Why don't some people understand that the comics that they list for sale are delicate items? 1 1

[The Lions Den]

On 10/16/2021 at 12:34 PM, THE_BEYONDER said:

I’m curious if you browse their feedback prior to sending this friendly reminder.  I ask because I’ve had a couple of these come in, and it kinda bothers me as a seller.  I take packing very seriously and it’s clear that I do from my feedback comments.  

Oh yeah, I always check their feedback. If there was a previous issue with their packing, I send them a message specifically about that. Thankfully, most of my recent transactions have been pretty good, but I don't take anything for granted...

 

[The Lions Den]

On 10/16/2021 at 12:35 PM, zzutak said:

And then there are the conscientious sellers that treat a paper collectible the same way they treat fragile china.  You do not protect a comic against bends, creases, and corner dings by encasing it in bubble-wrap!    Rather, you attempt to create a bullet-proof brick by sandwiching/securing the comic between stiff sheets of slightly oversized cardboard (that has not already been creased and weakened).   

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 10/16/2021 at 12:54 PM, The Lions Den said:

Oh yeah, I always check their feedback. If there was a previous issue with their packing, I send them a message specifically about that. Thankfully, most of my recent transactions have been pretty good, but I don't take anything for granted...

 

I have always been polite and assure the buyer that I will take great care in packing their items.   
 

But I guess my comic ego gets triggered when someone assumes I don’t know how to handle comic books.

Edited October 16, 2021 by THE_BEYONDER

[BabyAteMyDingo]

On 10/16/2021 at 6:08 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

"Please pack them well (smiley face)". I add a few suggestions as to what that might mean, being careful not to insult them - they have 100% positive feedback, after all.

I have to wonder if the seller did it on purpose. If they had 100% positive feedback, they wouldn't be packing the books like that. Sometimes, people will take offense at being told their business and show us how bad things can get. It's puerile but they do it. I would open a complaint with Paypal and give them a bad review.

[bronze_rules]

If it makes you feel better, I checked out several ECs from the Library of Congress. Many were flaking and close to disintegrating the spines. The guy who put them back treated them like rag dolls. This after I used gloves to gingerly free and replace each one of them.  Clearly curators aren't the only ones handling valuable ephemera.

I recall another time I was in a comic store, and one of the customers told the clerk, 'Dude, this isn't Payless, can you be careful how you bag those?"

I spent hours collecting about ten pristine issues of Spider-Man 300 out of a box at Tower Books going out of business sale, and asked to bag them myself. The tattooed and nose pierced clerk who was thrashing and crinkling them around, said, 'nope, I have to check each one into the system.'

You're not alone in your angst.

Edited October 16, 2021 by bronze_rules

[kav]

"Please pack as if the post office will try to bend, stomp on, and throw at walls"
Maybe that would make it clear to these numbskulls.

[kav]

also
"Ps the smallest dent or bend can drop a comic's value from $100 to $0.  Pls pack accordingly.

[Vixom]

On 10/16/2021 at 1:48 PM, BabyAteMyDingo said:

I have to wonder if the seller did it on purpose. If they had 100% positive feedback, they wouldn't be packing the books like that. Sometimes, people will take offense at being told their business and show us how bad things can get. It's puerile but they do it. I would open a complaint with Paypal and give them a bad review.

This right here.

It's either a coincidence that they kept these comics in immaculate condition and shipped all these comics poorly and not had a single compliant.

Seems more like this dude won this so cheap then has the nerve to send me this snarky message telling me how to ship. Here's your comics pal. What are you going to do? Go ahead return them, oh you won't because they are still worth more than you paid. Leave negative feedback? Yeah because buyers are going to be worried about 1 negative when I have hundreds of positive. Even so, maybe I will call ebay and have them remove it. Maybe I will just list on one of my other dozen accounts until it disappears. 

[1950's war comics]

on the flip side .. i have 100% feedback and when someone tells me to make sure i ship my comic correctly it makes me think they are setting me up to ask for a partial/whole refund due with a fake damage scam

[Ken Aldred]

Let’s see, this was originally a disposable paper item costing cents or pennies, but now this guy’s willing to pay a huge markup on that, so maybe these items aren’t quite so disposable anymore, or the item, exactly as advertised, is important to them, whether it’s by way of nostalgia, OCD, or for resale, and so maybe I should try to take precautions to get it to them with the same presentation it had when advertised?

Common sense, obvious consideration; in short supply.

[MetalPSI]

On 10/16/2021 at 4:00 PM, Ken Aldred said:

Let’s see, this was originally a disposable paper item costing cents or pennies, but now this guy’s willing to pay a huge markup on that, so maybe these items aren’t quite so disposable anymore, or the item, exactly as advertised, is important to them, whether it’s by way of nostalgia, OCD, or for resale, and so maybe I should try to take precautions to get it to them with the same presentation it had when advertised?

