• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Ugh... Received IBM EGA industrial monitor... Crappy packaging = cracked case!

E

EddieDX4

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Messages
542
Location
Puget Sound region, WA, USA
I just received the IBM EGA industrial monitor I bought a little over a week ago off of eBay... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290465129335&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

As soon as I got it I felt how flimsy the box it was packaged in was... I could feel the shape of the monitor bulging through the flexing box!! I then spotted a part of the box that was broken and you could see straight through inside.

Then, I opened up the flaps and my worst fears came true... The monitor was literally swimming inside this box and the upper right corner of the case had cracked/snapped! It was clearly from an impact blow to that corner... I am sooooooooooooo upset at how poorly this was packed. There is absolutely no excuse! I paid $53 for shipping and "handling", and the shipping on the box clearly states $39... Where the hell did the other $14 go???

Ridiculous! :angry:

I contacted the seller to see what he can offer. I was so looking forward to this monitor. It is really a great looking monitor in person.. The pictures on eBay do it no justice. It's that almost pewter color that the industrial Model M's are. Beautiful monitor. Ugh... I really wanted it to be ok.

Sorry about the rant. I'm just so mad right now.
 
The $14 was obviously for "handling". :killcomputer:

At least my last eBay stupid (DIMMs stuck in an ordinary baggie) resulted in the seller shipping a second batch packaged right.
 
linuxlove said:
It was shipped via UPS. No wonder.
Click to expand...

NOPE... USPS.

It does not matter who you ship through, if you improperly package something chances are it will not make it in 1 piece.

I'm not leaving feedback until he provides his "resolution". He does state "7 day DOA warranty", so we'll see... But I really don't want to mail this thing back.

I took pictures, which I'll post in a bit. I am about to test the monitor to see if it is still functional.
 
This happens a lot to our members. If you do a search you'll find several threads from angry members that received damaged computers due to insufficient packaging. There is a time limit to file a claim. so don't wait till it's too late. You should get the total amount back including shipping. Be advised that the seller may require you to ship the unit back to them at your expense.
 
EddieDX4 said:
NOPE... USPS.
Click to expand...
USPS? Interesting; I looked at the now closed auction and it said the seller was shipping through UPS Ground:


Though I'm not going to argue this point further; you already said that bad packaging will give it a very good chance of getting broken.
 
linuxlove said:
USPS? Interesting; I looked at the now closed auction and it said the seller was shipping through UPS Ground:


Though I'm not going to argue this point further; you already said that bad packaging will give it a very good chance of getting broken.
Click to expand...

Exactly, you've argued enough... Without really knowing anything. It was shipped USPS parcel post. I got the package, I should know.
 
I bought a Tandy 1000 with monitor from some guy on ebay, when I received it VIA A COURIER???????? it was smashed, but I got my money back, but it goes
to show buying a PC from EBAY People, it very dubious...
 
Maybe we should have a new forum catagory - we could call it "Rogues Gallery" or some such and keep track of the problems sellers.
 
Agent Orange said:
Maybe we should have a new forum catagory - we could call it "Rogues Gallery" or some such and keep track of the problems sellers.
Click to expand...

That's the thing... This seller has a fairly good feedback record, in the couple of thousand. Maybe he got lazy? Or maybe he's always packaged things this badly, but has gotten lucky and this is among the first (or few) casualties.

I'll formulate a more accurate opinion once I hear back from him. I'm not leaving negative feedback (or any feedback, for that matter) until I know with certainty what the outcome is.
 
Given that he charged $14 extra, he should have been able to buy packing materials, or drive to a furniture store to scrounge some foam out of the dumpster.
 
If I ship something unusually fragile like vacuum tube equipment or a vintage monitor, I usually let the guys at UPS pack it for their fairly reasonable fee. That way, I don't mess up, and if there /is/ a problem, the shipping company is more likely to cover it (never had them /not/ cover it when it's insured with their packing). Handling fees bother me anyway, unless it's something like getting UPS to pack it for you -- in 99% of my sales, "packing" involves wrapping in bubble wrap (usually recycled), placing the item in a flat-rate box, and sealing it.
 
glitch said:
Handling fees bother me anyway, unless it's something like getting UPS to pack it for you -- in 99% of my sales, "packing" involves wrapping in bubble wrap (usually recycled), placing the item in a flat-rate box, and sealing it.
Click to expand...

I don't mind a reasonable handling fee. Sometimes people will sell a book or DVD and then ship it in the box their frozen dinner came in. If paying an extra dollar means it'll show up in a bubble mailer that will give it some protection, I'd rather pay the extra dollar. I know bubble mailers cost a dollar or dollar fifty at the post office, and I know if you buy them in quantity they cost more like 20 cents.

It doesn't matter to me if you scrounge your packing materials or pay for them. If you know where to look to get the stuff for free, that's your effort and it's still worth something. And if paying a little extra means you'll spend an appropriate amount of time packing it, rather than just throwing it in a box and hoping nobody notices, that's fine.

