Can You Ask About Shipping Techniques? (1 Viewer)

[merkong]

I haven’t been here as long as most and I have yet another question…

What’s the norm when it comes to wondering about a sellers shipping technique? I mean I know that the feedback is a place where the good the bad and the ugly should come out but do you spend time there before you dibs or simply inquire after the fact?

I ask because about a dozen transactions ago I purchased about 2000 old Chipco ceramics on the site. The deal was brokered outside of a classified ad and I didn’t have a clear path to provide feedback. I received two LFRB’s via USPS each of which were simply filled with loose chips. The boxes were misshapen and both had their corners ripped open and chips falling out. The seller must have miscounted because I actually had a few more chips than I thought I was getting. There were chips in my driveway from when the mailman brought them to my doorstep.

I communicated with the seller to try and impress upon him that the packing job wasn’t even on the spectrum of acceptability and they agreed.

I pack so meticulously that it made me think; how do you broach the subject, if at all, when forking out big bucks for items on the site?

That is all.

 

[ekricket]

I don’t worry a lot buying from here.

The absolute worst is board games from eBay. Sellers will place them in a shipping box like they are putting them in the shelf after use. Just insert the game into the shipping box with no packing ( it’s already in a box!) and mail it off like the post office is going to kept it pristine. What you get is a game that looks like it went through a washing machine. It’s worse with breakable plastic parts.

 

[wootaki]

I don't know if its a chipper trend or flex but instead of using old bubble wrap or air pillows, all the packages I get use brand new USPS bubble wrapped mailers for protection. Just a bunch of them either wrapped or scrunched in to fill space.I don't do much shipping so maybe they arent that expensive in comparison but that seems like a waste of brand new mailers lol.

 

[FestiveKnight]

I don't know if its a chipper trend or flex but instead of using old bubble wrap or air pillows, all the packages I get use brand new USPS bubble wrapped mailers for protection. Just a bunch of them either wrapped or scrunched in to fill space.I don't do much shipping so maybe they arent that expensive in comparison but that seems like a waste of brand new mailers lol.

They are in fact entirely free. USPS website you can order almost all boxes/mailers for free

 

[wootaki]

They are in fact entirely free. USPS website you can order almost all boxes/mailers for free

lol did not know that. makes more sense to me now.

 

[Phoe9x]

They are in fact entirely free. USPS website you can order almost all boxes/mailers for free

Yup, and you don’t have any confusing on what you’ll have to pay. If it fits then it’s flat rate shipping.

 

[merkong]

Pack them like they’re going to the space station.

I’ve always said if the recipient hates you for the time it takes to unpack they’ll love you for the effort you put in.

 

[demonnic]

I've never had anything from this site arrive in less than stellar packaging honestly. But I'm fairly new and I guess at first I assumed y'all would know how to pack them, and then later I'd seen the threads with packing tips and had received a few packages which were secured like a bank vault. So I haven't really felt the need to question anyone about it until now with the story about a box full of chips spilling its guts everywhere.

But if anyone asked me about how I was planning to package the chips they wanna buy I'd just tell them. I don't see any return on getting upset about it.

 

[CdnBeerLover]

They are in fact entirely free. USPS website you can order almost all boxes/mailers for free

For US based sellers, that is true. Those of us outside of the US have to purchase boxes, etc, if we don't re-use boxes we've received. I do my best to package items in a way that will survive the trip.

 

[Colquhoun]

I'm meticulous about packing when I send chips, but I've had a buyer be specific about how he wanted them packaged.
I had no problem sending them as requested.

 

[Eriks]

I’m very meticulous, buyer is supposed to be annoyed because the package was too difficult to break into.

After having a package seemingly dragged behind a boat all the way from Sweden to Canada and the only thing holding it together was my excessive use of tape, I’m convinced that’s the way to go.

 

[colter ripton]

When I am dealing with a seller who I know doesn't know how to ship chips I usually ask them to use seran wrap and stack them in stacks and wrap them. I will even send pics of wrapped up barrels in seran wrap. In my experiance if you can get them to do this the chips will usually be fine.

I just tell them that I buy alot of chips and it's easy for clay chips to get damaged in shipping if they are loose so please make sure nothing can move around in the box and use alot of padding. I tell them whatever you do please don't just put them loose in the box.

If they are in a case with padding I'll pay extra so they can ship them in the case. Or I'll ask them to stuff a bunch of padding in a case so the chips can't move around and then make sure the case can't open. This usually works pretty good too.