A call to arms--? And a passionate plea to all who mail comics...PLEASE pkg SAFE

[Rich_Henn]

Today I came home from work to discover that TWO packages (or envelopes really) that were mailed to me with comics that I had purchased...one from a board member, another from a win on Ebay....were completely FUBAR.

 

The one that came from some shmoo on Ebay...who obviously has no care in how he mails comics...was destroyed beyond belief.

 

A flimsy cardboard mailer, and inside was the comic book...not even a bag and board to protect it.

The pkg. had been smashed, bent...and RAINED on.

Completely destroyed.

 

My only consulation was that I didn't pay more than $15 for the book.

But not the point. Had this been a $50 or $100 comic.....you know what I mean?

 

Even the most chinsey of sellers can at least be bothered to put the book in a bag and board and secure it with cardboard so it won't get F...Ked.

 

Another comic came from a board member, and while not completely destroyed, it arrived in less than desireable conditions.

 

While it did have cardboard support, the paper envelope that it had been in was torn, wet and mositure was seeping into the comic.

THe only thing that kept it from being screwed beyond repair was the bag and board.

 

SO PLEASE....to all board members, I know there isn't a soul out there reading this who would want to receive their books all smashed to s h ..T.

 

Take the same consideration when you package your books out to people like me who really expect to get what we pay for.

 

The post office offers 1st class priority boxes for FREE (small example).

 

Rant done.

Thanks.

[arexcrooke]

Rich,

sorry to hear about that.

The easiest thing Ive ever done is go to usps.com and order some of the priority boxes and flat rate envelopes. Makes thing much much easier on sellers.

Arex

[ArAich]

[Anfield Fox]

So who is the board member? I think it's your duty to tell us

[divad]

So who is the board member? I think it's your duty to tell us

 

I can tell you who it wasn't . . .

[arexcrooke]

So who is the board member? I think it's your duty to tell us

No. It is not his duty to tell us. There are so many factors that go into the story. I am also not saying that I dont believe Rich.

I just dont think that we need to know. The post here (and the PM's that I assume Rich has sent) should take care/improve on this board members packing.

The last thing that is needed is this to become public.

[Rich_Henn]

No, no....I don't need to "out" a board member.

 

We've talked, a simple misunderstanding....this person did honestly try to ensure safe arrival.

 

We've PM'd and everything is cool as ice.

 

My real frustration was with the Ebay person who didn't attempt to take any care at all in packaging.

 

And even that person has emailed me back to say they would refund the money.

 

I am, however, issuing a complaint with my post office because my mail carrier didn't do anything to help the situation.

 

And this is NOT the first time my mail carrier has done something like this.

Which is unfortunate because I'm stuck with my mail carrier.

[Underdog]

Rich, if you are going to issue the complaint, the most effective way to get a response is to dial 1-800-ask-usps, and be sure to wait until you get a confirmation number. These are recorded and the postmaster must respond to the complaint.

[towards2112]

Dang Rich,

You really should hang the mailer out to dry. There are

quite a few board members here who have little else to

do other than to pile on to the latest guilty party.

I mean seriously, why else is there a forum...

[uclapeterg]

So who is the board member? I think it's your duty to tell us

 

I can tell you who it wasn't . . .

 

It wasn't Rich.

[followtheleader]

Same thing happened to me from a Board member. And it was in the $50-100 range you are talking about. Needless to say, I wasn't too pleased. Especially since they didn't offer to help with the matter. I'm curious to know if it's the same person. PM me, I won't publicly publish the individual's name.

 

Pat

[The Troll King]

I feel for you Rich! I received a GSX#1 from one of those eBay drop-off consignment stores and they sent it in a FLIMSY DHL soft pack with no bag, no board, no cardboard to reinforce the package, nothing!

 

It looked like the package had been stepped on and dropped in a puddle because it was a little muddy on the edge.

 

The package could have been wabbed up the way it was packed.

 

To make matters WORSE (as if it could get worse) they sent me a DIFFERENT comic then the one they had pictured!

 

I'm still trying to resolve it.

 

[Anfield Fox]

LMAO. I've JUST (like 5 minutes ago) received a book in the mail. It's in a manila envelope with no cardboard or bublle wrap and is bent to shreds. I'm too scared to open it just in case it's the book im hoping it's not. I need some vodka to get me through this one.

