Featured another noobie eBay seller disaster : (((((

Agreed there is no excuse for that. Who doesn't know glass will break. Geeze. We have started shipping items inhouse at the gallery. I will say we charge for it but that's because we do it right. I would be ashamed for someone to recieve something looking like that.

 

enjoy reading and relating to all the stories. From my eBay experience the dolts are a tiny percentage, and those are typically noobies, which is not an acceptable excuse if they choose to sell fragile items. I've only had a couple of actual shysters.

Maybe I need to expound on my desire for adequate packing when buying from noobs. Any ideas on how to get that point across in a kind yet succinct manner??? Tho' I'm not sure any sellers really reads the notes buyers are allowed to leave on their eBay purchases.

 

Some years ago, USPS managed to snap the handle off a well-packed cast iron skillet for me. Not a huge sale, but it makes you feel like a failure. Also, that something that survived for maybe a century or more, was destroyed by casual carelessness.

Now when I pack something, I think 'Try this one you darn USPS!' I use plywood, old sofa cushions, whatever, plus lots of glue.

I have been commended and scolded by buyers, which is fine.

'....took 20 mins to unpack.' and, my favorite, on a package going to Canada, 'Customs finally managed to gnaw one corner off to see what was inside.'

 

I tried explaining what I want and offered more for shipping to try and be more sure of a safe arrival.
My ETSY experience was the worst yet, and with all the stupidity, part of her excuse to ETSY was that she KNEW I was going to be a problem because I asked for better packing.... What a twit.

 

Not sure about others but we always read the notes left for us. Sometimes they just say thanks, others it may be a change of address or a request to delay posting as they are off on hols.

We understand that some buyers may ask for careful packaging and the reasons why, it is the "how they ask" that is important. In our case we think we know how to pack and a buyers request will normally make little difference. Though we did once accept a Russian buyer's request to wrap the parcel in a black bin liner and seal down to deter light fingered postmen.

Some sellers may not have the experience to pack well and a note on the lines of "hope you don't mind, but we've had a few breakages in parcels sent to us and we find that doing it this way usually avoids damage", with a para on how to pack, may be of benefit, and the experienced seller should not mind such a request.

 

Baraka or barakah - Islam. A spiritual power believed to be possessed by certain persons, objects, tombs, etc.

I'll take the Hebrew interpretation - Hebrew b ə r ā kh ā h = blessing.

And I'm glad to know there are more than two of us here who get those vibes.

 

I have shipped mainly glass for the past 25 years and much prefer USPS to UPS. (AKA united parcel smashers.) Everything is "double boxed" with no chance the item will get closer than two inches to any side, top, bottom.

Never had a loss or hint of damage. Maybe it helps that I use a large red felt marker to put "GLASS" on all six sides.

I've had people at the P.O. open the door for me and let me go in ahead of them.

​

 

Oh my! Even a newbie should have enough sense to pack better than that. What do they think happens at the post office?

Does anyone know? Does ebay have a "How to Pack" tutorial on the site? With photos? Like they do for how to photograph? If so, that might be something that TC could refer the seller to for good tips.

 

I had packing instructions there once, not with photos but quite detailed. Not sure if they are still there.
The chalkware sailor incident above promted it.

 

Tallcakes, so sorry this happened to you and the cake stand ... especially since you asked specifically for enough padding, and got none. I do hope this noob seller lost money in this transaction and hopefully is smart enough to learn from their mistake (lessons that incur a cost are often better remembered)

I have to comment that, as always, your photos are excellent ... they make that damaged piece look good!

 

it does seem that eBay could include some of the basics on shipping including glass and fragile items. Used to be able to find several packing guides but I'm not sure the guides even exist or at least easy to find. In the case of the shipment above, it would not have mattered if it had been double boxed if not packaged properly to begin with in the first box. For me it is more important to package carefully to begin with and I don't see double boxing as a necessity. I expanded by request for quality packing on another noob purchase yesterday. That resulted in a kind response from the seller that they had examined the item more closely and noticed several small chips not mentioned in the listing; So we agreed to cancel the order and refund...

 

@quirkygirl thank you : ) yep it could be photo'd and listed as mint condition : )) The seller does seem willing to take responsibility but a bit clueless on packing still. Unfortunately the wheels of progress on eBay turn slowly and the refund hasn't completed just yet.

 

I like double because the outer one takes the bumps, dings and penetrations unless they are extreme.
I make much room inside the inner box so that the USPS gorilla baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-set-ball team can have a game and probably not hurt the item.
~
Potential team names>
USPS package crunchers
USPS couldn't give a s**tters

 

so I went looking thru eBay on packing glass I found what looked to be some excerpted "advice" on shipping glass. One of those said to pack with Styrofoam, which may be okay to provide some insulation similar to double boxing. But if you pack glass tightly with rigid Styrofoam it is likely that the glass will surely break when the box get bumped. My preferred method is to securely wrap the cake stands I sell with several layers of bubble wrap, add shipping 'peanuts' to the bottom of the box, nestle the bubble wrapped package at an angle into the 'peanuts' being careful to have 3"-4" of clearance from the box, and then adding enough 'peanuts' on top compress slightly and firmly hold the wrapped glass in place. So far I've not had any breaks.

 

That's how I ship glass as well and have been good so far (knocking wood).

So, have you figured out the pattern yet?

 

@ola402 no, I lost interest after it arrived broken to bits.

 

I shipped light bulbs cross country once. Bubble wrap, cardboard sleeves, all packed inside a rigid styrofoam cooler box that for all intents and purposes was a double box. No breakage.

 

That's what I do but double box it.

 

I think if claims are under a certain dollar amount - not sure what it is, $50? - USPS automatically pays the claim. High amounts are usually disputed. Same is true for FedEx and UPS.

My worst ebay experience was a beautiful, large antique Baccarat punch bowl. The seller shipped it in a same size box with 1 piece of 8" x 10" bubble wrap, from Seattle to SC! It arrived in a billion pieces--our postman put the box in a plastic garbage bag when he delivered it because glass shards were dropping through the box seams. When I contacted the newbie seller, he said "I wrote fragile on the box!"

 

HOLY CAT PUPPIES!
What an a** full of dumb.