Damaged items and dealing with the USPS
I shipped an item recently that was damaged in shipment. I live in Alaska and shipped a grandfather clock pendulum to Louisiana. The box wasn't damaged but the pendulum was badly bent on the narrow end of the pendulum. I had the pendulum wrapped in bubble wrap. My guess is the package was dropped on the end of the package. I can't think of any other way the damage might have occurred. I was going to file an online claim with USPS. I tried to log into my account with my password but my account has been disabled. I tried logging in through "Forgot my password" and was told my account was disabled. I tried opening a new account but couldn't because I already have an account. So I can't file online. I tried to file by mail but I can't find Form 1000 online to download a copy.
I'm at a loss on what to do but I guess I will reimburse the money to the buyer and eat the loss. Any suggestions/recommendations are welcome.
pastimpressions
·6 months agoI do not perform forensic reconstructions, however, the information the OP provided:
a. regarding the box condition upon arrival (clean/undamaged)
b. the use of bubble wrap/foam to wrap the piece (i.e. not double boxed or densely void filled)
c. coupled with the before & after photo of physical damage to the metal piece
would conclusively indicate to me that the damage was clearly caused by inertia.
Simply meaning the item was not properly wrapped/buttressed and/or the void space properly filled to prevent the item in motion to stop staying in motion once it was put into motion while the outer box abruptly halted motion.
I truly hope it was not too much of a loss for you. I truly hope the buyer was gracious in your situation.
Proper packing techniques for an eclectic array of merchandise is one of the most difficult aspects to master in online selling. The learning curve can be unforgiving. The needs of divergent items can be robustly divergent. Yet it is often one of the least studied aspects of the whole business process.
I would not think it would be the worst idea, whilst eBay is creating a myriad of tutorials & guides to make available a detailed & lengthy online tutorial where Jack & Jill pack a wide range of items (shapes, sizes & various aspects of fragility) using "best practices."
This might help a lot of well-intentioned sellers to avoid some quicksand.
Just one man's opinion.
Best of luck with shop & sales.
wastingtime101
·6 months agoI agree and this is another reason I said "don't bother" with the USPS claim. It seems pretty clear that while the OP had best of intentions and really did make an effort, the item was not sufficiently packed and the cause of the damage was not USPS mis-handling.
Most sellers learn from shipping errors at some point. This is the OP's turn. They will take away from this information on how to improve in the future and that part is a good thing.
I feel bad this happened, and hopefully the loss isn't too bad for the OP to manage.
christworks
·6 months ago@longtimealaskan I also agree about splinting something like that. I sell a lot of vintage electronics, things have antennas, and I always splint those and use some painter's tape to hold them in place. If I didn't do that, it would be very easy for them to shift, and even a slight shift could bend or break an antenna.
I think you said you already refunded the buyer. I would have directed the buyer to return the item. Someone alluded to the reason: With AI, it has recently become very easy to alter a photo and give the illusion that something is damaged when it isn't. A year ago, if you asked ChatGPT to put a crack in a glass, it might put the crack in the glass but also fill the glass with orange juice or add a random finger coming out of the glass. Those type of mistakes are getting less and less commong, and when they do happen, it is much easier now to instruct almost any AI to edit their mistake.
eBay also prefers sellers get damged items back. Sometimes forcing the return is enough to get a buyer to decide to keep the item, becuase truth be told, they want to keep the item.
I do not know why you cannot get into your USPS account. You can call USPS customer service at 1-800-275-8777 and they will be able to get you back into your account. I would file a claim. It takes only a few minutes and the worst they can do is deny your claim.
I don't understand why so many people prefer to be negative and tell others not do so something that may help them. Of course there is a chance it won't, but it might - and that should be encouraged in my book.
wastingtime101
·6 months agoI'm usually of the "give it a try" camp as you've probably seen in my posts here, even when the outcome isn't likely to be favorable. It's pretty rare for me to say not to bother and when I did so it was not about negativity, but about considering the OP's time and stress.
In this case, the fact the box was undamaged plus the way USPS has changed in the past few years to automatically deny most damage claims even when boxes are damaged, forcing people to go through sometimes multiple appeals and still end up losing in the end, I was looking at the added stress for an unlikely reward. Add to that the tech issues OP is having accessing their account.
With the value it may be worth it to try. But based on the fact the OP said they were going to refund and write off the loss, it read to me it wasn't even worth the cost of return shipping to them - therefore it wouldn't be worth the time suck to regain access to their account, file the claim, potentially go through multiple appeals, etc.
The OP should give it a try if they decide just the possibility is worth it for them.
wastingtime101
·6 months agoBecause the outer box was not damaged, USPS will likely deny the claim. They don't pay out for shock damage; they cite improper packaging in those cases.