The case in question here is definitely a problem though. When the guy pocketed a $14 profit on shipping, then just threw it in a box and sent it on its way, that's just not right. Whether the buyer pays $14 for him to pack it with scrounged materials, or for him to take it to the UPS store and have them pack it with new materials doesn't matter. If the monitor had arrived intact, Eddie probably wouldn't care enough about the $14 to mention it.
 
When I sell on eBay I add a $5 handling fee just for the effort of me driving to the post office and the gas to get there, heh. I don't charge a cent above the actual shipping cost for the effort of packing or the cost of packing materials - that's a given in my book.
 
Dave Farquhar said:
The case in question here is definitely a problem though. When the guy pocketed a $14 profit on shipping, then just threw it in a box and sent it on its way, that's just not right. Whether the buyer pays $14 for him to pack it with scrounged materials, or for him to take it to the UPS store and have them pack it with new materials doesn't matter. If the monitor had arrived intact, Eddie probably wouldn't care enough about the $14 to mention it.
Click to expand...

Hit the nail on the head. This was a rare vintage item I truly wanted to make it in 1 piece (not that I don't care about other items, but this of all....) Heck, if he had said "$20 for handling plus shipping" and I had truly believed the $20 would be the difference between a cracked case or it arriving as it was pictures in the auction, I would have gladly paid the $20. I cared for this that much.

With that said, I did get a response from the seller and he was extremely apologetic. As I had suggested to keep it (being that it's functional) vs sending it back, he did offer me a partial refund. The amount was reasonable and did make it worth my while as he essentially refunded me shipping plus some. He also stated that he would ensure he properly packed any future shipments and his priority is to keep his customers happy. The latter could be seen as a generic response, but I've had a few eBay sellers for other issues not be as "polite" in their wording, so he still receives credit.

One thing to note is that this isn't one of those sellers that holds feedback ransom until the buyer provides feedback. Shortly after me sending him funds through PayPal he posted positive feedback. That, combined with his quick turnaround for offering a resolution, and willingness to keep me happy, I think still merits positive feedback with the proper wording to reflect the situation (e.g. I'm not going to say "Great shipping!" because that was his big fail).

So, there you have it... Rant turned into rest.
 
ncbound actually has a lot of very good items.
He usually ships small things like keyboards & mice. You should have contacted him for double packaging or something. The reason I say this: I ordered a T560 recently (not vintage!), and it came with pressure marks on the screen. Seller did refund a portion so that was nice.

Ordering monitors is tricking business on ebay.

At least it works, put a little epoxy on the crack, and you'll have a perfectly fine monitor. Although is the little badge at the top missing or something?
 
EverythingIBM said:
ncbound actually has a lot of very good items.
He usually ships small things like keyboards & mice. You should have contacted him for double packaging or something. The reason I say this: I ordered a T560 recently (not vintage!), and it came with pressure marks on the screen. Seller did refund a portion so that was nice.

Ordering monitors is tricking business on ebay.

At least it works, put a little epoxy on the crack, and you'll have a perfectly fine monitor. Although is the little badge at the top missing or something?
Click to expand...

After communicating with him, I realize he's a very good and honest seller. I did learn my lesson and asked another seller to double pack a monitor I just orderd a couple of days ago.

Unfortunately, regarding the crack, it's not a hairline crack... The plastic actually snapped/split (bamboo style)... With a little work it can be made to not look so bad, but it still happened due to improper packaging and could have been avoided. Lesson learned for both the seller and myself.

My feedback was positive in light of his proactive offering and his legitimate concern. I also added him to my favorite sellers list because he does sell a lot of things of interest (including, as you mentioned, keyboards.....many many keyboards).
 
Raven said:
When I sell on eBay I add a $5 handling fee just for the effort of me driving to the post office and the gas to get there, heh. I don't charge a cent above the actual shipping cost for the effort of packing or the cost of packing materials - that's a given in my book.
Click to expand...

See, I guess I'm different. I equate eBay to a yard sale, and handling fees are like the guy tossing an extra buck on each yard sale item for "table setup time." - Ridiculous in that light, isn't it?

When I sell on eBay, I figure that it's my CHOICE to sell there, taking the chance that I'll get more for selling my item on ebay than I would selling locally. I don't charge handling charges when I sell, and I don't purchase from those that do, simply because to me, the seller is already making more off of the privilege of selling on eBay than he would get locally - especially when he sells regularly, as any "loss" tends to even out with profits. I mean, if you could get as much selling an item locally as you can on ebay, then why bother to sell on ebay at all?

That said, I realize I'm in the minority :)
 
EddieDX4 said:
With a little work it can be made to not look so bad, but it still happened due to improper packaging and could have been avoided. Lesson learned for both the seller and myself.
Click to expand...
Is there a part that's broken off completely that you can take to a paint store to get a match made? If you can match the color, then you'd at least be able to cover whatever glue you have to use along the crack afterward, to make it less obvious. The sheen will be a little bit different but hopefully not too noticeable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top