Cannot pack an order to deal with every stupid scenario that might happen when the buyer receives it

[sin-n-dex]

So a while ago, I packed a banknote in a bubble mailer (inside a ziplock bag with one piece of cardboard). It was packed like that so the buyer would see the banknote when he pulled it out of the envelope, but this particular buyer cut the banknote with a box cutter when he opened the package. (The package was actually sent to Canada, opened and repacked and forwarded to Pakistan... might have been the buyer, might have been customs in Pakistan, might have been the recipient in Canada... buyer might have done it on purpose to scam a refund for other non-damaged items in the package... no one knows).

So when mailing banknotes and stamps, I've been putting them between two pieces of cardboard (known as chipboard) with the invoice and business card on the outside of the cardboard pieces, inside a ziplock bag. I figured if the box cutter incident was an accident that perhaps using two cardboards and putting the merchandise in between would prevent such a thing.

So I sent stamps to a buyer between cardboard, he gets it, takes the invoice and business card out, sees no stamps, throws the cardboard and ziplock bag (with the stamps still inside) in the trash, tells me there's no stamps in the envelope. When I explained how it was packed, I get "well I threw it out" (and waiting to see if he asks for a refund).

So if I use ONE piece of cardboard I have to worry about buyers using knives and cutting the merchandise. If I use TWO pieces of cardboard, I have to worry about them throwing it out without checking their package carefully.

Isn't this kind of a not-winning situation? How do I pack my stuff so people don't do these sorts of things?

C.

[wastingtime101]

If that's a one-off, don't make any changes.

If you think it might happen again, put a sticker or hand write on the cardboard something like "contents inside this cardboard for shipping protection."

Another option: put the biz card and invoice inside the cardboard sandwich along with the merch. That way buyer pulls out cardboard and nothing else, and maybe takes another look.

[sin-n-dex]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

If that's a one-off, don't make any changes.

If you think it might happen again, put a sticker or hand write on the cardboard something like "contents inside this cardboard for shipping protection."

Another option: put the biz card and invoice inside the cardboard sandwich along with the merch. That way buyer pulls out cardboard and nothing else, and maybe takes another look.

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Seems like a good idea to put the invoice between the cardboard. The reason it's on the outside is because I pack the merchandise with the invoice and make piles on my desk to pack, so I can pick it up, see where it's shipping, and grab the correct shipping label. Packing it inside increases the chances I'll pack the wrong item which is a worse problem than trying to explain to someone how I packed their order.

A sticky note might do the trick though and I can put that in a visible spot so they see it when they pull the package out.

It's been 20 minutes since I got the message from the buyer (and I replied to him within 2 minutes, so I expect it's likely he's seen my reply), he hasn't asked for a refund yet... that's what I expected as a reply. In my experience it's not likely to be a scam attempt for a refund. I vet my buyers when I get these types of messages to decide what I think likely happened. Hopefully he's been able to recover the packaging and found the stamps.

C.

[wastingtime101]

My advice:

Stick the invoice and biz card inside the cardboard sandwich.

Write the ship-to name on the cardboard like "john doe" - then you can easily match up your labels. Plus writing the buyer's name on the cardboard means they are far less likely to toss it.

With my shipping process I write buyer name on the box/envelope as I pack. No problem matching up labels when I get to that stage.

[slippinjimmy]

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

Isn't this kind of a not-winning situation? How do I pack my stuff so people don't do these sorts of things?

C.

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You write "Stamps in HERE" & "Open With Care" on the chipboard sandwich (both sides....BIG letters).

As a merchant you must cater to the lowest denominator (or not)

[tarotfindsandmore]

Stickers.  I've sold a lot of yarn over the years and have learned a lot about just how stupid people can be (why in god's name a knitter or crocheter would take a blade to a big, squishy bubble mailer I do not know).  Keep using your cardboard, but fold stickers over each side to hold them together and clearly mark the cardboard to indicate the order is inside ( "CAUTION: NO SHARPS").  I've packed many itty bitty items this way over the years.

[sin-n-dex]

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@tarotfindsandmore wrote:

Stickers.  I've sold a lot of yarn over the years and have learned a lot about just how stupid people can be (why in god's name a knitter or crocheter would take a blade to a big, squishy bubble mailer I do not know).  Keep using your cardboard, but fold stickers over each side to hold them together and clearly mark the cardboard to indicate the order is inside ( "CAUTION: NO SHARPS").  I've packed many itty bitty items this way over the years.

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I got a dress in the mail that was in a poly mailer. It went through EIS. At some point in the shipping process, someone took a knife to open that polymailer and closed it with tape. Fortunately the dress wasn't ripped, I took it out at the post office and the clerk and I looked it over closely to see if there was damage. I did tell the seller though what happened (presuming it was EIS that did it), just so they're aware if they ship with polymailers through EIS, the customer probably isn't lying if it arrives damaged. The seller thanked me for the info. It all worked out in the end, but I don't know why someone would use a knife to cut open an envelope containing clothing (kind of what you said above).

C.

[sin-n-dex]

OK, good suggestions everyone.

Still no word from this buyer, I think I'm going to assume no reply by tomorrow means everything is OK now. I did explain the box cutter scenario to the buyer (as to why I packed it that way), basically to keep his stamps safe. So I hope that's all OK. One might not have figured if the invoice was outside that the stamps wouldn't be tucked inside the invoice.

I like the idea of printing up some stickers to stick on (I'm all for saving time), but there's shipping on small amounts of stickers, I need to wait until I order more stuff from Vistaprint to get some stickers made up.

C.

[tarotfindsandmore]

I just get the cheapies from Temu (while we still can).  You can buy several rolls for less than 15 bucks (the free shipping threshold in the US).  You don't need to get anything printed up.  They have little bitty "thank you" stickers you can use along the sides, and slightly larger "handle with care" stickers that you can slap on both the front and back.  This will at least slow buyers, and eIS, down even if they can't read the text.

I've been fortunate that my rocket scientist yarn buyers confessed their sins, alerting me to the potential for more of their kind.  When I ship internationally, I pack things slightly differently ...plainer packaging to allow for customs paperwork and country specific restrictions.