1st Ebay Mug Broken in Shipping

I received my first broken mug today from an Ebay auction. What should I do, TC elders? The cost of the Harveys Hula Bowl was $20 including shipping. I belive that it broke due to poor packing, "it was loose". The mug was pretty completely smashed. I guess I just keep drinking from the bottle for now!

Cheers,

KT

Who was it shipped through and did you have it insured?

It was shipped through the US Post office, and I did not spend money for insurance. Am I screwed?

KT

Sue the seller and ship the remains to Tikiangi. She is tiling up her bar room floor with broken mugs - a floor of sadness.

Yes, I think you are :(

I think this may be a sign from the tiki gods to quit collecting! You should probably get rid of all your mugs. My address is.....

Oh the agony.

I just got a couple of Daga mugs and one had two giant cracks. No insurance, of course. I thought they were packed really well, though, and the box wasn't damaged. Hmmmm...

:drink:

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-06 19:07 ]

Thanks, for the great advice. I will contact the seller and see what they may be willing to do.

Cheers,

KT

I feel your pain...

Hey, I got $8.00 back, I guess I should go out of my way to leave positive feedback. It never hurts to ask. Actual shiping cost was $12.00.

Cheers,

KT

So far I've had 50% of my ebay purchases screwed up. 1 mug I never received and the seller would not fix it, 1 set of 3 mugs with 1 smashed and 1 60 dollar turntable that supposedly worked before shipping that the seller wouldn't budge on. I guess that's why I haven't bought on ebay for a long time. Last time I got a book thru the mail it was ruined by UPS smashing it into my mailbox and all the pages fell from the broken binding upon opening. Getting stuff in the mail should be fun, but it's scary. I'd rather not have a mug then chance having it smashed in transit and the liltte tiki americana left diminished further. If u don't get insurance I think your screwed and all the shipping, insurance etc.. just makes the thrift all that more attractive.

I've bought plenty of mugs on e-bay and have had only one show up broken. Poor packing was the fault. After e-mailing a digital photo of the broken mug the seller refunded my money immediately for fear of negative feedback.

I glued it back together that night and on the shelf, you'd never know it was ever broken at all.

Unless the box is physically damaged on the outside, the Post Office won't give you anything back no matter how much you paid for insurance.

I've been doing some shopping on ebay for awhile now and never had a problem... Until yesterday.

I know most of us have had this happen, but the story was kind of funny so I thought I'd share. A month ago I bid on a set of 4 Harvey's Lake Tahoe tumblers. I thought that these would be perfect for everyday use and they were going for $7.99 for the set, so I bid, won the item and sent off my check. Two weeks later the seller e-mails me that he miscalculated the shipping by $1.53 and could I send the money. Hmmmmm, shady I thought, but the original S&H was only $5, so why not. He actually waited for the second check to clear before shipping the mug.

This bring us to what happened yesterday. My wife calls me at work and jokingly asks why I ordered a box of broken glass from Washington? Arrrgh, it finally happened. Guess I'm glad that this is the first time. So anyway, I get home to open the box, but before I even open it, I can smell smoke. What I mean to say is; this box smelled like the seller smoked about 3 packs of cigarettes and exhaled every one of them directly into the box before sealing it. After removing the box from the house (to avoid fumigation costs), I opened it. 2 of the 4 mugs survived, which is surprising considering that all that was in the box beside the mugs was litterally a handful of shredded newspaper. I have no idea how the other 2 ever made it?

I e-mailed the seller and hopefully he can tear himself away from his smokes long enough to reply.

Bottom line... no big deal. I guess I just needed to vent.

On 2004-04-16 11:35, MachTiki wrote:

the seller smoked about 3 packs of cigarettes and exhaled every one of them directly into the box before sealing it.

That'll teach ya to buy Selma and Patty Bouvier :)

On 2004-04-16 12:29, atomictonytiki wrote:

That'll teach ya to buy Selma and Patty Bouvier :)

atomictonytiki,

NO KIDDING! I can hear their raspy voices now, "Hehe, got ourselves a live one here. Quick, toss in the paper from the bottom of the bird cage and let's charge extra for it. Hehe".

[ Edited by: MachTiki on 2004-04-16 12:42 ]

Must be the season for broken mugs :(
I've been buying 'em off of ebay for a good 2 years & my very first broken one showed up last week. Not packed all that well, though not as poorly as the 2 above & the box was smashed in. Seller shipped it fedex & was insured for the full value, including shipping ($33). Fedex approved my claim & they say the check is in the mail, so all is good - except, now I have to wait to see that type of mug up on ebay again when it's not going for too high a price.....patience, patience.

Well maybe the gods are against me or its my wife. I just started collecting and out of the 30 or so orders I have placed I have had 4 come in broken due to packaging issues. Luckly all sellers either refunded money or replaced the mugs.

I now make a note to request that no newspaper be used and that multiple items are packed good enough that they will not touch.

Now, if I can only learn what is worth $$$ and what isn't ...

