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ANOTHER BROKEN SLAB!!!!!!
zeppo
Posts: 33
This is rediculous. I just started collecting graded cards about 2 months ago. I've bought about 25 cards in that time and 2 of them arrived at my door broken and worthless.
I will give credit to the first guy I bought from as he made good on the deal and sent me a comparable card. He sent it bubble wrapped in a paper envelope. Mediocre packaging at best.
The jury is still out on the second one. The one I received yesterday had no bubble wrap, just a sheet of paper around the card in a business size mailing evelope. I paid $2.50 for postage and insurance and he didn't even insure it!! We all know it costs less than a dollar to mail one card first class, maybe a little more if you add weight via sufficient packaging. I can't believe how cheap some of these sellers can be. I won't release the seller's name yet as I am hoping he will make good on the sale. He does have a great feedback rating so I'm sure he will BUT I would rather have the card in one piece.
If I was still at home I would submit a scan of the remnants. Maybe tonight.
By the way I received a second order yesterday. It consisted of 5 cards I bought from seinbigd on Ebay. They were packaged very nicely in a 400 count box. You could have dropped it off a tall building and it probably would have survived. The bonus is that the box was given to my son for his Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Thanks Steve.
This makes 2 out of 25 or so cards. Do I just have the worst luck or is this typical?
I will give credit to the first guy I bought from as he made good on the deal and sent me a comparable card. He sent it bubble wrapped in a paper envelope. Mediocre packaging at best.
The jury is still out on the second one. The one I received yesterday had no bubble wrap, just a sheet of paper around the card in a business size mailing evelope. I paid $2.50 for postage and insurance and he didn't even insure it!! We all know it costs less than a dollar to mail one card first class, maybe a little more if you add weight via sufficient packaging. I can't believe how cheap some of these sellers can be. I won't release the seller's name yet as I am hoping he will make good on the sale. He does have a great feedback rating so I'm sure he will BUT I would rather have the card in one piece.
If I was still at home I would submit a scan of the remnants. Maybe tonight.
By the way I received a second order yesterday. It consisted of 5 cards I bought from seinbigd on Ebay. They were packaged very nicely in a 400 count box. You could have dropped it off a tall building and it probably would have survived. The bonus is that the box was given to my son for his Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Thanks Steve.
This makes 2 out of 25 or so cards. Do I just have the worst luck or is this typical?
Working on 1962 mid grade Mars Attacks.
0
Comments
I have received over 200 PSA cards in various sizes of lots (but mainly one at a time) and this has never happened. And my cards were being shipped trans-Atlantic.
That said, one of the first cards I sold did arrive in pieces. I had wrapped it in paper towel and shipped it in a bubble mailer as I had seen others do, but it wasn't enough. I now pack the cards between two pieces of cardboard and I haven't had any problems. I would imagine that more than one card packed together would provide enough rigidity to make them very hard to break.
I don't know whether the lesson is that U.S. mail-carriers are more destructive than Irish ones ...
Topps Baseball 1967
Mike Payne's 300 Great Cards
MVPs in their MVP years
and T206???
Total broke: 3 Total Lost: 2
If someone paids for insurance - we always come through.
I would give the seller some time to make amends.
Most of them do - don't give up just yet!!
Welcome!
Jeremy
I will say weather shouldn't be an issue on my end as I live in the Sunshine State.
I'm still waiting to hear back from the seller. Fingers crossed.
Here is another issue though. I paid for insurance but the seller did not get insurance through the post office. Should I assume when people do this that they are self insuring themselves or just trying to rip me off. I guess my question will be answered if and when he responds.
Is self insuring shipments a common practice? Do any of you do this?
Unless the seller CLEARLY states in either the auction or in communication with you that he is self-insuring, then you should assume he ripped you off if you did not receive insurance.
MS
Never had one break during shipping.
Some of these dealers just don't get it yet......simply throwing the PSA slab into a envelope or bubble mailer by itself is not good shipping standards.
I always ship how I would like cards shipped to me.
Hopefully this dealer will make good on this card....good luck
"There's no crying in baseball card set building."
