Question about sellers shipping stuff in the item's box

[Aussie2B]

Okay, so the Sega CD I bought (the one from this topic: http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42425) arrived today.

It works fine, and it looks really nice too. The only problem is that the seller didn't use a separate shipping box... He just filled the Sega CD box full of peanuts and slapped a label and a bunch of tape on the box.

It's hard to tell just what condition the box was in when the photo was taken, but it looked pretty mint to me. However, when I received it, there was some tearing and folding on the flaps, beat up corners, and the box is squished (it can't stand up straight like in the photo; the bottom is too bent and rounded now). Not to mention there's a ton of packing tape on it, and removing it is taking off some of the box's color...

So... my question is, what would you guys do? It was a good deal and I'm happy with it otherwise, so should I just forget about it? Should I leave positive feedback but add a remark about the way it was shipped? Or do you guys think it would warrant a neutral (or even a negative, but I doubt I'd leave one)?

[jonjandran]

Well the seller "SHOULD" have packed it in another box.

But most sellers are not collectors like us and they really don't understand that the box might be important to someone.

So you probably should have requested they ship it in another box and packaged properly.

That said , I would be pissed and give a neutral. :o

[Griking]

Well the seller "SHOULD" have packed it in another box.

But most sellers are not collectors like us and they really don't understand that the box might be important to someone.

So you probably should have requested they ship it in another box and packaged properly.

That said , I would be pissed and give a neutral. :o

Agreed. The seller was advertising the console, not the box and unfortunately probably didn't know better. You can ask for your money back but common practice for refunds would be a refund minus the shipping fee. Plus of course you'd have to pay for shipping to return it to the seller. You're better off just keeping it the way iit is and learning from it. Be sure to ask for good packaging in the future even if you think that its obvious.

[Ed Oscuro]

Always insist it's put in another box!

I'm very sorry your first experience with this happened to be with such a nice item, but it's one of those things that happen when you don't ask. :(

[jonjandran]

Be sure to ask for good packaging in the future even if you think that its obvious.

Yea if you're a collector , e-mail the seller asking for extra good packaging, then use the "Ask the Seller a question " form and send the same request and then use the Pay-pal form and include the same request.

It seems like overkill but that way the seller can't claim they didn't see it.

[Aussie2B]

I'm happy with it otherwise, so I'm not looking for a refund.

Yeah, I guess I should have asked for it to be shipped inside another box. I would have said something to him had I any indication that he would ship it this way. :/

[davidleeroth]

I had a seller who shipped a Power Pad like that. It was crushed had one of those huge address sticker slabbed on it. I mentioned this to the seller and he gave me a partial refund. Ultimately though it was my fault and I've learned my lesson.
I'd contact him to say you received the item and mention about the shipping/collector thing in a friendly manner. If he doesn't feel like compensating
unpromted, you still got a great deal.

[max 330 mega]

this happened to me, WITH A MINT NEOGEO CD!
if i could find the guys address, id go burn his house down :angry:

[FABombjoy]

Not to mention that retail packaging was only designed to survive being boxed & pallatized for store distribution, not for the rigors of a postal / parcel delivery service.

[TRM]

I am surprised that they allowed it to be shipped like that. At my post office, they would have refused to ship it, with so much print on the box.

That being said, if you are happy with the goods other then the box, just keep it. I would make a comment to the seller, just to see what he has to say, but don't be nasty or anything. If it was me, I would be pissed, but not super pissed.

[v1rich]

I would have been pissed. I would explain that some amount of what I paid for the item was for the box and that they could refund me that or take it all back for a full refund.

[rpepper9]

I would explain that the box is an important part of your collection, and ask for a partial refund. Even though the seller wasn't advertising the box, someone thought it was important enough to save the box. I didn't save the box from any of my childhood toys or systems, wished I had. Someone took the time to save this box, too bad the seller didn't see the importance of the box in this auction. :(

[sniperCCJVQ]

It happend to one of my friend in the past. He bought a Virtual Boy and the lady shipped the box with stamps on it !

The box was somekind ruined.

[dethink]

honestly, i would shoot the seller a polite email, and explain the situation in a friendly manner to help them avoid future mishaps. the item wasn't advertised as being MINT IN BOX or anything like that, so to me it's a red flag that the seller is obviously not clued into the value of things in their original boxes. other than the photo, there is no verbal mention of the box, or it's condition.

if the item arrived in good shape, and on time, i think giving a neutral in this situation, or asking for a refund would be kind of shitty on your part. no offense, they delivered the SCD, in working order, as promised. but this person obviously just didn't know better.

take the high road, and make sure they don't do it again.

i'm amazed they were able to send it without at least a plain paper wrapper...?

[Vroomfunkel]

Well apart from the description, the price is a dead giveaway that the seller is not clued in to the collector mindset!!! As for despatching without extra packaging, it is common business practice. I bought a brand new monitor online yesterday, from dabs.co - they shipped it with just a postage label stuck onto the box. This seller is simply running his sales from a business perspective, without being aware of the collector's mindset. It would be unfair to leave him bad / neutral feedback, in the same way that it would be unfair for me to complain to dabs.com that they damaged the box for my monitor!

Nevertheless, it is worth sending a polite email to him to explain your disappointment, and to say that you would have been prepared to pay a little extra shipping to have it packaged so as to arrive undamaged ... the best you can do from this is to learn a valuable lesson, and possibly save someone else from a similar fate by informing the seller of your feelings ..

Vroomfunkel

[Aussie2B]

Yeah, I think I'll just send a nice email explaining my feelings on it. If he offers a partial refund I'll take it, but I'm not going to request one myself. After I see how that goes, then I'll think about what kind of feedback to leave.

[THXII38]

I recently sold a boxed, faulty Mega CD.

The winning bidder, asked me to throw the hardware away, and give him a postage quote on just the box! LOL

[Ed Oscuro]

this happened to me, WITH A MINT NEOGEO CD!
O_O

TRM's right...the PO's not supposed to ship stuff in boxes like these.

[jonjandran]

If you're a big time Ebay Seller and you ship hundreds of items a month, the Post Office will kiss your backside and let you do almost anything. 8-)

[charitycasegreg]

I always ask tehm to put boxed item in a nother box. One person still pissed me off. I won a boxed nes carring case, the blue soft one. The box he used to ship the item in was too small so the person took the box for the carrying case, folded it several times then stuffed it into the case, then put that into the bigger box. I emailed him bitching about it and he said sorry, I didnt have a bigger box. Though on the original email I told him "Please ship in a bigger box so the box for the case doesnt get damaged!!" :angry:

[charitycasegreg]

this happened to me, WITH A MINT NEOGEO CD!
if i could find the guys address, id go burn his house down :angry:

Now that made me laugh. LOL