The Result of Poor Packing (Again) (1 Viewer)

[ucla1967]

I just received two sets of Saint George's Cross Russian Civil War figures that I won on eBay that were damaged in shipping because of poor packing. Back on December 16th, I opened a thread with photos of damaged bayonets and rifles on a set of Frontline Figures Napoleonic Swiss Neuchatel Regiment Voltigeurs that I had also won on eBay. The two Saint George's Cross sets are the first toy soldier sets that I have won on eBay since then.

I sent a note to the seller asking him to put soda straws over their rifles/bayonets and to wrap them individually in bubble wrap. The seller wrote back that they sets had boxes; he didn't show them or mention them in his descriptions, so I assumed that they didn't have boxes. Here is what he said exactly "The three sets (a Tradition set was okay) you ordered have their own boxes. I can protect the bayonets and rifles with soda straws, if you wish. Let me know." I replied "If you don't mind, soda straws would be great! In the past, I have received Saint George's Cross figures with broken bayonets, boxed or not. They seem to be more brittle than most. Thank you."

I don't know how I could have been any clearer. However, Each box I opened had the individual foam spacers on top of the full sized top cover foam piece and there were no soda straws used. The figures were loose in their boxes and damaged as per the photographs. Surprisingly, the seller is a long time vendor at the Chicago Show (although I didn't see him last year) and one would think he would know how to ship toy soldiers without them being damaged and that he would do what he said he would do regarding the soda straws. I am just very surprised and disappointed by this.

 

[mikemiller1955]

Mike...that is sad...

personally...I would send them back...no straws...no bubble wrap...even after you discussed this with him...

you would think someone in this business would know how to securely pack something that he surely knows...
and something that you told him...
was exceptionally prone to bending/damage...

so you asked for straws and he didn't use them either?
not sure they would have carried the day with all the room in the slots to slide around...

and I'm looking at what I call a makeshift foam insertion job...
so much room in each slot for the figures to slide around...

these figures were doomed when he sealed them in that box...

so sad...

again...I would ask him for a refund and explanation on his definition of...."their own box"...

 

[Asterix]

My experience with sellers (Ebay or otherwise) is that most are not as exacting about their packaging as they should be. They need to be told if items arrive bent or damaged. Your suggestion was helpful, and I am surprised it was not acted on. I don't give a seller a third chance no matter how tempting the item might be. Your feedback should reflect the seller's performance.

 

[ucla1967]

Mike...that is sad...

personally...I would send them back...no straws...no bubble wrap...even after you discussed this with him...

you would think someone in this business would know how to securely pack something that he surely knows...
and something that you told him...
was exceptionally prone to bending/damage...

so you asked for straws and he didn't use them either?
not sure they would have carried the day with all the room in the slots to slide around...

and I'm looking at what I call a makeshift foam insertion job...
so much room in each slot for the figures to slide around...

these figures were doomed when he sealed them in that box...

so sad...

again...I would ask him for a refund and explanation on his definition of...."their own box"...

You are probably right Mike, but these Saint George's Cross Russian Civil War sets are hard to come by, so I hesitate to send them back. I am going to see what his reaction is to my notifying him that they arrived damaged and what his explanation is for the careless packing and why he didn't do what he said he would do. It is as if we never had the conversation.

I am hoping I can straighten out the bent bayonets without too much further damage, but I would expect to have paint chipping on their bayonets and rifles at a minimum. I will try and touch up any paint chip areas. The figure with the broken bayonet is another matter; I will have to send it to Mike DeMarco to have a new one put on.

Mike

 

[ucla1967]

My experience with sellers (Ebay or otherwise) is that most are not as exacting about their packaging as they should be. They need to be told if items arrive bent or damaged. Your suggestion was helpful, and I am surprised it was not acted on. I don't give a seller a third chance no matter how tempting the item might be. Your feedback should reflect the seller's performance.

Unfortunately, my experience with eBay sellers is similar to yours in that most of them do a poor job of packing. I am surprised that he didn't honor my request on how to pack the figures even though he said he would. My feedback will depend on what he offers to do about the damaged figures. A partial refund would be in order I would think.

Mike

 

[tdubel]

Holy smokes, that is miserable, sorry that happened to you. I ship a lot of soldiers and do my best to have them arrive as I would like them too. I had one today myself. A lot of time I just fix them or have them fixed, I have all but given up on other's packing. It sucks period. I am sure I have made a mistake or something got crushed at some point, it happens, but jeez, a lot of it you can prevent.

