clueless eBay seller!

[WizWor]

Lesson learned? Gpong forward, I would ask the seller to take care due to your interest in the box. Might cost you the price of a box, some peanuts, and, maybe, a little extra shipping.

[adam242]

My favorite was a turntable I bought which was just barely small enough to fit into 2 free Priority Mail boxes shoved into each other.

 

That's one of my favorite jackass moves... I bought an ATR-8000 with an 8" floppy chassis a few years ago, and that's exactly how the drive was packaged. The thing must have weighed 20 pounds with a massive power supply transformer in it. The enclosure did not have a single intact corner, straight edge or flat side when it arrived. The ATR8000 fared slightly better, though it was similarly packaged.

 

It's not rocket science... I successfully sent an IBM 5161 Expansion Chassis from Michigan to California once. Big heavy sucker. But I was smart enough to pack the hell out of it in a sturdy box, then pack that box in a larger one with a layer of peanuts between the inner and outer boxes. It takes a little money and effort, but the thing sold for a surprisingly large amount and I wanted to make sure the buyer was happy.

 

As for my XEP80, I have opened a case. A polite but firm message has been sent to the seller explaining that the original packaging has value and I'm requesting a partial refund. We'll see how this goes.

[+DrVenkman]

That's exactly it: the packaging strategy should be built around the assumption that this will happen.

 

That's exactly the mindset most professional musical instrument dealers have - when they ship guitars and ukuleles, they package presuming the boxes will be handled roughly, stacked, dropped up to about a foot, etc. Strings are slightly detuned, the neck is properly supported with padding behind the headstock, the case itself is packed inside a box, usually with inflatable supports "floating" it inside the carton. Sometimes that box is itself placed inside a larger second box outside, though that is rare these days now that many shippers add a surcharge for package volume, not just weight.

 

But I've bought and sold many guitars online and never had an instrument damaged in shipping. These horror stories with vintage computer equipment are entirely preventable if the sellers just made a little effort.

Edited August 11, 2014 by DrVenkman

[PDog]

Had this happen to me. Super annoying!

[TPA5]

The few times I have shipped out valuable items, I affixed one of these to the box: http://www.shockwatch.co.uk/sw_labels_clips_tubes.htm

 

 

Basically it senses when shock is applied to the package, and if it exceeds the amount the label is capable of handling, it breaks. Warns the person receiving the package that the post office cocked it up before they ever open it. I don't know how much they cost, I used to get them from my old job. We often sent sensitive farming equipment like electronic barn controllers and such and used these on the boxes.

[ryanmercer]

I weep for you.

[The Usotsuki]

Best to expect that the shippers will throw against walls from several yards away, slam against the ground from chest height, and otherwise manhandle everything they can in the worst possible way, always. When you're ready for the worst, you're never caught unprepared.

[Muzz73]

Yep... it's the couriers that we need protection from, unfortunately... I deal with couriers daily in my line of work and you can NEVER be too careful.

 

I think one of the best ones I've seen was when I got an express envelope with a disc mailer in it that looked like it'd been through a junior high school gym class or something. It had a tire track from a cart on one side and a boot print on the other! You might guess that the CD was crushed beyond use and you'd be correct. I won't name the courier unless you want me to, but I'll give you a hint - their initals can be pronounced "Oops".

 

My sister-in-law ordered a 20" CRT monitor many years ago... the delivery guy was standing on the pavement behind the truck, reached in past the "80lbs. or heavier: need two people to lift" warning printed on the box in bold lettering, grabbed the enormous box, turned, dropped in 3ft. from the rear bumper of the truck, slipped the dolly right underneath and casually took it into the house. Same courier, interestingly enough, though I have seen some doozies with all of them.

[Stormtrooper of Death]

I once bought 3 large boxes filled with 30+ laptops (that needed a bit of repair). The postman didnt arrive, yet the tracknTrace site told me, that all 3 packages were delivered... Strange. I was home all the time.. The postman didnt ring the bell twice...

 

After 3 or 4 days, suddenly an unknown woman ringed on my front door. She asked :

 

"Mister, did you happen to have ordered computer equipment ? "

 

I said "yes

 

She said :"In our appartment, downstairs, outside, are 3 large boxes stacked on top of each other. They are there for 4 days. I read the adress on one of the 3 boxes, and its your adress.

