Minor damage to item sent with GSP and poorly packaged
Summary: fil-5665 discussed a situation involving minor damage to an item that was shipped with a global shipping program (GSP) and poorly packaged. twyngwyn, springyzone, and other participants contributed to the discussion, but no specific solutions or outcomes were highlighted. The focus of the conversation was on the challenges and concerns associated with the packaging and shipping process.
This is a bit of a tricky one. A friend of mine has purchased an item from England which appears as though it may have been posted using the global shipping program. They received it in a post bag that was labelled as originating from Star Trak in Melbourne.
it is a secondhand item so has definitely come from the UK originally but the concern is the quality or lack there of in the packing effort. Obviously there is no way for them to know how well the sender packed the item to go from their home to the global shipping program hub but the item has arrived in a thin unprotected one layer bubble wrap envelope and sustained minor damage in shipping. As the item is antique over 100 years old I would have expected a slightly better packaging effort from a company whose primary role is literally packaging and sending items worldwide.
the buyer has reached out to the seller to let them know that the item was extremely poorly packed. It was then that they showed me the eBay invoice which revealed that it had been sent with global shipping program. This was confirmed when I saw the package. My question on their behalf is can feedback to this effect be left or is that not something which can be done when global shipping has been used? I’m guessing there is probably no recourse against the seller that would be fair or appropriate anyway if it is not their fault. But obviously feedback cannot be left for the shipping provider. Thankfully, the damage was extremely minor and very easily fixed and does not affect the item or its value
any useful words of advice would be appreciated so I may pass it on
springyzone
·6 months agoIt doesn't matter which shipping program was used for a delivery, if an item arrives damaged, a buyer can open an ebay claim for an item not as described or damaged/faulty.
In this case, the seller would be protected if they used a global shipping company, which is why they use that in the first place. The shipping company would presumably absorb the refund cost.
However, the obvious problem with this is a buyer may then be required to return the item. Even though return postage may be covered, it doesn't sound as if your friend would want to do this and it sounds as though they have already made changes to the item anyway, which rules out a return claim.
As to feedback, definitely damage can be mentioned and I definitely would mention it.
This doesn't mean the feedback has to be negative, they can still make feedback positive.
Your friend could write something to the effect they were happy with the item and it was as described in the ad but unfortunately it was sent with global shipping company and arrived in flimsy packaging and the item had received minor damage.
If a seller finds it happens a few times to customers, they may have a rethink about how they post things.
lezned-toycollector
·6 months agoSorry, but I completely and totally disagree with this advice.
As far as I'm concerned, receiving a damaged item can NEVER be a positive experience - regardless of where/how the damage occurred.
Unless the buyer purchased an item that was listed as damaged, then receiving a damaged item is a blatant negative experience. The item is not as described - end of story. That much is a no-brainer.
I don't believe that anybody should ever leave a positive rating when they have had a negative experience... and I would certainly never avise anyone to do so.
springyzone
·6 months agoYou're probably right, on reflection. But I think sometimes a neutral is enough, doesn't necessarily have to be a neg.
I guess it depends on the experience. I rarely, personally, give a neg though I definitely would for dishonest & poor service on the part of the seller.
In this current case, it is sounding to me as if the seller tried to do the right thing. They posted an item on time and as described but the postal service they used has let them down.
My comments re feedback were mainly because I felt the person asking was hesitant and unsure what type of feedback they could leave and thought they might not be able to leave a neg at all.
Bottom line I suppose is the buyer can leave the feedback that they think is warranted in this case.
sandypebbles
·6 months agoPersonally, I would not be negging the seller for something they are not responsible for
Would be the same as negging a seller because the postman left something hanging out of the letterbox in the rain and it got wet
springyzone
·6 months agoYes, I feel the fault here was with the global postage service used and not the seller, which is why I would personally hesitate to give a neg. I tend to reserve negs for outright bad sellers.
But lezned has a point and a neutral might be the way to go, as a means to indicate there was a problem.
springyzone
·6 months agoJust adding this as I have run out of time to edit the first post.
I guess my views have been influenced by some of my experiences when we were selling over 20 years ago.
I can still remember the time we advertised something as great condition and then my sister (after the sale) found a fault. We ended up refunding, messaging why and then posting it on to them.
The buyer gave us extremely positive feedback & we were so grateful for her understanding.
Since then, I have seen other positive feedback at times where a buyer has said something was wrong but the seller rrefunded immediately etc
But in the current case, we don't have evidence anyone has addressed the problem so you are right, a neg or neutral not a positive.
twyngwyn
·6 months agohttps://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6300635/overseas-buyer-says-gsp-item-damaged-due-to-bad-packaging