Seller shipping damage woes - advice needed - Page 3
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wrichad3
- Posts: 33
- Joined: 8 years ago
Great thread. Good tips.
Pics by shipper the best one.
Logging how the negotiations go makes for a very helpful thread.
Good to know how the negotiations go, and it's good to have a referee, on a lot of levels.
I have bought bikes and espresso machines packed well and not.
Some pitched onto the porch hanging out of the box. Pics are invaluable and expected, so best defense is documenting on both ends.
First espresso machine I bought on Ebay was a Silvia that was packed with just some wadded newspaper around it, came with a battered box with the portafilter hanging out, dented and frame broken.
Have seen amateurs pack in a way that was almost Apple unboxing art, as well.
Prompt response is essential on both ends, and at the very least, keeps the temperature in the room down.
It's a team sport
Pics by shipper the best one.
Logging how the negotiations go makes for a very helpful thread.
Good to know how the negotiations go, and it's good to have a referee, on a lot of levels.
I have bought bikes and espresso machines packed well and not.
Some pitched onto the porch hanging out of the box. Pics are invaluable and expected, so best defense is documenting on both ends.
First espresso machine I bought on Ebay was a Silvia that was packed with just some wadded newspaper around it, came with a battered box with the portafilter hanging out, dented and frame broken.
Have seen amateurs pack in a way that was almost Apple unboxing art, as well.
Prompt response is essential on both ends, and at the very least, keeps the temperature in the room down.
It's a team sport
One more jolt, Warden. He's still twitching.
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jcswinterpark
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 2 years ago
I am unfortunately experienced with shipping damage:
- Bought a LM Linea Mini from Oregon from a friend of a friend and had it shipped
- Before shipping I paid a professional packing company to double box, wrap all of the accessories and separately wrap the water tray; packing alone cost approx $200 not including shipping and insurance
- My friend who is a physician and runs several offices has a commercial shipping contract with UPS and shipped the machine for me
- UPS clearly dropped the box several times and when I received it, it was damaged with a repair cost of approx $2k
- When I claimed insurance I was denied despite LOTs of back and forth because my physician friends contract does not permit restaurant equipment to be shipped
If you are shipping an espresso machine:
- buy insurance because damage is likely
- if you buy insurance, you need to buy it directly from UPS / FedEx and avoid any third party freight companies (e.g., Bike Flights) because their insurance policies have exclusions for goods that are not explicitly covered under their bespoke agreement/contracts
I ultimately bought a new one and then sold the damaged machine (fully refurbished... took 4 months to get parts) and sustained a $1.5k loss because it ticked me off too much to look at.
Lesson learned.
- Bought a LM Linea Mini from Oregon from a friend of a friend and had it shipped
- Before shipping I paid a professional packing company to double box, wrap all of the accessories and separately wrap the water tray; packing alone cost approx $200 not including shipping and insurance
- My friend who is a physician and runs several offices has a commercial shipping contract with UPS and shipped the machine for me
- UPS clearly dropped the box several times and when I received it, it was damaged with a repair cost of approx $2k
- When I claimed insurance I was denied despite LOTs of back and forth because my physician friends contract does not permit restaurant equipment to be shipped
If you are shipping an espresso machine:
- buy insurance because damage is likely
- if you buy insurance, you need to buy it directly from UPS / FedEx and avoid any third party freight companies (e.g., Bike Flights) because their insurance policies have exclusions for goods that are not explicitly covered under their bespoke agreement/contracts
I ultimately bought a new one and then sold the damaged machine (fully refurbished... took 4 months to get parts) and sustained a $1.5k loss because it ticked me off too much to look at.
Lesson learned.
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rwang (original poster)
- Posts: 38
- Joined: 4 years ago
Update on the current status of the situation.
I provided the buyer with 2 options.
1. He keeps the machine and can get the frame fixed professionally and I offered to cover the cost of the repair.
2. He can ship the machine back at his own expense but contingent on the following conditions. 1. He takes photos and videos documenting the current condition of the machine including any defects or problems he notices. 2. I would refund him half for now and the other half once I receive the machine and verify that there is no new damage done from the return shipment and if there are new damage then I would get it professionally quoted and deduct that from his refund. 3. He would agree to sign a contract which basically puts the previous conditions into an official document so Paypal would recognize the agreed upon situation.
In response to my 2 options which I believe to be fair, he made a few snarky comments and asked me to cover for the return shipping for his "troubles" and I told him no on the basis that I pretty much did all I could to fix the situation in a way that would be fair to both parties.
And now it has been close to 2 months since I sent him the reply and he stopped responding so I think that's the end of it.
I provided the buyer with 2 options.
1. He keeps the machine and can get the frame fixed professionally and I offered to cover the cost of the repair.
2. He can ship the machine back at his own expense but contingent on the following conditions. 1. He takes photos and videos documenting the current condition of the machine including any defects or problems he notices. 2. I would refund him half for now and the other half once I receive the machine and verify that there is no new damage done from the return shipment and if there are new damage then I would get it professionally quoted and deduct that from his refund. 3. He would agree to sign a contract which basically puts the previous conditions into an official document so Paypal would recognize the agreed upon situation.
In response to my 2 options which I believe to be fair, he made a few snarky comments and asked me to cover for the return shipping for his "troubles" and I told him no on the basis that I pretty much did all I could to fix the situation in a way that would be fair to both parties.
And now it has been close to 2 months since I sent him the reply and he stopped responding so I think that's the end of it.
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rwang (original poster)
- Posts: 38
- Joined: 4 years ago
A few takeaways from my experience
1. Avoid shipping large, heavy, delicate equipment if possible
2. Take photos of EVERYTHING. How you pack, condition of the package, ask the buyer to take picture of the package as they receive it, picture of the inside of the package.
3. If you don't want to deal with shipping woes, consider writing a contract to have the buyer sign that all sale is final and offer for them to pay for shipping insurance so if something does happen, they can be the one to file a claim.
4. Document your conversations and try to be civil even if the other party throws sass.
1. Avoid shipping large, heavy, delicate equipment if possible
2. Take photos of EVERYTHING. How you pack, condition of the package, ask the buyer to take picture of the package as they receive it, picture of the inside of the package.
3. If you don't want to deal with shipping woes, consider writing a contract to have the buyer sign that all sale is final and offer for them to pay for shipping insurance so if something does happen, they can be the one to file a claim.
4. Document your conversations and try to be civil even if the other party throws sass.
