Frustrated with sellers poor packing

[alicia89blue]

Hi Everyone,

Not sure where to go next. I ordered a box of the Herald Sun Disney books&CDs recently on here. The box arrived damaged which I wasn't too fussed about, just fixed it with some tape. However upon inspection two of the 14 discs arrived damaged and were unable to be played properly.

I opened an item not described case requesting replacements for the two discs. The seller replied bluntly with 'done'.
Replacement discs arrived today in an envolope with inadequate packing& no protection what so ever, so they too unfortunately were damaged. Two are playable but have a break in the middle of the disc so skip a bit at the beginning.

Surely you would think common sense would tell the seller not to send discs without any protection.

Where should I go next? Ask for replacement discs yet again? Or a partial refund? Or just let it go? After all at $2.50 each we are only talking about $5 but would be nice to have the whole set.
I guess I'm avoiding letting the seller know the replacements are also damaged as I feel I won't get a good reception.

Item not as described case is still open.

Thanks,
Alicia

[crazyplacecostumes]

Hi Alicia

Due to the new returns system, ebay has already awarded your seller with a big fat defect for this transaction which can make some sellers less inclined to assist. Some but not all 

Having said that you deserve what you pay for. I would definitely contact your seller - if it was us, I want to know. Send them an email with photos of the damage and the packing through the ebay message system so there is a record of it. 

You would think that sending discs with zero protection is a no-brainer but maybe they just don't get it?!

[mbselections00]

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@crazyplacecostumes wrote:

Hi Alicia

Due to the new returns system, ebay has already awarded your seller with a big fat defect for this transaction which can make some sellers less inclined to assist. Some but not all 

Having said that you deserve what you pay for. I would definitely contact your seller - if it was us, I want to know. Send them an email with photos of the damage and the packing through the ebay message system so there is a record of it. 

You would think that sending discs with zero protection is a no-brainer but maybe they just don't get it?!

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I cannot believe that a seller sending a replacement would not adequately pack - what a fool !  They should have been bending over backwards to ensure the replacements arrived safely.  Thankfully Alicia, not all Sellers are like this one you've encountered and as a seller I'm really sorry this has happened to you.  Like crazy said, I agree, you deserve what you have paid for & I would follow her advice - they do not deserve to get away with such poor customer service - it's disgraceful !

[wilk1149]

Too many sellers rely on luck and don't seem to understand just how roughly the mail is treated. It is almost like none of them have ever had anything posted to them.

[i-love-my-sheep]

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@wilk1149 wrote:
Too many sellers rely on luck and don't seem to understand just how roughly the mail is treated. It is almost like none of them have ever had anything posted to them.

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So true! A few years ago I bought some vintage plates (crockery) and the seller sat them on top of each other, with a sheet of paper in between, then wrapped them altogether in a single sheet of newspaper. She then stuffed them in a 3kg satchel with no other padding. You can only imagine how they arrived! 

Not only was it a waste of hard to get plates, but it was very dangerous for the postal workers who could easily have been injured from all the shards. When I sent the seller a message, she couldn't understand how they got broken. Thankfully she refunded me, but I was still really pished off.

A similar thing happened with some cups. Wrapped in a single sheet of newspaper, then put into a padded bag. Surprisingly, one out the 6 survived. I have no idea how!

From that day forward, whenever I wanted to buy something similar, I would send the seller a message and ask how they were to be packed and explain my reasons why I was asking.

[2106greencat]

Leave INAD case open, get the contact phone number for seller via eBay and let them know what has happenned.

Adivse them you want replacement cd's (packed correctly) and then you will be able to close the case.

Seller sounds lazy, or has lazy people working for them that just 'toss 'em in a bag' and resend. The seller may not be aware this is happenning, so best to let them know.

Until you get 'undamaged' discs, do NOT close the case.

When I was a seller I was pedantic about pakaging, and I can tell you right now, if I had been required to replace an item or part of an item due to poor pakaging, I would have packaged that replacement far and above what would be classed as protected to keep my buyer happy.

[i-love-my-sheep]

Agree, don't close anything until happy.

I am also pedantic about packaging. I have lost count of the amount of emails I've got from buyers of mineral specimens complimenting me on my packaging and wishing that all sellers would pack that good. One buyer even said that they could have driven a car over it and it wouldn't have got damaged it was packed so well. Not sure about that, but it was a great compliment which reinforced to me that I'm doing something right. 

I pack my things like I would expect them to be packed if I bought them.

[alicia89blue]

Definitely not the first time I have received things that have been broken in the post either.
So we are still covered as buyers even if we haven't paid for postal insurance? I have had this conversation with a seller before that if the seller packs the item using inadequate protection&packing& that said item is then broken during transit then I believe they are at fault.

Update: have sent seller pictures of the damaged discs, this time the seller was very apologetic&agreed to send replacement discs. I suggested adequate packing this time as Aus post can be quite rough with things. So I guess I'll wait and see what happens this time.

[chezzy]

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@i-love-my-sheep wrote:

Agree, don't close anything until happy.

I am also pedantic about packaging. I have lost count of the amount of emails I've got from buyers of mineral specimens complimenting me on my packaging and wishing that all sellers would pack that good. One buyer even said that they could have driven a car over it and it wouldn't have got damaged it was packed so well. Not sure about that, but it was a great compliment which reinforced to me that I'm doing something right. 

I pack my things like I would expect them to be packed if I bought them.

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Hi sheep

What a shame I don't buy what you sell. You sound just the kind of seller I need in my ebay life!

Some sellers are simply slack, going for quick/cheap methods, money in product out. I am surprised at the number of sellers who like to blame the postal system when an item gets damaged. Sellers need to realise that they must pack in such a way as to LESSEN risk of breakage. Fortunately I have been able to get refunds or partial refunds on various damaged items during the last year or so. But the whole thing is frustrating and discouraging when part of a 'set' is damaged rendering an item incomplete - or the hassle of trying to find a replacement. I find I am buying less these days, and also kicking myself when I forget to ask sellers about their packing methods etc.

[redders_60]

I agree with your post & your reply to Sheep; It can take ages to find just the missing piece for your collection, & then you feel so saddened when all arrives broken & so very poorly packed & the seller doesn't care!

This is why I store boxes & etc of various shapes & sizes, buy tissue wrap & bubblewrap & store beanies airbags & etc as void fill. I pack just how I'd like to recieve, whilst being mindful of postal costs. Packing to a price is sometimes difficult, especially when some don't see the value in an over 500g parcel of a breakable costing more to send.

Some seem to think an item of 400g+  can just travel at the under 500g weight! Not without proper packaging it can't!

I put item weights in my listings, & welcome combined post. I'd welcome questions as to how I would pack breakables, those questions are preferable to the ones that ask "Why is  your postage so expensive?" (usually far rural WA NT & FNQ buyers from my Melb address - though rural Vics are also implicated)

Long ago there were savvy buyers who knew about AP's cubing rule. With the phone app carp all I seem to get are unsavvy buyers looking for cheaper post (I can do that! - wrap in a bit of bubble wrap & stick a postal sticker on the front! - bubble wrap optional!- tongue firmly in cheek! LOL!)