Sellers please read...

[mg152]

Sellers please don’t ship old vintage collectibles in envelopes! Please! It’s heartbeaking to the buyer to receive broken collectibles that are not replaceable. This little train is a gift for DH. I knew 1 axle was broken but it was very damaged in shipping. The wheels are broken off the green train so it can no longer be displayed as I hoped. Got a good deal so I’ll keep it but for goodness sakes, charge shipping if you don’t want to ship “free” & ship correctly. I’ll pay for shipping to get my item in 1 piece. I will message the seller but I won’t make a big deal. Not a new seller either. So sad! Poor little train. 😢 Thanks for listening.

[mg152]

 As you can see green car wheels in listing pic. 

[castlemagicmemories]

Sorry this happened to you, Patricia.

I have been there as well.  Most memorable was the fragile, rare, vintage porcelain figurine that arrived in a plastic mailer envelope.

Seller emailed me, stating she left positive feedback for me but I haven't for her, please do so.  I said, I am very intentional when I leave feedback, and I did not think you would want your possible future buyers to see that you sent a rare, fragile, vintage porcelain figurine in a plastic mailer envelope.  Apologies.

Then there was the Trading Assistant who has been on ebay almost since it's inception.  Bought a beautiful, rare music box with a glass feature that sat on top.  Seller put bubble wrap around each piece, but did not separate the two items in the one box, so logically and as one would expect, the heavier music box bottom completely smashed the glass piece.  Seller thanked me for being so understanding that these things happen, so I told her that yes, these things happen when you don't separate a glass piece from a heavier piece and don't protect it properly.  Glass piece should have been put in separate box, then placed in the shipping box with heavier place.  

It seems some just don't consider what proper packing is, sadly.

[mg152]

OTOH, This is how you ship a vintage collectible! Got a super great deal here too. Found the seller here in the community. Thank you to that seller! The item is perfect & I love it! Absolutely beautiful & you wouldn’t believe the deal I got. It’s the beautiful perfume bottle. I know y’all want the little Pabst set but it was my late Father in law’s so I will keep it. 😂

[mg152]

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@castlemagicmemories wrote:

Sorry this happened to you, Patricia.

I have been there as well.  Most memorable was the fragile, rare, vintage porcelain figurine that arrived in a plastic mailer envelope.

Seller emailed me, stating she left positive feedback for me but I haven't for her, please do so.  I said, I am very intentional when I leave feedback, and I did not think you would want your possible future buyers to see that you sent a rare, fragile, vintage porcelain figurine in a plastic mailer envelope.  Apologies.

Then there was the Trading Assistant who has been on ebay almost since it's inception.  Bought a beautiful, rare music box with a glass feature that sat on top.  Seller put bubble wrap around each piece, but did not separate the two items in the one box, so logically and as one would expect, the heavier music box bottom completely smashed the glass piece.  Seller thanked me for being so understanding that these things happen, so I told her that yes, these things happen when you don't separate a glass piece from a heavier piece and don't protect it properly.  Glass piece should have been put in separate box, then placed in the shipping box with heavier place.  

It seems some just don't consider what proper packing is, sadly.

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 OH my gosh! It hurts your feelings doesn’t it? We both love trains, we have several collectible train sets, liquor bottles etc... This is a Cracker Jack/ bubble gum toy so not expensive anyway. I have a few of my little toys left but I sold over 300 a few years ago when we needed money. I’ve regretted it every minute so I decided to look for some of the ones I really want back.

I saw a post the other day & found some vintage perfume bottles so I decided to buy a few of those cause they’re beautiful. The seller I got the bottle from had to have lost money but he packed it very well & it arrived perfect. I damaged the fringe a little unpacking it cause I got overly excited but you can’t really tell. I posted some pics of it.

Once I got a rare porcelain bunny shipped in a Tampax box, no packing at all & the box was covered in duct tape. It arrived undamaged but at least it was in a “box”.

I know people will tell me to neg the seller of the train but I just can’t do it. I know they lost money after “free” shipping & fees & I don’t want to return it so I will either leave no FB or I’ll leave positive with a comment about the shipping. I’m just sad about the train but elated about the bottle!

Hapoy New Year! It’s freezing in sunny Florida!

[pixzee]

What a shame and waste of time for everyone. I do hope sellers read this.


For a small item like this, damage could have been easily avoided with a small piece of cardboard.


Cut a piece of sturdy cardboard (not flimsy cerial box or USPS box) the dimensions approx. for a 5"x8" padded envelope.

cut a 10"x7.5" piece of cardboard.

Make two score lines (dotted lines) along in the center that are about 1/2" apart, going so the piece can be folded to make a triangel about 4.5" x7.5" that will fit into your envelope.

Roll the pieces inside a baggie/plastic/bubble wrap in a long cigar shape.

Tape the cigar along the inside of the 1/2" section (opposite side of scores.)

Fold the two wings over and tape closed.(2)

Slide into the envelope. This will be good enough protection for most items like these train pieces.

You can also make a series of scores 4 scores about 1/2" apart and roll the cigar inside the cardboard.

You could make a sleeve box by scoring about a half inch in on the sides, (A,B) and folding in and taping in place. But at that point it may be best to just make a quick box.


3. shows the basic score lines (dotted) and cut lines (solid). This makes a box with doubled sides on three sides you could easily change the patter to remove the extra sides by cutting along "C".

The box is folded up and taped in place.

The dimesions depends on the size of item or envelope you have. If you mail a lot in the same size envelope, you may want to keep a template of a box that fits your envelope size after you have fussed and finessed the best size.

[pixzee]

I neglected to mention that the grain of the cardboard (the long corregated lines) should go opposite the score lines in the 1st illustration, so you are cutting across all the lines, (to give best support).