Common sense, obvious consideration; in short supply.

Well said. Love the obvious consideration. 

To me that's a learned trait, and well, not surprising not many understand the concept these days

[BabyAteMyDingo]

On 10/16/2021 at 5:19 PM, Thisisrequired said:

This right here.

It's either a coincidence that they kept these comics in immaculate condition and shipped all these comics poorly and not had a single compliant.

Seems more like this dude won this so cheap then has the nerve to send me this snarky message telling me how to ship. Here's your comics pal. What are you going to do? Go ahead return them, oh you won't because they are still worth more than you paid. Leave negative feedback? Yeah because buyers are going to be worried about 1 negative when I have hundreds of positive. Even so, maybe I will call ebay and have them remove it. Maybe I will just list on one of my other dozen accounts until it disappears. 

Yes. Even though the OP probably had the best intentions. When I go to restaurants, I treat the staff with kindness to the point of night sweats. I have worked in many restaurants. You DO NOT want to Poff the waitstaff. I do NOT tell them how to do their job. I tip heavily.

I have never received a comic in the mail that badly damaged. They have all been well packed and perfect. Even more so the raw books. I just pay for my shwag and move on. IF anything like that was to happen, I would contact PayPal for a refund. Also, I don't give bad reviews. I contact the seller first and ask WTF? Try to talk about it. But if the seller has 100% positive, what good will my seeming paranoid complaint do?

Edited October 16, 2021 by BabyAteMyDingo

[Namtak]

On 10/16/2021 at 10:17 AM, Buzzetta said:

Meanwhile all of the other collectors in other areas must think we are packing nerds. 

 

This was for a Toy Sale on FB. I packed it the way I felt it should go out.  I get this though a LOT.  I think that we, as comic collectors, are a bit more sensitive in ensuring that all items are sent out the way we would want to receive them. 

 

 

Thats right!me personally i get nervous seeing the item packed arrive and while opening it tries to see if its damaged or not.once everything was well packed but while going through the border us/Canada they oppened it with what seems to have been a very big butcher knife and opened a sealed mint ps1 game by accident (they cut too deep!)anyway i digress the point being since i buy from the boards here packing is impeccable !not opened  yet and you know the items are safe!and buzz is really meticulous and its appreciated , elswhere is not the same it can be nerve-racking.i dont mind paying extra shipping if it means that délicate items will be better protected.some seller thinks that cheaper the shipping is the better,at least its not the case with you guys, been there it sucks i feel your pain.

[Qalyar]

On 10/16/2021 at 5:04 PM, BabyAteMyDingo said:

I have never received a comic in the mail that badly damaged. They have all been well packed and perfect. Even more so the raw books.

Must be nice, haha.

I try not to tell shippers how to ship. Sometimes I regret not having done so, but the lack of care some shipments have demonstrated sort of suggests that it wouldn't have done much good anyway. In my experience, the worst shippers in this regard are ones that are primary book deals rather than comic dealers, but they're hardly alone. Now, to be fair, I've never had anything particularly valuable damaged through poor shipping... although having to buy $5 or $10 books repeatedly sure makes them feel like a lot less of budget slots all of a sudden. In fact, in some ways, that's worse, because trying to recoup costs on a $10 purchase is hardly ever going to actually end up being worth it.

Eventually, I'll be taking my third (or in one case, fourth) swing at a couple of those books. It's ... frustrating. In part, that's because the quest for completion is a helluva drug, but it shouldn't be this hard to get nice copies to me intact, you know?

[Vixom]

On 10/16/2021 at 6:04 PM, BabyAteMyDingo said:

Yes. Even though the OP probably had the best intentions. When I go to restaurants, I treat the staff with kindness to the point of night sweats. I have worked in many restaurants. You DO NOT want to Poff the waitstaff. I do NOT tell them how to do their job. I tip heavily.

I have never received a comic in the mail that badly damaged. They have all been well packed and perfect. Even more so the raw books. I just pay for my shwag and move on. IF anything like that was to happen, I would contact PayPal for a refund. Also, I don't give bad reviews. I contact the seller first and ask WTF? Try to talk about it. But if the seller has 100% positive, what good will my seeming paranoid complaint do?

Yep more than a few people are sensitive or get triggered easy, whatever you want to call it. No reason to tell someone who has sold tons of comics how to ship. Worst case they some how have no compliants while shipping poorly. You simply message them and let them make things right. They usually have perfect feedback for a reason. 

[Vixom]

On 10/16/2021 at 6:23 PM, Qalyar said:

Must be nice, haha.

