The problem was .... he didn't put in any padding at all. That poor Amiga bounced around so much the keys popped off! When I asked for a refund, he gave it to me. I told him that I would send it back at his cost. He told me to keep it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Bill Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Just received my boxed Sylvania Intellivision I recently snagged from ebay. When I saw it on the porch I knew it wasn't boxed. Opened it up and yep, he wrapped the Intellivision box in heavy paper. No protection at all. Fortunately I got VERY lucky in the fact that a) the box appears to have made it though with little if any damage and b) the guy at least had the forethought NOT to tape the paper to the box. All in all, could have been much worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I had an Amiga 500 shipped me in a big box. The problem was .... he didn't put in any padding at all. That poor Amiga bounced around so much the keys popped off! When I asked for a refund, he gave it to me. I told him that I would send it back at his cost. He told me to keep it. Dumb fuq! And sadly, this piss poor care in packaging is the norm today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.