[DeltaForceChung]

See subject.

The buyer (NOT ME) spent approximately $70.00 USD for this used 1:6 scale Humvee vehicle. The shipping by USPS was approximately $18.00 USD (included in the $70.00 USD total purchase price).

Below are pictures of how the buyer received the vehicle and also the damage due to lack of proper/secure packing from the seller (NOT ME).

 

[Von13]

delete

 

[shazzdan]

He got a 1:6 Humvee for $70! For that sort of money, I would have expected some damage and been prepared to have to do some work on it. Stop complaining and get your kitbash hat on.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

The buyer received a refund of 50% of the purchase price from the seller.

 

[Pontiacivan]

It might be worth mentioning that the Priority Mail tape is applied by the Post Office. That means it was probably even WORSE before the tape was added.

 

[Scimitar]

I don't know if it's just ignorance or if some sellers are just too cheap or too lazy to properly pack an item or if it's a combination of all those things but I've seen worse. I've received the occasional 1:6 weapon or other item that was just stuck in a regular envelope and mailed but my worst experience ever was when I bought a used printer several years ago. The seller just dropped it in a copy paper box that was too big with no packing of any kind and then slapped two strips of masking tape across the width of the box. When it arrived, the top was on but no longer taped and the damn thing didn't work from all of the rattling around in the box. I went through PayPal, as the seller wouldn't even answer my messages, and got a refund. The seller got negative feedback and within a few months was no longer a member of eBay.

 

[cdn_rhino]

Poor packing for sure. Not everyone "gets it" when packing for shipping. Both the buyer and seller will pay after the fact almost every time, and this is a prime example of that.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

Poor packing for sure. Not everyone "gets it" when packing for shipping. Both the buyer and seller will pay after the fact almost every time, and this is a prime example of that.

--

When it comes to poor packing, who bears the majority of real and true responsibility and liability? The seller? The buyer?

How?

Why?

Are sellers in general trying to ship the cheapest way possible?

Are buyers unrealistically demanding the cheapest way possible, but demanding absolute top tier packing for the cheapest price (i.e. sirloin steak for the price of hamburger)?

Are buyers who demand such the root cause of such issues or is the blame/cause equal to buyers and sellers?

 

[briefumschlag]

--

When it comes to poor packing, who bears the majority of real and true responsibility and liability? The seller? The buyer?

How?

Why?

Are sellers in general trying to ship the cheapest way possible?

Are buyers unrealistically demanding the cheapest way possible, but demanding absolute top tier packing for the cheapest price (i.e. sirloin steak for the price of hamburger)?

Are buyers who demand such the root cause of such issues or is the blame/cause equal to buyers and sellers?

If you offer something for a certain price, you should make sure as a seller, that your sold good is appropriately packed, so the item arrives in the shape it was advertised. When sellers offer too cheap shipping, it's their fault and not to blame ridiculous buyer expectations. Although there are "strange" buyers out there.

Exceptions are of course mishandling by the postal service or damage that can't be prevented by carboard and padding/bubble wrap etc, by which I mean unreasonable handling in general.

 

[shazzdan]

The seller is entirely responsible for packing an item properly. In the above example, the buyer was right to complain and right to expect some sort of compensation. Personally I would have complained about the poor packaging but wouldn't have cared too much if nothing came of it because it was a pretty good deal anyway.

 

[reaver80808]

Just be glad it was a $70 plastic humvee. I ordered a secondhand £200 PC from ebay. The guy sent it in a Walkers crisps (chips to the yanks) cardboard box with no packing material. Video card broken, Processor broken, HDD missing, Case damaged, and all I got was a £50 refund! The power pack, packed up and went two weeks later too. Turned out the seller lied about using an insured courier too, so didn't get a refund from them either. Most expensive keyboard I ever bought! lol

Considering how badly packed this was, it's in quite good condition. Hopefully the seller learns a lesson from the partial refund, to use a bit more care next time. This is what happens when money is "saved" on cheap/free postage though.

 

[Joebros]

That is a good example of how NOT to pack an item.
I've received too many items packed the same way. In fact, the day after this thread was posted, I picked this up at the PO.

That's a pair of 1980's G.I.Joe sunglasses.....in a box....with NO packing material....at all! Oh, that thing on the left? it's a solidified piece of orange peal. This is AFTER I asked the seller to "please pack well."
I don't mean to hijack the thread. Just showing the latest item that was packed by a moron. Thankfully, nothing was broken this time. But it seems every other item I get is packed very poorly with some being damaged as a result.

The buyer received a refund of 50% of the purchase price from the seller.

Glad to hear it, hopefully the seller has learned to pack their items better.

Poor packing for sure. Not everyone "gets it" when packing for shipping. Both the buyer and seller will pay after the fact almost every time, and this is a prime example of that.

Exactly right. When a seller doesn't pack something well (if at all), they are out the money and the buyer is left with a damaged item.

--

When it comes to poor packing, who bears the majority of real and true responsibility and liability? The seller? The buyer?

How?

Why?

Are sellers in general trying to ship the cheapest way possible?

Are buyers unrealistically demanding the cheapest way possible, but demanding absolute top tier packing for the cheapest price (i.e. sirloin steak for the price of hamburger)?

Are buyers who demand such the root cause of such issues or is the blame/cause equal to buyers and sellers?

The seller has complete responsibility for packing the item so that it's protected from damage and arrives as it was advertised.

Because they HAVE the item, they must pack it correctly and have an obligation to (the best of their ability) insure what they sold is what the buyer gets. Sure, if the package is in a postal truck that bursts into flames, then it's on the USPS and the buyer has no right to complain to the seller. BUT, in the case of the Humvee here, where the seller didn't use ANY kind of puffs, bubble wrap, paper, etc., the seller is absolutely at fault.

It's up to the seller to (as close as possible) calculate shipping. Yes, they want to ship cheap. That way they 1) get the sale. 2) get more money out of the sale. Of course, this only works if they don't have to refund 50-100% of the money. I think some sellers might have attitudes such as "packing materials? this is what you get for free/cheap shipping." I've actually had sellers tell me when I inform them the item was damaged in transit "I ship that way all the time and never had a problem."

As a buyer, I expect the seller to take preventative measures when packing an item I paid for. Even if the charges are a buck or two over actual cost, if it's reflected in the packing, I'll let it slide.

Maybe if more buyers complained about poor packaging (either in communication or feedback), sellers would think twice about dropping something loose in a box. The problem is, if miraculously nothing is damaged, what can be said?