Why are the games and presents so damaged!!

[avatar! | 1,819]

I hope everyone is having a good holiday season and managing to find some nice items!

I would say of the past 10 purchases I've made over the past few months, at least half arrived seriously damaged! On top of that, one or two I feel were slightly scammy - the seller left out some crucial info which I know they left out on purpose - but anyway. Others also having some bad luck this season? It especially sucks when that collector's item you paid well for arrives damaged and then you feel cheated, and then you have to try and return it... SIGH

First-world problems, I know

[360collector | 289]

I always try to make sure I dont have any packages coming in the last half of december, tons of packages and more get damaged/lost. I should get my last ones this week, picking up 2 tomorrow. Maybe that crazy stuff starts earlier where you live, its already beginning to be longer lines to get the packages etc

[Tanooki | 4,936]

I ended up trying on one thing an old game and watch that looked to be complete in the box.  Ended up being the handheld was the only legit item, so it was listed to deceive.  But, the seller was a doofus, their idea of mailing a boxed up handheld was to stuff it in a thin bubble bag.  Predictably, the bag was bent in half enough to pop a hole in it, crush the box, and I mean hard enough to push the unit through the box and manual too.  Somehow the handheld I think was ok, but I had enough, did a return which was quickly accepted.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,547]

One of my Switch games had a severely bent case.  That was a first.

[Tabonga | 2,324]

27 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

One of my Switch games had a severely bent case.  That was a first.

One of the first things I did when I got my switch was to buy a lot of game cases (with inserts but I didn't need those) was because I wanted some spares on hand due to damage in the mail.  I think I got 15 of them and have used 2 or 3 of them.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,547]

Just now, Tabonga said:

One of the first things I did when I got my switch was to buy a lot of game cases (with inserts but I didn't need those) was because I wanted some spares on hand due to damage in the mail.  I think I got 15 of them and have used 2 or 3 of them.

I'll just swap it out with one of my kids' PAW Patrol games.  A victimless* crime!

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

I'll just swap it out with one of my kids' PAW Patrol games.  A victimless* crime!

Victimless?!  What about those poor, beleaguered archaeologists of 1,000 years in the future, who will forever be confused and abhorred by the fact that you swapped one case from one game with another case exactly like it from a different game?!  The horror!  The shame!!

[Teh_Lurv | 254]

This year has been the worst for packages handled by the USPS. Just in the last two months I've had delivered to my house:

• A parcel of parts for my MAME cab arrive utterly crushed. I opened the padded envelope and poured out a pile of plastic bits.
• The mailman dropping off a box with a long tear and all the contents (except the invoice) gone.
• A cardboard tube containing translite prints I ordered that got the Randy Savage elbow drop.

 

[Bonanza125 | 55]

One thing I would advise you to do is either before the purchase is made or after the purchase is made message the seller and tell them up front please package properly. I tend to have to do this with individual boxed games. Sellers like to use bubble mailers to save money instead of a regular box and that causes the box to arrive crushed.  I've also noticed the USPS clerks throw small packages in with large boxed packages which can cause damage if the larger package is heavy enough.

[AirVillain | 490]

Where are you ordering from? 

I find that the website www.sketchysellers.com is not very reliable. 

[avatar! | 1,819]

Got two refunds so far, a few more to go...

[Kalista | 16]

I had something like this happen earlier this year. I bought a supposedly "BRAND NEW" Metroid Dread CE, but it wasn't. There was creasing on one side and I could tell the bottom sticker had been lifted so SOMEONE had opened the goddamn thing. I got $20 back so ~$80 for it was a pretty decent price.

[Link | 2,714]

No troubles for me. 

I did get a magazine and CD sent in a manila envelope which got a big rip, but everything was ok.

[Tanooki | 4,936]

My Genesis Mini 2 arrived today, both (shorter) sides of the box had a nice accordion look to them which shows such care over the 3 day journey.  Thankfully a large enough box along with some pretty tough not so easy to pop for fun bubble wrap was used so no harm happened to it.