Boxes can drop from a height of 30 feet from sorting machinery into bins, with 70 lb boxes landing on top. Your item needs to be packed well enough to sustain this type of rough handling with all shipping carriers.
My advice is to refund the buyer (as eBay requires) and don't even bother with the USPS claim. Instead look towards improving packing on this type of fragile item in the future. Good advice was posted above about "splinting" the item, and if it's fragile you may want to consider double-boxing with a couple inches of bubble between boxes, as well.
Edit: You may also want to see if the buyer is amenable to a partial refund to have the item repaired if the value is worth it. They can check quotes with watch / clock repair, a metal smith, even auto repair shops might take care of it. If that's not a good option based on value, or if the buyer doesn't want to take those steps, then just refund.
stainlessenginecovers
·6 months agoJust be leery of 'photos'. There are programs that will 'distort' a picture. I will never 'just refund' anymore. 'Return for Refund' only.
Why? I just refunded a $160 item because it 'arrived' bent. I've shipped same item out for about 8 years. Then I looked up 'distort pictures' and 'photoshop' and a handful of 'other' softwares will do just that.
kibble-net
·6 months agoIn the future, use UPS to ship large, fragile objects instead of USPS. USE THEIR FRAGILE PACKING SERVICE and insure it fully. Yes it costs a fair amount, but if your parcel gets damaged, they will pay out the insurance claim without any issue. If you pack it yourself, your claim will be denied.
Can't speak for USPS as I've never used them for large, fragile objects as the cost is incredibly high.
frugalmarketplace
·6 months ago@longtimealaskan
Sorry about the package. Refund the customer and I would want it returned, so send a return label.
Just an FYI if you want insurance just add (in the future) the one that eBay offers. I have had a couple items arrived damaged, and they made the process very simple and quick. The USPS does cover up to $100 I believe but frankly it is hardly worth the time dealing with the process.
Best wishes.
roccotacodad54
·6 months ago" I had the pendulum wrapped in bubble wrap."
In the future maybe consider attaching ridgid splints (like on a broken leg/arm old school) when shipping long bendable items. Bubble wrap will only protect against surface damage not structural.
What I have done with similar items is pad the item and then secure it inbetween two ridgid items (poplar 1x4's in my case). Then packing the splinted item inside of a box with additional padding.
It does raise the cost of shipping with the extra weight but all of mine have been delivered intact over the years.
Note: I don't sell but have shipped bendable items to friends and family this way and never had damage.....
12345jamesstamps
·6 months agoIf buyer can send a photo(but doesn't have to)of the damage I would do the refund ASAP.
Considering the shipping I might not want it returned...especially since not all buyers are great at packing and shipping an item back. And would I want an item back I can't sell?
Insurance from USPS...they would say it wasn't packed very good but I am sure it probably was by you.
If you have time to waste you can try to claim insurance.
longtimealaskan
OP6 months agoThank you. I try hard to package my items well. The only other item I had that was damaged was some glassware and I was new on ebay at the time. I would say that was probably my fault. This one I think is due to careless handling. I included some photos of the item before and after. That package had to have been dropped right on the end of the package.
biffcrash
·6 months agoI've also been locked out of USPS account & it won't accept a new password or accept the old one. Using your tracking # contact them & speak to a live agent. I've had problems in the past with just about every shipping service, especially when shipping outside of the lower 48 states. Fed Ex, UPS, USPS, all have major problems. I was told after talking multiple times to live agents for all these companies, that they often times use hired contractors (especially during high volume times). These hired contractors are usually the cause of damage, incorrect deliveries, & loss of packages. I've learned the hard way as a seller & buyer that everything needs to be insured & to require signature confirmation to protect you from claims of "I never received the package". There are a lot of scammers out there. Good luck.
simba6
·6 months agoIf the buyer files an arrived damaged case, you will be refunding. Buyers don't have to wait for the insurance claim. I suspect you will lose it as it was poor packing. Items must be packed to prevent damage. The shipping carton has to show severe damage in many cases to win such a claim.
Sorry but yes you should refund the buyer in full. You can start an insurance claim on line at USPS.com
But I would not hold out much hope of winning.
longtimealaskan
OP6 months agoThank you. I have already refunded the money to the buyer. I shipped the item in a heavy duty cardboard box wrapped in bubble wrap. I included some pieces of styrofoam that I glued to the inside of the box to prevent crushing. I included a photo of the pendulum as it was when I sent it and a photo that the buyer sent me.
Apparently the box must have been dropped on the end for that pendulum to be bent in several places. To me that damage was due to careless handing. imagine the force it would take to bend the pendulum that badly.
anjofak
·6 months agoThey don't look the same..