 

The postman was either blind, or plain lazy. He had delivered the boxes to a house on the opposite of my street, and 3 bloks away.

 

I then ran downstairs, and walked with the nice lady to her appartment block.

 

Sadly, 1 box was already stolen... 2 boxes still left. I had to take them (they were heavy !) to my house. one at a time.

 

Tried to complain, but the delivery was not insured. It was sent with Post.NL, DHL or some other Dutch delivery company.

 

Yeah.

 

Since then, whenever i send or receive computers/laptops, i always use insurance (only cost 1 euro extra). I then also have to sign for receiving a parcel.

 

---

I also had 2 occasions, that the postman stole my parcels. Those guys where fired and went to jail. Seemed, they did this trick to many many people....

Edited August 11, 2014 by Stormtrooper of Death

[Joey Z]

I ordered a HOT recently, a big transistor probably a 1/4 inch thick if you don't know, and the seller shipped it in an envelope . It ended up going through a mail sorting machine and arrived with a big hole in the envelope where I assume the HOT used to be. I contacted the seller though, and they sent me a new one in a bubbelope, which arrived fine. (using it right now in the CRT right in front of me)

Edited August 12, 2014 by Joey Z

[fibrewire]

I also had 2 occasions, that the postman stole my parcels. Those guys where fired and went to jail. Seemed, they did this trick to many many people....

 

Happened to me a few times at work. Either the shipping department didn't ship my packages or just walked off property with the items, some of which were supposed to go to users of this forum! Truly frustrating people in the world, however I can't help but feel that it was some deserved childhood karma coming back to haunt me

[RickR]

 

Happened to me a few times at work. Either the shipping department didn't ship my packages or just walked off property with the items, some of which were supposed to go to users of this forum! Truly frustrating people in the world, however I can't help but feel that it was some deserved childhood karma coming back to haunt me

Back in the Netflix DVD days, myself and many people at my work got dinged for "lost" DVD's that never got mailed back. Someone in the building mail room was swiping them. I'm not sure if they ever got caught.

[The Usotsuki]

Saw this on my failbook feed and thought of the OP.

[Omega-TI]

Saw this on my failbook feed and thought of the OP.

 

Damn! Damn, damn... DAMN!

I just installed a security camera at my place, maybe I'll get some good videos too!

[ricortes]

Just my op, real target should be the shippers. There is no way in hell a package can be busted up like that unless it is done deliberately. I don't mean just on the bottom of a heavy pile of crap, but smashed open.

 

I told this story once before, not trying to be trite. I shipped ~70 lb box of computer equipment and clothes to my son when he was away at boarding school. The box arrived crushed and the only thing missing was an Atari Trac drive and coincidentally the power supply for the same. Right, out of 70 lbs of stuff and dozens of items, the only two things we could verify missing were items that worked together.

 

What's going on is a rogue employees are smashing boxes to spill their contents/see what is inside. If it's something they want i.e. drugs that people will never turn in a claim for, firearms, cash, jewelry, it's gone.

 

I should put laxatives in a prescription bottle of perks to test the theory.

[ryanmercer]

Just my op, real target should be the shippers. There is no way in hell a package can be busted up like that unless it is done deliberately. I don't mean just on the bottom of a heavy pile of crap, but smashed open.

 

I told this story once before, not trying to be trite. I shipped ~70 lb box of computer equipment and clothes to my son when he was away at boarding school. The box arrived crushed and the only thing missing was an Atari Trac drive and coincidentally the power supply for the same. Right, out of 70 lbs of stuff and dozens of items, the only two things we could verify missing were items that worked together.

 

What's going on is a rogue employees are smashing boxes to spill their contents/see what is inside. If it's something they want i.e. drugs that people will never turn in a claim for, firearms, cash, jewelry, it's gone.

 

I should put laxatives in a prescription bottle of perks to test the theory.

 

 

Eh I work for a major carrier, while theft happens security is damn good about keeping it to a minimum... it's more just you have absurd amounts of stuff moving through sort facilities and not always enough people combined with people that just don't give a damn combined with semi-automated sort lines, cargo cans, delivery drivers that don't give a damn (I have a UPS driver that THROWS packages over my bush at the brick exterior of the house to crash down on the granite slab of the porch because he's too lazy to literally take 3 more steps forward and 3 more backward)... you also have a lot of carriers working with each other... USPS moves stuff so far then hands it off to FedEx or UPS, UPS moves stuff os far and then hands it off to USPS to final delivery etc and then you just amplify the number of people that don't give a damn that are getting your package.

