USPS-uggh

[Tabbykitty]

I have to vent somewhere...and I think beta folks will understand

I've been selling various and sundry on ebay, trying to make some money for the holidays. I finally decided to put up two of my House of Koshu Geisha girls this last time around.

These are porcelain sake bottles in various Geisha girl shapes hailing from the mid-late 60's. I lucked into 6 of them attending an estate sale back in June in Cosmopolis. These are really beautiful and unique, and I had nearly talked myself into just keeping them. But no, I decided to try and raise some funds to hopefully get my husband the n-scale shay engine he wants for his model train lol.

Well, two sold, and though it wasn't a ton of money, it was more then I had lol. Anyone who knows me knows I pack things to the T. This package had big bubble wrap on the bottom, followed by a layer of peanuts, followed by both bottles wrapped several times in bubble wrap, secured by peanuts on the sides and between them, topped by more peanuts and finished with more big bubble wrap.

Long story short, Saturday evening I get a mail saying they both arrived broken. In fact, the buyer claimed one was smashed beyond all recognition, and the other was broken in half. I feel horrible, both for them being broken (even though how I packed them, they had to have been drop-kicked several times to cause that damage), and sick at the thought of these items being destroyed. I offered them a refund as soon as they sent pictures...because thank goodness there was insurance. However, I am already dreading trying to get the money from USPS, even with documentation.

So, since Sunday, I've been waiting for the person to mail me pictures...and I haven't heard a peep. I sent them a follow-up mail today, re-stating that I need pictures before I can do a refund. Am I doing the right thing? The whole situation really bothers me.

Well, this and the pin that I sent out that appears to have been lost in the mail Hopefully that one is just late and not lost.

[kamidake]

I had a similar situation, but I was on the opposite end, the pottery I ordered was broken in the mail. The first thing I did was take a picture of the box with the broken piece inside it, it was also wrapped in several layers of bubble wrap, and yet the USPS manages to break it, into a bizillion pieces. The seller basically was able to just use the picture I sent her, made an online insurance claim, it was approved within a week. I didn't even have to bring my broken items to my local post office. She refunded my payment in full and I'm assuming the post office mailed her a check.

I think you need to insist that you get photos of the broken items and and packaging, so you can file the claim. And you'll issue the refund when the post office approves the claim. So to make sure you're covered.

[MyBaby]

Hi! As far as I know, if an item is broken, the person who receives the damaged item needs to go to the post office and file a claim, not you. Once they do that then you need to send the insurance slip to them. I would not worry about it too much, since they have not bothered to send you pictures of the damaged item. Do not sent a refund until they respond with photos. Good Luck.

[cutiebunny]

Yeah, I find it odd that they haven't sent any pictures yet. I know it's the holidays and all, but, if an item arrived so badly damaged that I couldn't use it, I would have immediately sent pictures to the seller. I would hope that, with my feedback rating that the seller would trust me and not think that I was out to scam them.

How does their ratings look? Is the buyer new to E-bay or been around for a few years?

I agree that you shouldn't offer a refund until they either send you pictures or can provide you with documentation that they have filed a claim with USPS. This is especially true if they're a new to E-bay and/or have a bad reputation.

[Nene]

I know it's a bit too late now but just for future reference, a good way to package breakables is to "double box". The below example is based on a certain type of collectable but it's handy for any kind of porcelain/pottery item.

http://reviews.ebay.com/Safely-Packagin ... 0014669952

[Tabbykitty]

Thank you all for your advice. I thought I'd post a bit of an update. It's been almost a week now, and still no pictures. I've sent the buyer two follow up emails requesting pictures, and not had any response. This person is still actively buying on ebay though (from the feedback I see), so I know they have to be getting my mails.

I did have a lovely talk with the oly postmaster though lol, who confirmed everything that's been said so far. The only bad bit of news was confirming that the first class pin I sent out is probably gone in the ether with no way to track

And from now on, if I do sell any more of these ladies, I'm going to follow your advice Nene. The postmaster confirmed that if the parcel can't survive "being hucked at the floor and then having a tv or chainsaw" put on top of it, then it's not packed well enough. Scary thoughts on what our poor things go through!