[Johnny G]

Same thing happened to me from a Board member. And it was in the $50-100 range you are talking about. Needless to say, I wasn't too pleased. Especially since they didn't offer to help with the matter. I'm curious to know if it's the same person. PM me, I won't publicly publish the individual's name.

 

Pat

 

I don't know about anyone else, but if I'm buying books off of here (which I do quite frequently), I sure would like to know about other's bad experiences! I mean no-one has a problem bashing some poor shmuck on eBay because he has a small scan, or charged $10 to ship a book, or what the ever!! Why shouldn't we do the same here for matters like this? Because they are a "board member"... what a joke! For all you know, the same person who you just bashed in the general forum is the same guy you are buying a book from in the marketplace!

 

I'd be mighty peaved to buy a $100+ book from a forum member only to have it show up looking like something you'd train your pet on! Then coming on here and telling people about it and hearing " I could have told you that from experience!" would make me want to explode!

 

I think if you have something to say, say it! Don't pussyfoot around it by saying "I had a similar experience with a board member, who I don't want to mention"!!!

 

Man...

 

What a joke!

 

John

[osborn_fr]

Agree with Johnny G.

We should have a "Bad sellers Forumites I've Worked With!" thread.

 

Now, who'll dare open it ?

[Anfield Fox]

Agreed. Whenever i receive a bad package on eBay i will contact the seller and try to amicably resolve the matter. More often then not people are sincere and apologetic and these things are very easy to resolve. We all make mistakes but it's what we do afterwards that matters most. If the seller put things right then i will leave something factual along the lines of "Great seller. Not the best packaging but seller sent refund and apologised. A credit to eBay".

 

I don't see why the same can't apply to these boards. I spend some serious cash here and would like to know if my money is in good hands. The whole "lighthouse" situation would never have happened if everything was out in the open.

[bigfiver69]

Hi guys,

 

This is an important thread. I've bought and sold books on this forum, and thankfully all the deals have been good and the books have arrived (on both ends) safe and sound.

 

Maybe this is a good place to establish some baselines for shipping books? For what it's worth, here are mine.

 

Whenever I ship a CGC book, it goes in a box protected by bubble wrap. No exceptions.

 

When I ship one or two books, they are obviously bagged and boarded. The are they sandwiched between two pieces of heavy cardboard, inserted in an envelope and shipped.

 

3 - 8 books. All books bagged and boarded, and then the lot are put in a larger clear plastic bag. This is then taped into a 'block', which is then sandwiched between heavy card. For these, I typically use a bubble mailer.

 

More books than that... I make 'blocks' of ten as described, and then put them in a box with bubble wrap or shipping styro-pills.

 

Best shipping on the boards that I have seen? Lots of guys are great, but Nikos and Sterling are kings... those packs are bomb proof.

 

There's a simple answer for forumites (and ebay). When you buy a book, give precise instructions to the seller on how you want the book packed, and offer an extra buck or two for their trouble. It's a small price to pay to ensure your books arrive ship-shape.

 

Shep

[CatskillMike]

Yes, how about a feedback thread pinned to the top of the wtb/sell forum page? It probably doesn't even need to be pinned to the top; it should stay there by itself, naturally. I've only bought 4 times here on the forum and all was good, but I'm just getting started. I now prefer to buy here rather than ebay. I'm feeling rather unfufilled from there lately. It should be feedback good and bad, so as to be fair and not create a thread just for flaming. This would also help out along the lines of the seller trying to set things right if something went wrong. Like total or partial refunds and such. Just my 2 cents worth

[Anfield Fox]

LMAO. I've JUST (like 5 minutes ago) received a book in the mail. It's in a manila envelope with no cardboard or bublle wrap and is bent to shreds. I'm too scared to open it just in case it's the book im hoping it's not. I need some vodka to get me through this one.

 

Well i just checked the book out. Thankfully it was just a 2 dollar eBay purchase and nothing of great value. It still really annoys me as the book is now all but ruined and not fit for the reason it was bought. It came with no bag, no board, no protection whatsoever. Just thrown into a manila envelope and now it will probably be thrown into the bin.

[Pirate]

What annoys me is the ebay buyer who sends me the detailed email on how to package their books.