eBay

emerald40 · ‎01-09-2018

I buy dime store items from the 1950s - 1970s in their original packaging.

Condition of packaging and header is important to collectors.

Just received an item where it was split down the seam with part of the item protruding out.

In the past I would just chalk it up to it happens. But I am tired of receiving items that were not described properly.

I like to give the benefit of the doubt - so my question is -

Rather than the buyer missing it or not disclosing it (no evidence of the split in photos that I can see) and nothing in description -

Could the extremely cold weather have caused this to happen in transit?

southern*sweet*tea · ‎01-09-2018

If the package was cellophane, yes definitely it will split as it gets older.

The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.

We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell

castlemagicmemories · ‎01-09-2018

@castlemagicmemories wrote:
@emerald40 wrote:
@bubbleman2010 wrote:
Just open a SNAD dispute seller will refund and file a USPS insurance claim to recover their money...
It is a $13 item. I doubt seller bought insurance.

I think what it is boiling down for me is that was this a dishonest seller or just an occurrence that happened. And it is happening more here lately which is making me rethink if I want to continue to buy.

Or do I just need to ask each seller, is there any damage to the packaging or header and risk he blocks me.
Sadly, there have been times when I asked, was assured the item was fine, only to find out it was not fine due to undisclosed damage. Some never even checked when I asked. I asked in response to what may have been damage in the listing picture, no damage noted in description.

So while blocking is a possibility, it is possible the answer you get will not be accurate.

Sorry, I was less than clear here. When I say they never even checked when I asked, I don't mean they did not respond to me. They did, assured me the item was fine, without checking the item itself. Then item would arrive with undisclosed damage.

Once the seller caught it before shipping; she, too, had said the item was fine, but found after I bought and paid that the item had a crack down the front and something broken off the roof, and she did not know what it was.

Imagine that.

So asking may be futile.

tellmemama · ‎01-09-2018

As a seller who deals primarily in vintage toys, I can say without a doubt that the extreme cold is the culprit. We're talking about dime store toys which were originally inexpensive for a reason. Manufacturing and packaging of these items were purposely not of the highest standards and many packages fell apart when they were new.

Now factor in that they are now 40 to 60 years old and being shipped during one of the worst cold snaps in at least 10 years. I'm not at all saying you aren't entitled to open a SNAD case. The item did not arrive as described. That said, I don't think the seller is entirely at fault here. Those cello packages pop open when you look at them the wrong way. There was no way to guarantee they would arrive safely.

Short of freezing it in Carbonite. Like Han Solo.

Joe

vettenoodle · ‎01-09-2018

You'll never know for sure, but that old cello and plastic gets very brittle, it sure could have happened in transit.

The hard stiff plastic used in a lot of vintage electronic parts packages is the worst. Not only because it yellows, but that stuff can shatter just getting wrapped in bubble wrap. I have had some NOS items I took out of the package and listed that way (open) because the package would fall apart in just flipping it over to photograph. I never know if it is a collector looking or a restorer that will be using the part.

Maybe just ask the seller.

If they are not a collector the package could have been open and they may have thought nothing of it, then you have a beef for sure.

trustedbasset · ‎01-09-2018

Me too!

Dear God, please help me to be
the person my dog thinks I am.

coolections · ‎01-09-2018

A 70 year old cheap 10 cent item would be brittle. Yes the package could split during transit regardless of the weather. Given the examples you've shown, the value doesn't seem to effect such a low cost item so I would just chalk it up as part of the trade of being a toy dealer.

yuzuha · ‎01-10-2018

@vettenoodle wrote:
You'll never know for sure, but that old cello and plastic gets very brittle, it sure could have happened in transit.
The hard stiff plastic used in a lot of vintage electronic parts packages is the worst. Not only because it yellows, but that stuff can shatter just getting wrapped in bubble wrap. I have had some NOS items I took out of the package and listed that way (open) because the package would fall apart in just flipping it over to photograph.

Yep, you can store it in perfect conditions and it can still shatter/break just from age. My dad has a lot of old electronics parts that have been kept in our cool, dry finished basement for years (with no exposure to extreme temperatures, humidity, moisture, etc.) and the plastic is still badly yellowed and cracking. That stuff was never designed to last for decades on end.