Beware of the "hidden damage / broken box" scam.

[bargainsandbaubles]

I sold an electronic item and the buyer received it and said something broke off internally and was rattling around. He went into a tirade at my "bad packaging". I've sold over 6,000 items and have had less than a dozen arrive damage, usually it's a situation where even a wood crate would of been obliterated. Going into such detail raised a red flag. He also wanted a partial refund to avoid returning it, also a red flag.

He sends me photos of the box, and it looks stomped on, and the corners are all undone, but look cut.

I realized I had sent it via FedEx, and checking the tracking number to see my box sitting on the buyer's porch in pristine condition.

Being backed into a corner, he then claims UPS sat a bunch of boxes on top of it after mine was delivered and that must have damaged it, not my bad packaging. Hmmm....

Pretty clever if you ask me.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

Sounds like a hoser but things can get damaged.  Electronics can be sketchy due to the internals. That is to say even when meeting or exceeding carrier packaging requirements which are generally four inches of protection at all surfaces the internals can get buggered by shock.  I remember many moons back (20 years) I shipped some SCSI Hard Drives guy bought on Mamazon, all were perfect working order, marked etc.  Well doesn't he say one is botched.  Sent it back and sure as can be, botched.  Likely dropped by the postal service somewhere and messed up its guts.

I'd a receiver sent to me way back when as well and it was clear FedEx mishandled it.  Upon it opening it up I could see where the step down transformer due to its weight fractured the circuit board.  Someone must tossed or dropped the package upside down and gravity did the rest via the weight of the transformer.

[toysaver]

If it were me I'd ask to see the UPS delivery photo of their boxes stacked on the FedEx box.  

[fashunu4eeuh]

The problem with mail order is that one cannot know for certain if the buyer’s report is bogus, though I agree this particular buyer is probably not on the up and up. Or alternately—it could be he came on strong because he was worried about your No Returns policy.

When selling electronics, internal damage can happen with even the most careful of packaging. As a result, i would hesitate to label a buyer’s activity as a scam without examining the item in question.

[big_guys_place]

Well there is no rating in the feedback section related to quality of packaging.  I buy and sell on ebay and find more often then not, sellers pack like crap.  Regularly receive items in a box with no packaging at all.  Noting.  Some adult felt it was perfectly fine to send something across the country bouncing around in a box!   Packaging is a major step in the entire business process on Ebay and there is no standard or rating.

[yuzuha]

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@retro_entertainment_collectibles wrote:

Sounds like a hoser but things can get damaged.  Electronics can be sketchy due to the internals. That is to say even when meeting or exceeding carrier packaging requirements which are generally four inches of protection at all surfaces the internals can get buggered by shock.  I remember many moons back (20 years) I shipped some SCSI Hard Drives guy bought on Mamazon, all were perfect working order, marked etc.  Well doesn't he say one is botched.  Sent it back and sure as can be, botched.  Likely dropped by the postal service somewhere and messed up its guts.

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Indeed. My father often purchases electronics and many, many times he's received ones that didn't work despite there being no visible damage to the shipping box. Stuff can just get rattled around in there.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

I have received factory sealed electronics which have had something loose and rattling around inside, No packaging damage.

It is hard to believe any FEDEX ground shipment arrives without packaging damage. All of the FEDEX Ground shipments I receive have packaging damage, but rarely have damaged product.

My condo regularly has piles of packages sitting out received for our homeowners. USPS, UPS, Amazon and FEDEX Ground. You can always pick out which are FEDEX Ground by the dirt, broken tape and box damage.

I stopped buying from everyone who uses FEDEX Ground other than Ebay shipping, which survives their inferior handling.

[luckythewinner]

... the buyer received it and said something ...

Generally speaking, any eBay buyer can steal any item from any seller at any time simply by filing a fraudulent 'Not As Described' dispute. No communication, explanation, or pictures from the buyer is necessary.

This has been true since 2008 when eBay introduced the "Money Back Guarantee" for buyers.

If it were me I'd ask to see the UPS delivery photo of their boxes stacked on the FedEx box

That would change nothing about the outcome of a dispute.

[buyselljack2016]

 i would hesitate to label a buyer’s activity as a scam without examining the item in question.

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So you give the seller no credibility for the "FedEx" delivery photo of a package delivered displaying no damage ................... in complete contrast to the buyer photo? (stomped on box)

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

 i would hesitate to label a buyer’s activity as a scam without examining the item in question.

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So you give the seller no credibility for the "FedEx" delivery photo of a package delivered displaying no damage ................... in complete contrast to the buyer photo? (stomped on box)

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Hi @buyselljack2016 No, in this case, the seller has the credibility, not the buyer. I should clarify:

“In general, i would hesitate to label a buyer’s activity as a scam without first examining the item, because electronics can be prone to internal damage in transit, even when carefully packaged.

In this case, the buyer initially blamed the seller for damage due to subpar packaging, but that does not appear to be the case since he backtracked his story, undermining his veracity.”

[inhawaii]

"Every seller/shipper since the beginning of time who has had something damaged in shipping claims it was packaged adequately. "