Doug
When I mail a card, I use a "0" size Bubble Mailer and wrap the individual card with more bubble wrap. I've never had a complaint of the holder or card getting damaged from any of my customers.
I would give the seller some time as Jeremy suggested. I would e-mail the guy and ask for an explaination on the insurance.I am sure that E-Bay frowns on the insurance scam that this guy is pulling.I have bought many cards and never had one broken.
Zeppo,
What part of N Fla are you located in?
Vic
Tipem - I live in Palm Coast and work in Jacksonville. Are you from here as well? I believe the Virtualizard is somewhere much farther south.
Dave
wayne
First, I'll say that I have received close to 2000 PSA graded cards via USPS, FEDEX, UPS, a few other acronyms I can't remember, and even a few hand delivered (those are the best). I have been very lucky to have never received a damaged card/holder (although I had one purchase of a few raw cards several years ago that arrived in a plastic bag - damaged by the USPS).
I don't know if the temperature has anything to do with it. Zeppo, you are correct. I do live a bit south of you - Lake Worth, FL to be exact (a little south of West Palm Beach). I have received packages recently that have steamed up holders due to the temperature change I'm sure. But nothing ever damaged. I guess you just have had some bad luck there.
As far as the insurance goes, as a seller I offer it on every item that I sell. It is a major inconvenience for me to stand in line at the post office, but if a buyer adds it I will always provide it. I have received so many cards uninsured, where I've paid the extra for insurance, that I'm tempted to start emailing the sellers telling them that I never received the card and see what they have to offer. I guess I'm too honest though. I can't bring myself to do it. One of the worst in recent memory is the guy that I won 2 separate graded card auctions from. He charged $5 s&h each and insurance was not available. I requested a combined shipping total and he never responded. I sent payment (with $10 s&h included) and requested a refund for the difference and told him that I expected the package to be insured for that amount. I received the cards about 2 weeks later in a bubble mailer with $1.06 postage on it and no insurance. No note inside, no refund, and no explanation. Needless to say, this seller is now avoided like the plague.
Postal insurance not only protects the buyer, it also protects the seller. I sell a lot of cards for $10 - $20 and insure them for $50 (the maximum you can get at the lowest level from the USPS). I figure, if something does happen, I could even stand to make a profit on it. If I ever had to make a claim, I would instantly refund the buyer the total amount paid and wait for my $50 to come in.
JEB.
<< <i>I have received so many cards uninsured, where I've paid the extra for insurance, that I'm tempted to start emailing the sellers telling them that I never received the card and see what they have to offer. >>
I think this is a good idea. Maybe don't push it all the way to getting a refund, but just enough to make the seller squirm
<< <i>Postal insurance not only protects the buyer, it also protects the seller. I sell a lot of cards for $10 - $20 and insure them for $50 (the maximum you can get at the lowest level from the USPS). I figure, if something does happen, I could even stand to make a profit on it. If I ever had to make a claim, I would instantly refund the buyer the total amount paid and wait for my $50 to come in.
I've heard it takes 3+ months to get a refund... even longer for the measly $50 claims.
Justin
NAXCOM
Zeppo,
I live on Amelia Island.Turn on your private messenger and I will give you the name of a good and honest contact in your city.PM me when you get it turned on.
Vic
<< <i>
Postal insurance not only protects the buyer, it also protects the seller. I sell a lot of cards for $10 - $20 and insure them for $50 (the maximum you can get at the lowest level from the USPS). I figure, if something does happen, I could even stand to make a profit on it. If I ever had to make a claim, I would instantly refund the buyer the total amount paid and wait for my $50 to come in.
JEB. >>
In my opinion, insurance of $50 is a total waste. All they do is stamp the item. there is no tracking and no way to know if the item was delivered. If the item is damaged, perhaps you can get the money back in 3 months after several hours of work. But you only get the value of the item that you can prove, not $50. If it is lost, it probaby even takes more time to do the investigation and get the money. It is easier just to pay for the item.
JEB, if you have had over 2000 items without damage, wouldn't it make more sense to have saved the $2,600 that $50 of insurance on 2000 items would cost , than to have had that insurance just to potentially keep from being out $20????