Kanaloa, just buy new mug sfrom the Farm and you will have no problems.

Cheers,

KT

arggh! i hate that.. i had a broken mr. bali hai recently arrive.. fortunately only the lid part was broken. i emailed the seller but he was uncooperative implying that i must have broken it because i didn't add the extra insurance!!!
i was able to glue the lid back and dab some paint on it.. and it looks fine. oh well! the risks we must sometimes take.

On 2004-04-16 15:12, croe67 wrote:
...Seller shipped it fedex & was insured for the full value, including shipping ($33). Fedex approved my claim & they say the check is in the mail, so all is good - except, now I have to wait to see that type of mug up on ebay again when it's not going for too high a price.....patience, patience.

When the company I work at use FED/EX to ship out stuff in boxes, we always add two sides of 1/8th inch plywood. Attached with black gaffers tape. Practically armour plate. Impractical for most, but it does indicate our past experiences with fed/ex.
TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

On 2004-04-16 11:35, MachTiki wrote:
...So anyway, I get home to open the box, but before I even open it, I can smell smoke. What I mean to say is; this box smelled like the seller smoked about 3 packs of cigarettes and exhaled every one of them directly into the box before sealing it.

So here's my update;

SURPRISE! the seller hasn't responded yet. huh.

AND, the two mugs that did survive the trip are unusable. Seriously. The smoke smell has penetrated the suface of the mugs and I can't wash it out. I hand washed them twice and ran them through the dishwasher twice. No help. If I had wanted to drink from a Sneaky Tiki ash tray I would have bought one.

Looking like the seller might be getting a negative response.

Happened to me today for the first time, due to poor packing. I'd specifically pointed out the dangers of packing mugs close together so the dimwit seller went with one layer of low-budget bubble wrap between the mugs. Cheers! Lucky just one of 4 broke....

They were cool little Tangaroa mugs that I'd not seen before, too. Bwah! Still, they only work out £4.50 a mug, even after the breakage, so the deal was decent enough.

Trader Woody

On 2004-04-21 10:55, MachTiki wrote:

AND, the two mugs that did survive the trip are unusable. Seriously. The smoke smell has penetrated the suface of the mugs and I can't wash it out. I hand washed them twice and ran them through the dishwasher twice. No help. If I had wanted to drink from a Sneaky Tiki ash tray I would have bought one.

I had this same problem with a thrifted mug. I'd be willing to bet that your mugs came from a bar shelf somewhere and have been exposed to smoke for years.

I used one of those orange cleaners with a light solvent base (do not use on cold painted mugs or at last test it first) and it took out the smell along with about a decade of nicotine stains.

I do not recall the brand I used but it was that "power of orange oil" type remover. I just used a rag and spent a while in front of the tube working on it. It wasn't the spray cleaner, but a remover for sticky stuff. Like Goof Off, but way less harsh.

You might try it before you give up.

Ahu

the only time i've had issues with broken mugs is when more than one is shipped at a time. since then i never buy mug lots unless the seller has a bunch of positive feedback.

if you ever buy more than one mug at a time get the insurance!

I bumped up this old post because recently way too many of my mugs won on eBay have arrived with hairline cracks - I'd say 20%. The boxes are in good shape, so I suspect the mugs had the cracks before shipping. Super glue works its magic, and the mugs are fine for display, but it bugs me that the sellers don't acknowledge the cracks.

Anybody else having this problem? With the higher value of vintage mugs, are we starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel? Are all the good old mugs gone?

Dude you got 'smoked'

..the problem is simply that you didn't buy your mugs from me!!! my shipping record is flawless!! no broken mugs from me, you dopes!!..here's why, and it's an old lesson from working in the design industry for so long...when you pack something, and seal the box, give it a few good shakes....if you hear the item moving inside, odds are it will arrive busted....the item must not move or make a sound once packed and it's good to go....-request the seller double-box on items that are rare or fragile....i also never get insurance on any item i buy for myself on ebay that's $25 or under..only the big ticket items.....as for smokey mugs, be careful when washing them -especially in a dish washer...i have seen old mugs crumble that way, especially the old green outrigger mugs....always wash gently by hand.

The last two ebay tiki purchases were salt/pepper shakers and a mug. All were obviously cracked and glued. We should start a thread with all of the sellers names to stay away from.

well, what did the seller have to say about it?

I know I'm going to jinx myself w/ this reply, but I've purchased about 15 mugs in the last 2 months off of Ebay, & they all been received in great shape-let me qualify that by saying alot of them were from Rum Demon (my favorites!),a few from Munktiki, both from the co. direct & secondary sellers. I think I will take a break, though, I feel like I'm pressing my luck!...Thistle

I've never received a broken mug in the mail. I did get one with a hairline crack. I don't know if it was cracked before or after it was packed. I didn't spend a lot on it and it's not rare so c'est la vie. Here's my dilemma. I thought of turning around and reselling it on e-bay. Of course I would clearly state that it was cracked. I really don't want to do that. I also don't want the mug in my collection but I don't want to throw it out either. A little super glue and it would be fine maybe for someone else to display in their own collection? Is there a forum for giving stuff away? I'll even pay for shipping. Any thoughts? I've bought stuff on e-bay and overall it's a great marketplace. Has anyone else got bonuses? I'm not talking big stuff. I bought a mug and the seller threw in a stirrer. I bought a mug and the seller threw in a postcard. Once I bought a mug and the seller, from Hawaii, threw in an old pennant. There are some nice people doing business out there.