TD

 

[ucla1967]

Holy smokes, that is miserable, sorry that happened to you. I ship a lot of soldiers and do my best to have them arrive as I would like them too. I had one today myself. A lot of time I just fix them or have them fixed, I have all but given up on other's packing. It sucks period. I am sure I have made a mistake or something got crushed at some point, it happens, but jeez, a lot of it you can prevent.

TD

Thanks Tom, I too am sorry it happened to me again---twice in a row. I am beginning to feel snake bit. I also do my utmost to make sure that when I ship toy soldiers that they will arrive in a condition that I would expect my purchases to arrive in (i.e., not damaged). I frequently receive complements on my packing from other collectors, but I must say that one of the many single figures I recently sold arrived broken at the base. It was one of seven figures that was packed with grey egg crate foam rubber between the figures. I still can't figure out how that happened; maybe too much compression.

 

[ucla1967]

The seller agreed to take them back and repair them "like new" and pay for the shipping. We shall see. I am going to send him just the figures that were damaged rather than both full sets. I asked him what happened as to his agreement to put soda straws over the rifles/bayonets to protect them; he didn't answer that question. To be continued.

 

[Asterix]

Mike,

I took your suggestion about using soda straws to protect things like bayonets and lances and passed it along to another Ebay seller. He used it to protect a set of pre-War Britains that I bought to great success. Thanks.

 

[ucla1967]

Mike,

I took your suggestion about using soda straws to protect things like bayonets and lances and passed it along to another Ebay seller. He used it to protect a set of pre-War Britains that I bought to great success. Thanks.

That is good news. I am glad it worked out for you.

 

[ucla1967]

I decided to repair the figures myself except for the one with the missing bayonet. The seller refunded me $15 to more or less cover the cost of having the bayonet fixed by Mike DeMarco. I am not leaving any feedback.

 

[ucla1967]

Three times must be a charm. After receiving the last two eBay wins with damaged figures, these two sets, SNR.7 and SNV.2 the Swiss Neuchatel Regiment, from Frontline Figures Napoleonic Series were packed correctly and arrived in perfect shape.

 

[jazzeum]

Mike,

I took your suggestion about using soda straws to protect things like bayonets and lances and passed it along to another Ebay seller. He used it to protect a set of pre-War Britains that I bought to great success. Thanks.

Any seller worth his salt should know to do this. In addition, figures should be bubble wrapped twice. Lastly, when the shipping box is packed, you should shake the sealed box. If you can hear or feel movement, the box needs to be repacked to eliminate the movement.

 

[ucla1967]

Any seller worth his salt should know to do this. In addition, figures should be bubble wrapped twice. Lastly, when the shipping box is packed, you should shake the sealed box. If you can hear or feel movement, the box needs to be repacked to eliminate the movement.

I always use the "shake the box test" as a final step before mailing. No movement or sound is the rule.

 

[daruss]

Out of all the toy soldiers I bought in my lifetime , almost 10 percent had some kind of damage, due to poor packing, or manufacturer defect. (3) of the were very rare items.. One was an Honor Bound Panther, One was the WS069 Stug, and the other was the very rare First Legion VEH001.. Heartbreaking.. The other one was not related to packaging, but I purchased VEH004 from a forum member that neglected to tell me the tracks were repaired with glue.. This stuff always happens to the rare products.. Very Frustrating..

 

[ucla1967]

Out of all the toy soldiers I bought in my lifetime , almost 10 percent had some kind of damage, due to poor packing, or manufacturer defect. (3) of the were very rare items.. One was an Honor Bound Panther, One was the WS069 Stug, and the other was the very rare First Legion VEH001.. Heartbreaking.. The other one was not related to packaging, but I purchased VEH004 from a forum member that neglected to tell me the tracks were repaired with glue.. This stuff always happens to the rare products.. Very Frustrating..

What a shame.

 

[egonzinc]

I'm glad the Austrians you bought from me, made it through in good order.
When you mentioned the straws, I had packed them already and felt they would make a good trip.
The key, more than the straws, is to immobilize the figures. Those sets you showed at the beginning, with heavy damage, must have rattled around inside the foam sandwich.
I have sold very few items on eBay and only had one item, a Collector's Showcase Tiger I get heavy damage along the way. They must have played soccer with that box along the route!