[a3quit4s | 4,103]

11 hours ago, Tanooki said:

My Genesis Mini 2 arrived today, both (shorter) sides of the box had a nice accordion look to them which shows such care over the 3 day journey.  Thankfully a large enough box along with some pretty tough not so easy to pop for fun bubble wrap was used so no harm happened to it.

The box is so small I’m surprised it was even able to accordion! I didn’t open mine yet to so how big the console is compared to the box but good thing it’s well packed

[Tanooki | 4,936]

I meant the shipping box, not the actual mini system thankfully.  It's pretty lazy and compact in the box it's just all stuffed in there largely, not much for other cardboard bits to hold stuff in place except a small flap of it up top.  Just a plastic sleeve, two foam pouchy things, a few ties, and then the system and hookups, not so much a scrap of paper.

[dogbowl | 150]

I've purchased so many boxed (cardboard) games and had them arrive in bubble mailers that in about done with eBay sellers.  Protip: writing 'fragile' on the envelope isn't going to help anything.

If I'm paying $100+ , I don't think it's too much to put it in a damn box.

This is a huge reason I now prefer graded games, btw.

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

12 hours ago, dogbowl said:

If I'm paying $100+ , I don't think it's too much to put it in a damn box.

What gets me about this type of behavior is that generally speaking, if you're shipping it via USPS, there's usually no difference in the cost of shipping for something that size regardless of whether it's in a small box or a padded envelope.  If a seller doesn't want to pay for the box, just go down to the local post office and pick up a bunch of Priority Mail boxes for free and use those.

[Tanooki | 4,936]

Looking at their multiple rate hikes in 2022, you'd I think break even or do better with Fedex, and they aren't anywhere near the league of abusive of packages.  They also won't ass clown around like the USPS and largely more the UPS cretins and hold packages for a day or two longer, whether it's in town early but you didn't pay for speed, or because of lazy tap and dash with a note (UPS) or just don't bother and reschedule (USPS) shenanigans.

If they were to flag another push back of the tax crap like they so nicely did days before 2022 (grrr) I'd start shipping using Fedex.  They're neither as close by or handy, they're out of the way, but I'd feel more confident my mail would be delivered and not damaged.

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

@avatar!'s statements remind me why I stopped going to Jungle's online store when it comes to MOC/MISB collectibles. As well as both Amazon and Gamestop for select games that I wanted to collect.

With Jungle, I was told by an employee that knows English that any items with no "damage" notes are in collectible (or better) condition. Lets just say that neither USPS nor UPS could do worse to one item, with two looking like something I could find on eBay.

And with Gamestop... Padded envelope. Which makes me wish they would offer a "collector upgrade" fee since it was one of their exclusive variants! Granted that it was Dark Alliance, but I would have paid that fee just to not get a smashed box!

Ugh... I feel for you guys and currently feel that since Wata is around 80 miles from my home, I should just drop off my submissions and call it a day. When I have the money to both drive there and pay for the submissions. 

[Tyree_Cooper | 757]

On 1/2/2023 at 4:18 AM, darkchylde28 said:

What gets me about this type of behavior is that generally speaking, if you're shipping it via USPS, there's usually no difference in the cost of shipping for something that size regardless of whether it's in a small box or a padded envelope.  If a seller doesn't want to pay for the box, just go down to the local post office and pick up a bunch of Priority Mail boxes for free and use those.

Yeah it's crazy. But some people REALLY think it's OK. I see people packing up stuff in the post office or in front of it all the time, and boy they have no idea how to pack something properly. Sometimes they're just disorganised and in a hurry, and they seem to think sending fragiles inside a shopping bag is fine, coz the post office will handle their package like diamonds. They are completely clueless as to how it works behind the curtain. They will also most likely be suprised to hear that their "package" has been lost or damaged, lol.

Last time I bought a very rare PC big box game and asked to ship it in a box by airmail. It arrived in a padded envelope, and miraculously it wasn't damaged or crushed, just very slightly bent around the middle and in a couple of spots.

I told the seller it was crazy, and she simply replied that the clerk at the counter told her they had a large padded envelope which was perfect for the item, and would be OK to ship like that. So she just went with it.

Many people just don't get it. Even when you buy something for 50, 100 or 200 $.