[zzydny]

Sorry that this happened to you.  It's just awful!

Someone once sent me a digital camera and charger in an over-sized polymailer.  No packing.  Not one blot of bubblewrap.  Just camera and charger dropped into 12 X 18 polymailer.  Unbelievable.

I was a new seller so I really needed that camera.  The seller wouldn't respond to me, so I kept the camera which just barely worked and moved on to buy a better camera when I earned enough money.  To this day, though, I use that sad little dinged-up camera to take packing pictures for my sales files.  Somehow that seems appropriate.

As @pixzee so carefully explained (good job!), it is possible to send stuff in envelopes safely.  It just has to be the right stuff and it has to be packed appropriately.  Most of the items I sell are shipped First Class in polybubble mailers.  I've even shipped sunglasses safely in them.  But I'm sure not gonna send anything fragile, and I always pack as though the envelope is headed for Armageddon because it just might be.

[missjen831]

I’m so sorry this happened Patricia!! I am seriously shocked at what new sellers think is an acceptable way to ship! Don’t know if your seller was new or not but i’m Seeing a disturbing trend on my main venue, these sellers don’t have a clue how to properly ship and they are starting to list on eBay! Part of the issue is that buyers don’t want to pay a lot for shipping so it’s caused people to cut as many corners as possible! Someone asked how to shop a video game console and the first reply was “padded flat rate envelope”. I replied and said that’s not appropriate safe and I practically got crucified! For the last few weeks they have been selling mugs and rae Dunn goods and very few were arriving unbroken! One person put a rae Dunn mug in a Box big enough to hold 2 mugs and the only packing material used was paper! Like the kind Sephora uses, there was a wad of it lining the bottom of the box. No bubble wrap, no air bubbles, no peanuts, nothing! And the seller wrote fragile on the box but didn’t pay for special handling. And the seller & the recipient were surprised the mug broke!! And they think USPS is gonna pay the insurance claim LOL! Needless to say Rae Dunn is not allowed to be sold there anymore! 

[castlemagicmemories]

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@mg152 wrote:

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@castlemagicmemories wrote:

Sorry this happened to you, Patricia.

I have been there as well.  Most memorable was the fragile, rare, vintage porcelain figurine that arrived in a plastic mailer envelope.

Seller emailed me, stating she left positive feedback for me but I haven't for her, please do so.  I said, I am very intentional when I leave feedback, and I did not think you would want your possible future buyers to see that you sent a rare, fragile, vintage porcelain figurine in a plastic mailer envelope.  Apologies.

Then there was the Trading Assistant who has been on ebay almost since it's inception.  Bought a beautiful, rare music box with a glass feature that sat on top.  Seller put bubble wrap around each piece, but did not separate the two items in the one box, so logically and as one would expect, the heavier music box bottom completely smashed the glass piece.  Seller thanked me for being so understanding that these things happen, so I told her that yes, these things happen when you don't separate a glass piece from a heavier piece and don't protect it properly.  Glass piece should have been put in separate box, then placed in the shipping box with heavier place.  

It seems some just don't consider what proper packing is, sadly.

---

 OH my gosh! It hurts your feelings doesn’t it? We both love trains, we have several collectible train sets, liquor bottles etc... This is a Cracker Jack/ bubble gum toy so not expensive anyway. I have a few of my little toys left but I sold over 300 a few years ago when we needed money. I’ve regretted it every minute so I decided to look for some of the ones I really want back.

I saw a post the other day & found some vintage perfume bottles so I decided to buy a few of those cause they’re beautiful. The seller I got the bottle from had to have lost money but he packed it very well & it arrived perfect. I damaged the fringe a little unpacking it cause I got overly excited but you can’t really tell. I posted some pics of it.

Once I got a rare porcelain bunny shipped in a Tampax box, no packing at all & the box was covered in duct tape. It arrived undamaged but at least it was in a “box”.

I know people will tell me to neg the seller of the train but I just can’t do it. I know they lost money after “free” shipping & fees & I don’t want to return it so I will either leave no FB or I’ll leave positive with a comment about the shipping. I’m just sad about the train but elated about the bottle!

Hapoy New Year! It’s freezing in sunny Florida!

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It just makes you aggravated, very vexed, and sad, that a great piece was thoughtlessly destroyed.  Asking for feedback is just rubbing salt in the wounds!  Like many others, I save negative feedback for truly egregious behavior, and just do not post any feedback.  I may or may not message the seller with my experience.

Your perfume bottle is beautiful and it's things like that that make a purchase worthwhile, enjoy!

[montanatiki]

I agree - save the rotten feedback for the bad cases!  Of course when clothes items come in a plastic baggy and are covered with frebreeze or dryer sheet smell that has been contained for 6 days - the thought of : If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all - kicks in.  Sad, that people have to write to sellers and tell them HOW to carefully PACK an item so it can arrive safely. 

(Oh and for people that like the Febreeze - PLEASE don't use it - I received a beautiful fabric piece in a plastic baggy and was unaware the seller had use the febreeze until I opened it 2 weeks later - when the stench came out - after the fabric folded "wet" after being sprayed - packaged in the baggy had enough corn starch to attract mold to it - a beautiful fabric RUINED by that stink, the chemicals in the stink and Bleach could not get out the molded growth on it. 

[postingid2017]

😞  I am so paranoid when I pack, that I mostly ship in boxes - some call me crazy; it will fit in, the list goes on,  but I think that boxes allow a little more protection for some items if not all.  I would have put the little set in one of the FRB for DVD's w/bubble wrap & tissue paper for each one.

On second thought, I would have put each piece in a small jewelry box from the Dollar Store and put them in the FRB for DVD's.  

[savwillsell09]

another bad seller,probably will never learn how to package?