Shipping damage question

qmayer

I recently sent a bubble mailer out and wrote the usual "Do not bend" on it. The buyer emails me and says the package has been chewed up, the 2 PSA slabs have been obliterated, and the cards damaged. They only totaled about $35, but they were nice Nolan Ryan cards (*cringe*). I did not buy insurance. Could I take this package to the post office and get some type of reimbursement or am I going to have to eat the $35? I've sent multiple slabs in one bubble mailer many times and never once has the slabs been damaged.

Justin

mikeschmidt

Justin - if you did not elect insurance (or propertly secure the package) - then the onus is either on you, or on the buyer for not taking insurance. A "Do not Bend" stamp really holds no weight in the grand scheme of things.

FB

Justin,

This one falls under the headings of "lessons learned" and the cost of doing business. You'll have to decide which is worth more - the cards or the customer...

Wabittwax

Definately refund the money. $35 is nothing compared to losing a potential future bidder. Make him happy and he will come back. If fact, send him some free stuff for his troubles along with his $35. 1 extra bid that he makes in the future on your auction might be worth more than $35 to you. It may bump your final closing price an extra $100 or something. If you make him so impressed at your customer service, he will actually search for your auctions in the future.

qmayer

Thanks for the opinions. I figured I would have to eat the $35, but I was double checking to see if I had any recourse with the post office. I will be refunding the money once I get the slabs back.

Justin

PSARich

I would definitely ask him to return the cards before you reimburse, as you have indicated. Every once in a while I hear from a buyer with a similar story. I ask for the damaged cards back knowing that I pack very securely for shipping. Probably half the time I got a response that the damage isn't that bad and they think they'll keep the card. In other words, there are a few buyers out there who use this claim to get their payment back and keep a good card in the process.

qmayer

I figured someone would be interested to see the casualties of the postal service:

KIA Front:




KIA Back:




KIA Package:




The deal was actually done through NAXCOM, so I put in a request to reverse the transaction. I'm guessing they tried to feed the package through a sorting machine rather than hand sort it. I'm not so sad about the lost $35 rather than the cards being destroyed and no one able to enjoy them

Justin


Edit: The bottom halves are switched in the photo. *oops*

VintageVikes

Justin - refunding was the right thing to do and a $35 lesson learned. Don't feel like you're alone on this one. I had the same thing happen to me and it makes you feel bad about the cards. Before I ship or buy anything I always ask myself do I care if I lose what I just invested and know that I’m taking a risk. If not, I buy without insurance. In any case I always ship it with insurance whether they want it or not just to make thing easier for myself. I bought a "fragile" stamp and hit the front and back about 4 times each too. So far (knock on wood) everything has made it safe.

What you did goes a long way in my book. "Honesty!" For what its worth.

Brad

1967topps

call me paranoid but I buy the insurance on just about everything.

Dontcha love the newbies who put a card in an envelope and then in bubble wrap,
but no top load, no cardboard - had this happen recently. The whole envelope was
folded in half to fit my po box since he used an 8 x 11 manila envelope.

But...was sent insured and he was very nice about refunding my money even before
I'd sent the card back. So I sent it back to him "the way it shoudl be done."

1967topps

Seeing the scans it looks like a McGwire PSA 9 rookie I bought where the seller put it
only in a #00 padded envelope. Then it looked like someone used the "what happens if
i HIT THIS WITH A HAMMER ?" test. The card wound up in the P.O. 's custody and they
cut me a check for the full insured amount. The seller was very helpful in giving
documentation on how a single baseball card might be worth several hundred dollars
(at the time?)

Now and then a buyer will tell me "Don't worry about the insurance" or
one seller Bobby Lins tells me "I provide my own insurance" as he sends PSA 9
cards out in 00 padded envelopes for sixty cents after collecting $5.00 from me for the pleasure,
not postally insured.

scottsusor

Thankfully, I've never had this happen (knock on wood) but I also would have refunded the money to the buyer. I'm curious though -- Did you wrap the slabs in stiff cardboard before putting them inside the bubble mailer? I always place stiff cardboard on BOTH sides of the slab(s), rubber band them together, then wrap THAT in bubble wrap and tape it up with packaging tape BEFORE putting it inside the bubble mailer. I know that I've received stuff in the past that was simply tossed "naked" inside a bubble mailer and I'm often amazed that such "packaging" makes it to me intact. You might want to give my method a try in the future.

Scott