I'm such a complainer.

[inhawaii]

Item arrived VERY poorly packaged but undamaged.

I really want to leave this seller a neutral but i know most of you will say ... what's the problem, you got your item undamaged so stop complaining.

So i purchased 4 baseball caps.  They were shipped in a poly mailer.  Not a padded poly mailer, but just a poly mailer. No protection at all but a thin layer of plastic a fraction of a millimeter thick.

I see what happens to packages in transport. They are thrown and stepped on. Often times other large, heavy boxes (like computers) are thrown on top. 

I would never ship anything like that.

What should i do?  Complain to the seller? Leave a neutral? Nothing at all because  i received my item in good condition? 

[inhawaii]

I sell hats almost every day.  I ship them in a box. The hat and the box weighs in at 6 oz.  

My simple rule of thumb ... anything that can be crushed should not be shipped in a envelope, padded or otherwise.  

[upgradedendmills]

Complain to seller and make decision how to proceed depending on their reply. New seller that needs help or old timer being cheap and careless?

[buyselljack2016]

Your items were delivered in good condition.

If they were as listed, and arrived in a timely manner a + feedback is warranted.

Wouda, couda, shouda  are not factors that had any effect on your transaction.

If you want to educate the seller that is a whole nother ball game.

Not my job to educate a seller. Tried once. Did not end well. Pretty much told to mind my own business(in a less than polite way) on an item that I was interested in. Was not trying to tell the seller what to do.  Just suggested that the cost of shipping offered was basically not possible based on the  selling price of the item.  Actual shipping would have been more than the selling price + shipping paid by a buyer.

[wastingtime101]

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@fern*wood wrote:

So, let me get that straight.  Even if you receive your item just fine, if the seller doesn't welcome your critique of their packaging choice, you will revisit the feedback option.

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No. I suggested the OP hold off on feedback until they respond since the OP was considering something less than positive.

Me personally I would either leave no feedback or leave positive feedback, but if the seller sent a nasty reply to me I may leave a follow up to the feedback noting unprofessional communication. Fortunately I've never received a nasty message from another seller.

[buyselljack2016]

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@upgradedendmills wrote:

Complain to seller and make decision how to proceed depending on their reply. New seller that needs help or old timer being cheap and careless?

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OP has nothing to complain about.

Got what was ordered in the condition listed.

[jeannicho22]

Don't leave FB and mention to seller

Don't leave FB and don't mention to seller

Leave Pos but mention in FB that packaging was substandard and mention to seller

Leave Pos but mention in FB that packaging was substandard and don't mention to seller

Those would be my suggestions.  

Your item arrived fine.  I don't really thing negative is appropriate to leave for a "what if" scenario.  If you decide to mention to seller, you could let them know that you would like to continue purchasing from them but do not want to chance a repeat of the current transaction.

[luckythewinner]

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@inhawaii wrote:

i know most of you will say ... what's the problem, you got your item undamaged so stop complaining

What should i do?  

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You "should do" whatever you want to do. 

But IMHO ... "what's the problem, you got your item undamaged so stop complaining"

[divwido]

I would definitely complain to the seller.  Then I would decide feedback based on their response.

[mr_lincoln]

@inhawaii  We ship everything in a box, even baseball caps & clothing.  You are right about how carriers handle packages and Sellers are at risk putting things in mailers, even bubble mailers.  It sounds like you are leaning towards the neutral FB, otherwise you would not be posting here.   Sellers can ONLY leave Positive FB.  As a Buyer leaving less then Positive FB is a two edged sword.  On one hand it can alert other members of potential problems and on the other hand it can alert Sellers that the Buyer has a tendency to dish out Neg FB like candy at Halloween.  The neutral FB might be a good choice if you note the GOOD product but that more secure packing would be beneficial. 

Another poster mentioned not leaving any FB and move on ... that's an option but for the benefit of the Seller you might message them that you were really pleased with the product but that they might consider more secure packaging in the future.  They may or may not respond ...

I'm not a real fan of the unbalanced FB system but respect you for bringing this up in an open forum. 

[buyselljack2016]

I had a purchase arrive today. It arrived in good condition.

It was in a bubble envelope.

When I resell it a box will be used for shipping.

+ feedback was left for the seller.

[ed8108]

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@inhawaii wrote:

Positive feedback has been left.

"Fast shipping. Poor packaging. Hats shipped in a poly envelope instead of a box."

×××××××××××××××××××××

Don't be surprised if you have just earned yourself a place on your seller's blocked bidder list.

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[galfam]

myjunk  I did that once for a vintage bank check from a bank my great grand father owned - just mailed in in a plain envelope not even any sleeve - and I left feedback that I was disappointed in the packaging but a pos because there was no damage -- I got a email from the seller calling me every name in the book and blasted here on the boards. 

[parkersparrow]

When I first started seriously selling I had shipped some perfume. The buyer let me know that it leaked a little in shipping and advised me on better packing. She was really nice about it and I appreciated it. Then again you never know what could offend someone so maybe better not say anything. Don't buy from them again. Just think, you at least got to complain to us. ; D

[goldenmeowie]

For myself, I would leave positive feedback because the seller completed the job to my satisfaction by getting it to me as described.  However, if I have a slight problem like smoking odors, Amazon dropshipper using Prime gift service, or in your case, packaging, then I'd mention it in feedback....something like "prompt shipping, exact as described, but sad that seller didn't use bubble mailer for protection."  It's still a positive feedback and 5 stars which doesn't hurt the seller.  Few buyers actually look at positive feedback comments.  It will be a possible reminder for them next time.

[upgradedendmills]

As a seller, I would sincerely appreciate a note from a buyer telling me they were concerned with my shipping method. I think that buyers should have a reasonable expectation to have their purchase packaged and shipped with adequate padding and care. That should be a minimum standard for all of us.

     If a buyer expressed concern that I used blue bubble wrap instead of clear,  I would thank them for their input and hope that they didn't buy from me again. Sometimes it helps to get constructive criticism from our customers.

     Another way to handle this is to leave positive feedback with a short comment such as "received" or "okay". If I got that feedback from a buyer, I would reach out to them and see if there was anything I could have done to make their purchase more pleasant.