 

Hell, I can say the same about retail stores... when I worked at Best Buy a decade ago, when we'd throw trucks we'd lob laptops and consoles at each other from 10, 20, 30 feet and fail to catch them often (there were 3 of us to throw a semi or TWO in a couple of hours, we were also responsible for loading heavy stuff to vehicles, we were also responsible for picking internet orders, we were also responsible for shelving all the product, we were also responsible for resetting the displays... we were also responsible for pulling stuff down from the top of the gondolas... heh basically we were short-staffed the entire year I worked there and had 3 people when we should have had 8 so we just didn't give a damn if we dropped stuff).

[AtariTexas]

I once bought 3 large boxes filled with 30+ laptops (that needed a bit of repair). The postman didnt arrive, yet the tracknTrace site told me, that all 3 packages were delivered... Strange. I was home all the time.. The postman didnt ring the bell twice...

 

After 3 or 4 days, suddenly an unknown woman ringed on my front door. She asked :

 

"Mister, did you happen to have ordered computer equipment ? "

 

I said "yes

 

She said :"In our appartment, downstairs, outside, are 3 large boxes stacked on top of each other. They are there for 4 days. I read the adress on one of the 3 boxes, and its your adress.

 

The postman was either blind, or plain lazy. He had delivered the boxes to a house on the opposite of my street, and 3 bloks away.

 

I then ran downstairs, and walked with the nice lady to her appartment block.

 

Sadly, 1 box was already stolen... 2 boxes still left. I had to take them (they were heavy !) to my house. one at a time.

 

Tried to complain, but the delivery was not insured. It was sent with Post.NL, DHL or some other Dutch delivery company.

 

Yeah.

 

Since then, whenever i send or receive computers/laptops, i always use insurance (only cost 1 euro extra). I then also have to sign for receiving a parcel.

 

---

I also had 2 occasions, that the postman stole my parcels. Those guys where fired and went to jail. Seemed, they did this trick to many many people....

Be glad you were in the Netherlands...no way would have most of those boxes been untouched here in the states after a few days........they would all be long gone

[adam242]

Well, the seller and I reached an amicable partial refund agreement. Now I just need to decide what feedback, if any, to leave.... Positive is obviously out of the question, but I'm not sure negative is warranted, given his apologetic response.

 

I'll probably leave a neutral and honestly describe the packaging (or lack thereof). Other buyers deserve to know.

[ryanmercer]

I'd still leave negative "Seller shipped in original packaging with no protective measures" or "Seller is a moron and probably microwaved his cat to dry it"

[RickR]

If the guy responded and gave a partial refund, then negative feedback is NOT warranted. Neutral will hurt him as well.

[re-atari]

I also had 2 occasions, that the postman stole my parcels. Those guys where fired and went to jail. Seemed, they did this trick to many many people....

A few years ago I've had 2 seperate occasions here in NL, where computer cards packaged in bubblewrap envelopes simply didn't arrive at my address. It happened about a year apart, and remarkably both times it was a Promise SATA controller that got lost. The first was a (full length) cache raid controller, the other a small 4-port type.

I was not happy the sellers had shipped the items in bubblewrap envelopes without checking with me first. And it does get you in an akward situation, as both seller and buyer cannot prove they did ship or receive. After contacting both sellers I'm pretty convinced they actually had shipped, as they both opened a complaint on my behalf with Post NL (turned out only the seller can do so).

 

Post NL went to great effort in trying to convince the sellers and me that they investigated both complaints very thoroughly. All the same they just closed both cases with the remark that they hadn't been able to track down the route the envelopes were supposed to have taken.

 

I'm pretty sure both times the envelopes were 'lost' by employees within Post NL, as it was easy to figure out the contents by just feeling the envelopes. The envelopes never showed up afterwards, and weren't delivered at the wrong address in my street either (I checked with all my neighbours).

 

The financial loss was 30 euros and 15 euros. Not the end of the world, but still aggravating all the same.

 

re-atari

Edited August 14, 2014 by re-atari