Beware of Ebay Mug Seller

Beware of Ebay Seller vaporretro.

I won a Mug Auction...paid immediately through paypal, but didn't order the shipping insurance because I emailed the seller and asked if I could send them a fedex ground label, as I have an account. I don't trust the post office, and FedEx has a "no throwing rule" about packages, where, if a fedEx employee is seen throwing any package, they get fired. Also, you can track your shipment without any extra charge, and insurance is included up to $50.

Anyway, the seller never responded to ,my email and sent the item packed in one layer of small bubble wrap and a few pieces of crumbled newspaper DIAGONALLY with all corners of the mug touching the sides of the Priority Box.

Needless to say, it arrived broken in a million pieces. This was a great mug from the Leilian Luau in fresno, CA...now it's a worthless.

This person has more mugs on ebay. The packing job was horribly careless, and the mug was literally touching the sides of the box, protected only by one thin layer of bubble wrap and a few pieces of crumbled paper. It was way too big for this box, and, honestly, the Post Office is a horrible mode of shipping for vintage glassware items. Fed Ex Ground is cheaper anyway.

Also, I was charged $12.05 for shipping and the stamp on the box was for $6.80, so I was grossly overcharged as I suspected anyway.

Here is what I received.

And the borken pieces...

That blows!
I'm sorry for your loss.

Not sure how much you paid, but I have an extra one. PM me if you are interested and sorry about your loss!

PTD

[ Edited by: Psycho Tiki D 2008-05-21 18:55 ]

Oh, I don't feel so good; I'm expecting a package from the same seller any day now. I can sympathize with your current situation, 4 of 7 items I received in the past week arrived destroyed due to poor packaging, very similar to what you've described. Thin bubble wrap on the bottom of a thin box, item placed on bubble wrap and a few hands full of crumpled newspaper. RIP two Jard Hawaii Kai mugs, a once beautiful Frankoma T10 bowl and black OMC Moai.

Update :

The seller refunded my money, and was really sorry about the incident.

Fair enough.

Just be sure to contact this person to make sure she's uses packing peanuts and such when she sends your shipment.

And just so you collectors know. FedEd Ground is WAY better than Priority mail. It takes a few more days sometimes, but you get a tracking number and insurance, and better package handling. The price is cheaper too.

Good information; I am glad that things worked out. I had the same experience with most beautiful 50's lucite swordfish; jammed in a too small box with little to no wrapping. I was re-reimbursed but i have never found another.

On 2008-05-22 11:21, tikiyaki wrote:
Update :

The seller refunded my money, and was really sorry about the incident.

Fair enough.

Just be sure to contact this person to make sure she's uses packing peanuts and such when she sends your shipment.

And just so you collectors know. FedEd Ground is WAY better than Priority mail. It takes a few more days sometimes, but you get a tracking number and insurance, and better package handling. The price is cheaper too.

Thanks for the update, it's good to hear that the seller was stand-up about the incident. I've always been able to get sellers to provide refunds in cases like this, but it still hurts to see these pieces destroyed.

Interesting info on FedEx - I've always assumed that they were more expensive and so never used them for shipping.

I use FedEx when ever possible. The box always arrives dirtier than it might from UPS or USPS, but the box is always intact and the contents minty fresh.

-Z

On 2008-05-22 11:35, LOL Tiki wrote:

Thanks for the update, it's good to hear that the seller was stand-up about the incident. I've always been able to get sellers to provide refunds in cases like this, but it still hurts to see these pieces destroyed.

Interesting info on FedEx - I've always assumed that they were more expensive and so never used them for shipping.

Yes, It was a nice mug. Funny, but most people still don't know about FedEx ground. They assume is expensive because it is fedEx.

It also doesn't hurt that I get a discount because I am a BMI affiliated songwriter and FedEx offers a discount for BMI affiliates, but still, FedEx ground is a much better option than UPS or the Post Office, who are pretty horrible in my opinion when it comes to getting something somewhere on time and intact.

This seems like a good time to chime in that I sell packing materials...bubble wrap, tape, packing peanuts, boxes, poly bags, padded Jiffy mailers, and so on. We ship nationwide if anyone is interested. Anything I can do to stop the random destruction of vintage Tiki!

http://www.kellypaper.com

Thanks!

On 2008-05-22 15:01, Jason Wickedly wrote:

http://www.kellypaper.com

Hey, we bought all the paper products for our wedding invitations at the Oakland Kelly Paper store! I can vouch for their quality, selection and price. :)

I've had similar experiences with a few careless Ebay sellers who pack fragile items horribly.
No bubble wrap, no peanuts, no packing paper, newspaper -- nothing! A fragile ceramic platter was shoved in a box with a single sheet of newspaper. Needless to say, the platter was pulverized.

Since that experience, when I do win something fragile, I usually send the Ebay Seller a nice note letting them know that I would appreciate it if they would package the fragile item carefully.

Bummer about the mug....