I didn't say that I purchase insurance on every card I buy. In fact, I never insure a purchase that is under $100 unless the seller requires it. So we're talking 1% or less of my purchases have been insured. I've probably spent less than $20 on insurance in the past year.
So yes, I agree it would make sense to save the $1.30 each time. I regularly have buyers who pay the $1.30 insurance fee for $10 cards though. I was just stating that I have not received a damaged card (insured or not). Those were my points.
JEB.
Fortunately, I have received every purchase that I have made with no damage. I just wish that the large dealers/card shops would start shipping their packages with more anonymous or less blatant return address labels.
The mail carrier that delivers my mail every day obviously knows by now that I purchase sports collectibles through the mail. So do many employees at the post office (I know many by name now and have even talked to one about collecting cards when he noticed the return address label). I believe that there is no reason to put this information on the packages that you ship. For example (by the way, I'm just making this one up), why couldn't "Super Sports Cards & Collectibles" place return address labels that say "SSC&C" on the package? There is no need to advertise when sending a package containing such items.
JEB.
I've gotten the same nasty response from several sellers telling me: "If you don't like the s&h charges, don't bid any more." Great way to do business, right?
I just keep a list of these sellers and I don't ever bid on their items again.
JEB.
This seller said that if I return the card he would send me a check. I put it in the mail yesterday. I have no reason to disbelieve him.
Even though I paid for insurance on the card, the seller said it would be a hassle for me to go through the insurance claim process and wait for the refund, and so on.
He sent a refund of my entire cost upon return of the card (and slab fragments). Ive purchased many cards from him since and will continue to do so.
<< <i>
I just keep a list of these sellers and I don't ever bid on their items again.
JEB. >>
JEB-
$3.85 is the cost for priority insured
boxed mail.
a good deal for quick and somewhat protected product
delivery.(imo)
Insurance is totally up to the buyer in my opinion. When I buy an expensive card, I'll get the insurance. A cheap card I just stick with delivery confirmation. I've had more instances of cards never arriving than cards being damaged. The wrap inside the bubble mailer just isn't enough. Either cardboard or extra bubble or both is needed.
JasP24
according to my values and my needs. Nothing holds dominion over me, I stand alone as the ruler of my life.
I, too, have sent and received hundreds of cards through the mail, with very few problems. (The biggest problem I've had is that cards sent to me in ultra-pro pages often slip out by the time I get them.) Only twice did the post office damage cards: once when I was buying, and once when I was selling. The first time I made a claim, it was for $27, and it was such a hassle that it wasn't worth making the claim. The second time I didn't bother, I just refunded the customer's money.
For insuring small numbers of packages, u-pic's rates are 85 cents per $100 of coverage; or 60 cents per $100 if you use delivery confirmation. For large numbers of packages, it's cheaper than that. I generally get the delivery confirmation for packages worth over $100. Now I stand in line only twice a week or so.
I haven't had to make a claim yet, but I can't imagine that it would be any more painful than the post office. My only reservation about using u-pic is that people buying from me might be annoyed to find only stamps on the envelope after paying for insurance. I try to make it clear in my ebay ads and on my website that I use a third-party for insurance--and to expect only stamps on the envelope--but I anticipate that someone will complain about it sometime.
U-pic, by the way, asks that you do not indicate what's inside the package anywhere on the outside.
Mike
Vintage Football Card Gallery
You should probably include something in your package to indicate that you do have 3rd party insurance coverage. I buy a lot of cards that are delivered by the USPS and it is frustrating to pay for insurance and receive a package with no evidence that it is insured. Listing it in your auction isn't enough. I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the specific details in each auction that I bid on and I surely don't remember what was written in the description a week or two later when I receive the cards.
Yesterday I received a package of 6 graded cards from a major seller. Inside, he included a printed disclosure of his 3rd party insurance coverage that explained how the coverage worked, listed the limits for different methods of shipping, and identified the company that provides the insurance. I didn't request insurance (he included it at no extra cost and let me know it in the email sent after the auctions were won) and I think it is a good customer service policy to include something like this if you are not going to provide insurance through the PO.
JEB.
That's an excellent idea, and I will start doing it. Glad I posted!
Mike
Vintage Football Card Gallery