So, I needed about four issues to complete my run of DCs Young All Stars and an issue of Avengers (v.1). Found them on ebay for £6.90 ($15.00). Ordered them and what I got....well, here is my email to the seller.
" I received Avengers 400 yesterday, bent double. Bagged but no backing board. The outer packaging (I should NOT call it "packaging") was one side a piece of breakfast cereal box card and the other a flimsy piece of light corrugated card -held together by brown tape. I thought a one off and today I get Young All Stars in the SAME 'packaging' -again bent and twisted. This is NOT how you package comics -cheap but sturdy packaging is available. I will not be ordering any comics from you again."
Here was the sellers response.
"Sorry to hear that the packages sent to you were damaged in the post. I consider cardboard backing the best way to protect comics, but our opinions clearly differ. I apologise if the packaging was inadequate on these occasions. The damage you describe does sound as if excessive force had been applied.
Kind regards,
Nick."
So here is the "card packaging....a piece of cereal box...
Very flimsy envelop front only. plus very thin piece of card "backing"
And, nowhere on the ebay shop was there any mention of damage to the cover of one of the YAS issues -someone obviously tore off a price label.
Does my idea of packaging differ from hp.*saucy (Nicholas Thompson) ? Yes. Most people selling comics know to protect them so I'm sticking with the two sellers I know. And the package only cost £1.24 ($2.00) -cheap because it was not a protected packed just soft -soft- flimsy card and the back of an old brown envelope held together by peeling parcel tape.
" I received Avengers 400 yesterday, bent double. Bagged but no backing board. The outer packaging (I should NOT call it "packaging") was one side a piece of breakfast cereal box card and the other a flimsy piece of light corrugated card -held together by brown tape. I thought a one off and today I get Young All Stars in the SAME 'packaging' -again bent and twisted. This is NOT how you package comics -cheap but sturdy packaging is available. I will not be ordering any comics from you again."
Here was the sellers response.
"Sorry to hear that the packages sent to you were damaged in the post. I consider cardboard backing the best way to protect comics, but our opinions clearly differ. I apologise if the packaging was inadequate on these occasions. The damage you describe does sound as if excessive force had been applied.
Kind regards,
Nick."
So here is the "card packaging....a piece of cereal box...
And, of course, the main 'heavy' protection that allowed the books to be bent with no problem.
And, nowhere on the ebay shop was there any mention of damage to the cover of one of the YAS issues -someone obviously tore off a price label.
Does my idea of packaging differ from hp.*saucy (Nicholas Thompson) ? Yes. Most people selling comics know to protect them so I'm sticking with the two sellers I know. And the package only cost £1.24 ($2.00) -cheap because it was not a protected packed just soft -soft- flimsy card and the back of an old brown envelope held together by peeling parcel tape.
A case of Caveat emptor -"Let the buyer beware" but it happens when in a major city there is no comic shop selling back issues!
Sadly, some people just don't seem to have a clue when it comes to packing stuff in such a way that will actually offer protection. Having said that, I've received stuff that WAS well-packed, but the Royal Mail still managed to find a way to damage it.
ReplyDeleteThis person is, supposedly, an "experienced seller" When I got the envelope it was bent and the tape coming off (very cheap tape) and I thought someone had just sent me some documents! It would have been more secure to pop the comic in a cheap Poundland A4 envelope and send it. Soft, corrugated card that is designed to bend is not protection. I was going to just let it go but the arrogance of "its the post offices fault!" and "our idea of protection differs" just pissed me off. He has negative feedback now on ebay. I never even noticed the big piece torn off the surface on the one comic. One day....
ReplyDeleteOpen a case of 'not as described' clearly tell the seller he is responsible for the return postage as the fault is his. He'll argue this of course. The thing to remember here is that ebay will almost certainly side with you, as long as you have proof that you returned 'something' he can't argue and he'll need to refund you. It should also be noted that many ebay sellers don't realise that the p&p charges are for the envelope and everything else it takes to send out your items, many believe that the postage charges are just for postage ( they're not ) and skimp on packing and use anything they think will work....he mistakenly believes that his packing methods are adequate because very few will actually complain. How about you 'out' the seller here so we can all avoid him :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I have had comics just shoved into a brown envelope, mail order plastic returns bag and from one store which has been around since the 1980s, two pieces of card with brown tape all around the edges -that took me 15 minutes to open so I didn't cut the comic! This guy -just high-lighted hid ebay/real name -it SHOULD have been visible but.... I have returned items that sellers "have not received" so now I give them a chance and then out them., A comic with cover damage is now "Good/VG" -oh, and avoid Newkadia in the US!!!!!
ReplyDelete