Your Shipping/Packaging Horror Stories!

[EZ mac]

I recently purchased some textbooks through half.com. Most people send books through media mail. I received one package in a plastic bag, just like osloco; however, all I got was an empty package and a note from the PO saying this was found on the warehouse floor in this condition. Had to contact the seller and explain what happened. Upon hearing the story and seeing a pic of the note, he refunded my money. Luckily, the book was only $17.

TIP: For all you college students, use half.com and Amazon to get your textbooks. They are much cheaper!

Whenever I need books I walk around the bookstore at school and just order with my phone on amazon so that I make sure it's the right edition. It's funny when the clerks ask if I need help as I enter a new book. I've probly saved a easy grand.... Heck my calc book was $100 off!


On topic: I've only gotten a box of built gw skeletons with them librally placed into toilet paper (clean), however because the spears are so thin that all but one had broken tips... Good thing I wanted handwepons anyway!

[gohkmkelvin]

Did a trade about 4 months ago with a mate of mine from Australia. I packed up a Rackham Titan Dragon component by component, thought I did an alright job so it wouldn't get banged up. And wonderful Australia Post dinged the box around so much, by the time it got to him, the damage was painful to behold.

We're still trying to get Australia Post to pay up our insurance claim.

Luckily, I've only had this single one damaged-goods incident with Australia Post over the past 5 years. Did wind up with another 4 cases of lost parcels in international trades, though. But they're generally alright.

[reegsk]

TIP: For all you college students, use half.com and Amazon to get your textbooks. They are much cheaper!

And if they're really savvy, sell 'em back to the bookstore at the end of the semester. A friend of mine made about $200 one semester for selling his books back, after ordering from half.com.

On Topic -- The only weird packaging issue I've ever had was a board game in the box, dropped into a box three or four times it's size, wrapped around in bubble wrap two or three times. Outside of that it was completely loose to rattle around in the box. None of the pieces suffered any damage or were missing, though the box got battered around a little. It was just. . .strange.

[mrsuitcasegames]

I don't knwo if this counts, but...

Once, I sold a huge $300 lot of heroclix to a guy, who then joined the RCAF. He told me to keep it, so I sold it to a guy in Arkansas and got another $200 in trade out of it. The first guy, an upstanding citizen by the name of Travis, got back on bartertown about a year later, expecting nothing. Despite what you all might think, I still feel horrible.

Anyways, I had to ship it in gallon ziplocs, of which there were 10 + a couple sealed starter sets. The bags were completely full and barely fit into a gigantic apple box. 10 Gallons of heroclix! I had to use absolutely no packing material, it was a solid 4' x 2' x 2' box filled with heroclix. The guy in arkansas never mentioned how it got to him (I don't think I even got a ref if you are reading this!).

I've got other stories but none featuring packing or shipping supplies.

[XBoxDude79]

I did a trade here with a guy, BL Books for WM stuff. I hadn't received anything after about a month and he'd given me DC and everything. Status was in the San Fransisco shipping facility. 2 weeks later I received the box without 7-9 of the books in it. The books I did recieve were dirty and had a bit of gunk on them. A shipping receipt stating the box was damaged was included in the box. I contacted the guy with pictures of the box and books and he stated that the box I received wasn't even the original packaging. It must have exploded on the way to San Fransisco...

[kturock]

I did a trade here with a guy, BL Books for WM stuff. I hadn't received anything after about a month and he'd given me DC and everything. Status was in the San Fransisco shipping facility. 2 weeks later I received the box without 7-9 of the books in it. The books I did recieve were dirty and had a bit of gunk on them. A shipping receipt stating the box was damaged was included in the box. I contacted the guy with pictures of the box and books and he stated that the box I received wasn't even the original packaging. It must have exploded on the way to San Fransisco...

People seem to forget books are blocks of wood, with air in between; especially hardbound books.
The can easily rupture most cardboard boxes. Some type of reinforcement is needed. Strapping tape [which has thread in it], and heavy clear plastic tape works the best.
Duct tape, you'd think would, but for some reason it peels of boxes as easy as masking tape.

Oh, since I mentioned it. MASKING TAPE IS NOT PERMANENT. It is designed to peel off. Add water or heat and it rolls off. [narrow, scotch/celophane tape is just as bad.]

[GMMStudios]

Once, I got about 1000 points of tomb kings that were assembled and primed. The trader had put them "at the bottom" of a box that was about 18" X18" X 18". Nothing else, just laid them at the bottom of this huge box.

This made me laugh. I can just imagine the coke bottle glasses guy from Office Space looking into a box and meticulously setting them all in standing up, then taping it shut with no packing material of any kind...

Mine - I got some dvds wrapped in dirty prison garb looking pants - black and white stripe.

[Adunaphel]

This made me laugh.

Made me almost cry...
The guy had done a nice job cleaning mold lines and everything. It looked like a plastic train wreck. A sad little puzzle to put together.

Luckily, of late I have had a LOT of good luck. And a lot of really solid newer traders here.

Karl

[GMMStudios]

Im sorry I didnt mean the misfortune of your models being smashed was funny, I meant the idea of some guy packing them that way and thinking it was ok.

Trust me I feel your pain!

[Ironhide]

Styrofoam popcorn would probably have gone a long way to preventing all those skellies from being messed up.

[montaa]

My personal preference for both efficient use of time plus high protection levels for model involves paper towels and the tubes at the middle of the roll.

You can roll a ton (8-10 28mm) of models in the length of a paper towel. Roll them up nicely and stick them in the tube. Nothing moves so nothing breaks and no paint is scratched.

[Ollieb]

I was the proud recipient of a bad e-bay deal. Friend of mine bought a FW Battlewagon and the sender just put it in a shoebox with no padding. He handed me the box full of pieces and told me that maybe I could use parts out of it for a kitbash. Got it home and laid it out to see what was salvageable and realized that with the exception of a roadwheel cracked and one gunner torn apart the rest of the model had come apart at glue seams. I put it back together and touched up a few spots with paint and took it back to the original owner who told me he gave it to me and just keep it. Even offerred to pay him but he refused.

[carmachu]

2 horror stories actually. Traded on dakka for some ork items, for night goblins. The freaking kid shipped it in a box, just thrown in the box with newspaper. Not wrapped in newspaper, models thrown in the box, with a couple sheets just thrown in the box. Everything broken, and everything badly painted which was not in the description.


The second one was I ordered some models from Iron winds. Love what they got for some defuncted games, but they suck as customer service. Ordered it in febuary in 2009.

Tracking number: 698395760431614

Its been stuck in their Keasbury NJ facility since late Feburary and no one knows where it is. Ironwinds hasnt responded to my complaint of non recieving, Fedex doesnt know where it is.