I try not to tell shippers how to ship. Sometimes I regret not having done so, but the lack of care some shipments have demonstrated sort of suggests that it wouldn't have done much good anyway. In my experience, the worst shippers in this regard are ones that are primary book deals rather than comic dealers, but they're hardly alone. Now, to be fair, I've never had anything particularly valuable damaged through poor shipping... although having to buy $5 or $10 books repeatedly sure makes them feel like a lot less of budget slots all of a sudden. In fact, in some ways, that's worse, because trying to recoup costs on a $10 purchase is hardly ever going to actually end up being worth it.

Eventually, I'll be taking my third (or in one case, fourth) swing at a couple of those books. It's ... frustrating. In part, that's because the quest for completion is a helluva drug, but it shouldn't be this hard to get nice copies to me intact, you know?

When I find a seller who is honest, grades good, ships great I add them to my favorites. If I am looking for something I message them to see if they have it. I figure they probably have thousands of books not listed. I also give them my email for future business. 

Random sellers who knows. Tons of books placed in a freezer bag. Had books where the sandwich between thick cardboard was a cut up cereal box. Had a guy ship me a 4 figure slab in a pizza box with a shipping label on it. I would say I seen it all and then I get a slab mailed in a pizza box. 

[BabyAteMyDingo]

On 10/16/2021 at 6:23 PM, Qalyar said:

Must be nice, haha.

I try not to tell shippers how to ship. Sometimes I regret not having done so, but the lack of care some shipments have demonstrated sort of suggests that it wouldn't have done much good anyway. In my experience, the worst shippers in this regard are ones that are primary book deals rather than comic dealers, but they're hardly alone. Now, to be fair, I've never had anything particularly valuable damaged through poor shipping... although having to buy $5 or $10 books repeatedly sure makes them feel like a lot less of budget slots all of a sudden. In fact, in some ways, that's worse, because trying to recoup costs on a $10 purchase is hardly ever going to actually end up being worth it.

Eventually, I'll be taking my third (or in one case, fourth) swing at a couple of those books. It's ... frustrating. In part, that's because the quest for completion is a helluva drug, but it shouldn't be this hard to get nice copies to me intact, you know?

Maybe I have been lucky. The books I buy are usually $100-$200 Books. I Have Been Buying Raw Lately Because I Am Sick Of Paying For The Grading And Encapsulation Process Over And Over. Sellers Add Their Cost Of Grading On. Which Means I Have To If I Resell As Well And I Don't Think That's Fair To The Buyer. Even old label books have that add-on. Been finding some very nice raw books, too. I chose some sellers who have their own web stores and so far so good.

As far as damage in shipping goes, I would be more upset that a nice book was taken out of circulation more than the money spent. Like if I dumped grape juice on my 7.0 All Star Comics #7. There's one less book for a future collector to enjoy.

[Fisionbomb]

You also have the sellers that TRY TOO HARD: Bagged/Boarded, cardboard sandwich, in a Gemini, Gemini wrapped in bubble wrap, in a priority mail box, perfect!  .... but they've taped the book to the cardboard with 1,000,000 layers of duct tape making it impossible to safely remove the book. You get to enjoy this AFTER you've cut through the prior 1,000,000 layers of tape around the bubble wrap, to get to the 1,000,000 layers of tape around the Gemini.........

So yeah, common sense.

[Qalyar]

On 10/16/2021 at 6:26 PM, Fisionbomb said:

You also have the sellers that TRY TOO HARD: Bagged/Boarded, cardboard sandwich, in a Gemini, Gemini wrapped in bubble wrap, in a priority mail box, perfect!  .... but they've taped the book to the cardboard with 1,000,000 layers of duct tape making it impossible to safely remove the book. You get to enjoy this AFTER you've cut through the prior 1,000,000 layers of tape around the bubble wrap, to get to the 1,000,000 layers of tape around the Gemini.........

So yeah, common sense.

For what it's worth, I secure bags pretty aggressively, but I use blue painter's tape, which peels off without drama. I will agree that Dante would have designated a place in Inferno for people who use like two rolls of clear packing tape on each comic.

[Turtle]

On 10/16/2021 at 6:08 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

 "Please pack them well (smiley face)". I add a few suggestions as to what that might mean, being careful not to insult them - they have 100% positive feedback, after all.

Someone else alluded to this, but I get messages like this fairly often.  I tend to have thick skin, but I find these messages insulting.  Not enough to purposely pack something poorly, but enough for me to roll my eyes before packing properly. 

For me, I treat it a bit like writing "fragile" on a package.  With that information, people will seldom act any differently after seeing "Fragile" but there are many people who will mess with it out of spite, boredom, or ignorance.  I've found it safer to send packages without "fragile" written on them for fear that it's just tempting fate to add it.  I feel the same about the "please pack well" messages.  I don't believe that the message will save an otherwise substandard packing job.  If they're going to pack well, they're going to do it even without your asking for it.