On 2006-12-07 18:21, khan_tiki_mon wrote:
Is there a forum for giving stuff away? I'll even pay for shipping. Any thoughts? I've bought stuff on e-bay and overall it's a great marketplace. Has anyone else got bonuses? I'm not talking big stuff. I bought a mug and the seller threw in a stirrer. I bought a mug and the seller threw in a postcard. Once I bought a mug and the seller, from Hawaii, threw in an old pennant. There are some nice people doing business out there.

Aloha,

I wish I knew the name of the thread I had seen a week or two ago?
Someone else was telling about just such a place, (although I don't think it was on Tiki Central?), where you go and "give away" an item such as your cracked Tiki Mug or better yet, an out dated computer, old sofa, whatever. Then you can look on a link of things BEING GIVEN AWAY if you need some various item!
Very cool idea actually! :D
Why don't you be the TREND SETTER?
Start your own thread right here showing a picture of the mug and it's flaws and that you're giving it away......see if any one else joins in! :)

As to your other question.....YES, I have received "bonuses" from ebay sellers, swizzle sticks, postcards, multi-item discounts, back stories, it's been a good community for the most part, (I've also had a couple of problems out of over 200 plus transactions isn't bad).
I also like to Pay It Forward.
I too have given "bonuses" with some of the things I've sold on ebay and during the course of our regular sales!

I have bought and sold 100's of mugs on ebay, this is what I have learned -

Buyers -

Beware of less than 10 feedback sellers.
UPS = United Parcel Smashers.
When buying more than 3 mugs, tell your seller to make sure that the mugs can not touch eachother. Suggest they use the dividers from a wine box.
Always pay with paypal.
If you have not recieved your item 10 days after paying, file a paypal dispute, dont listen to your sellers excuses.
If your item arrives broken, email the seller, if you dont get the response you want (refund or replacement) in 24 hours, file the dispute.

Sellers -

It is your responsibility to get the item to the seller in the condition they bought it in. If they paid you for a whole mug, they must recieve a whole mug, if not, you must refund or replace.
Pack your items so that they can survive being dropped from chest high.
Save all postal reciepts for 60 days.

Insurance -

Insurance if for the sellers protection. The item is not the buyers until they receive it. If your seller wants you to file the claim, send the item back, you dont want to wait 3 months for the claim to be denied from the PO, and they always say it was caused by improper packaging.

Not a recent story, but I bought a couple orchids mugs off Ebay a few years ago, the guy was selling 'em for $1 each. I bought like three. He says he'll combine shipping to save me money, and charged me like $20 for shipping. My fault for not asking about shipping first, I guess. Anyway, I give him the benefit of the doubt, and figure he must be doing the best packing job I'd ever seen, and it just cost him a lot to do it. Well the box shows up and it looks okay, but I can hear the glass rattle. I open it up and one mug is broken in three pieces, and the other two are chipped on the rims. The guy wrapped all the mugs together, like in a bundle using only a single piece of bubble wrap.
Then I look at the box again. It cost him less than $5 to send it. He charged me $15 for a lousy piece of bubble wrap? Of course I hadn't paid for insurance since everything was so cheap to begin with. So I send him an email to the tune of If you're going to charge $15 in handling, at least make sure you do a decent job of packing. Lots of back and forth emails with me pretty ticked off, and he eventually gave me a little money back and sent me another mug. It worked out to be some of the cheapest mugs I ever bought, but they're also in the worst condition, and they were way more of a headache than they're worth.
Ever since, I pretty much never buy off Ebay unless it's something I'm not likely to find locally.

I just need to rant, and this seems like the best place, Apologies in advance for wasting anyone's time.

I just revived an ebay item, it should have been a perfect Hoffman Moai from the Kahiki. I got it for a steal at 17.45 With Shipping. the actual purchase price was...$5.99. Amazing. Unfortunately, It arrived in shards... brakes my heart. I've been looking for one of these for so long. And to get it at that price...(sigh) here are some sad pictures to go with my sad tale. As you can see, a single layer of newspaper doesn't seem to cut it for packing material.

That's very sad! I've come to find out that sometimes the shipping company opens packages (inspection) and then when they repack and tape them up they are no longer packed properly, especially if there is no insurance....
It really sucks! I know some take pictures of the packed item and send them via email to the buyer and leave a note saying to "please check the package to see if it was 'tampered with' before opening"... otherwise somebodies screwed!
Hope all goes well for you!
Mahalo