Idiot evilBay Seller... Am I Unreasonable?

Ekim

Silver Member
So I bought a pair of hats from a guy on evilBay.

They arrived. In a flat USPS Priority Mail cardboard envelope. ZERO padding whatsoever and the cymbals are coming out of the sides because they were not even secured inside the envelope.

Luckily there was no damage I can discover.

But the whole thing is sitting very badly with me right now. I made sure that I asked for insured shipping. I sure as hell didn't think I'd have to ask for the package to be... packaged.

I'm pondering my feedback options here. I feel like just posting a blistering negative just for justice's sake. To me, this is sheer irresponsibility with the customer's merchandise.

I have made mistakes in shipping (heck I shipping two cymbals to the wrong buyers at the same time) but I have never failed in at least trying to ensure the cymbals arrive unharmed.

Thoughts?
 
If there was damage then you could bitch.
Just tell the seller of his mistake so that he doesn't do it again and move on.
 
I would contact the seller first and ask what was going on at the time of packing? Don't tell him there isn't any damage but now you're concerned that they are damaged (micro-fractures). Maybe he'll give some money back, or offer a complete refund since you're not satisfied. I think that's fair. Hold off on filing your feedback and straighten stuff like this out first, and if you're not satisfied, then put him on notice that you will be filing negative feedback.
 
Send him a message. Rate it as "Poorly Packaged" in the buyer feedback section and enjoy your hats.

If there's nothing wrong with them, I can't see why you'd go through the hassle of bullshitting him and saying there is. If they're not damaged, play 'em and move on. :)
 
Believe it or not, Most people really do not realize what UPS and FEDEX shipping involves.
They think that a driver picks up their package and he places it on a pillow on the truck.
They believe that he then carefully oversees that the package gets personally delivered to the recipient on the other side of the planet.

They have no idea that thousands of people handle each one of the millions of boxes a day while they are thrown onto conveyer belts and loaded and unloaded onto numerous transportation vessels!

People see the TV ads of the friendly driver that takes the box and treats it like it was the remains of a dear relative.
 
I have no intention of lying. But there actually could be micro-fractures I'm not seeing. That doesn't improve my mood over the matter.
 
I have no intention of lying. But there actually could be micro-fractures I'm not seeing. That doesn't improve my mood over the matter.

That could be argued over any cymbal bought from a store though (a consumer would have no idea at all how gear is transported or treated from factory to retail outlet). The unfortunate thing is that if it can't be seen, it can't be proven.

I'm not saying the packageing is acceptable and I'm not saying that you have no right to be pissed, but I am saying that other than highlighting the lack of effort to both the seller and any other potential buyer, there's not a lot more you can do.

Enjoy 'em mate.......jump the "what if" hurdle, if it ever eventuates. :)
 
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Firstly, the Postal Service Priority Mail is the best route to ship anything, ever. USPS treats Priority Mail items like the Holy Grail. Every step of the way, Priority Mail is handled seperate from the regular mail, and parcels ... there is no throwing boxes across the room, no conveyor belts dropping 80 lb. boxes on top of 10 lb. boxes.​
That happens at UPS, Fed Ex., and regular parcel post. Priority Mail gets handled differently, every step of the way. It never gets mingled in with the thousands and thousands of "regular" parcels and flats that the P.O. handles every day. That's how they can get it from L.A. to Boston in 2 or 3 days. And track it, every step of the way.​
The simple fact that the hats arrived to you, despite the poor (no) packing job, attests to how well the P.O. treats Priority Mail.​
O.K. That aside, you can see nothing wrong with the cymbals. No marks, dents, scratches, cracks, flat spots. Nadda. But you imagine that they might have undergone somekind of unseen trama.​
How 'bout you leave no feedback ... what-so-ever...​
Not a negative. Not a neutral. Not a positive. Don't leave any. Simple. Move on. Enjoy your hi-hats. If you leave "a blistering negative just for justice's sake" on the seller, and you wind up playing those hats for 20 years .... kinda makes you look like a chucklehead, of sorts.​
 
How 'bout you leave no feedback ... what-so-ever...​
Not a negative. Not a neutral. Not a positive. Don't leave any. Simple. Move on. Enjoy your hi-hats. If you leave "a blistering negative just for justice's sake" on the seller, and you wind up playing those hats for 20 years .... kinda makes you look like a chucklehead, of sorts.​

Sorry but i don't agree with that. The seller, and any potential customers of his, needs to know these things. Ekim may have got lucky that the hats weren't damaged, but what happens when the next guy that buys a cymbal from the seller gets a damaged one. It could end up being a very big mess trying to get the seller to refund the money or replace the cymbal. By leaving a negative feedback, it lets potential customers know any problems that may occur, and if they aren't willing to take a risk, can find another seller.
 
Sorry but i don't agree with that. The seller, and any potential customers of his, needs to know these things. Ekim may have got lucky that the hats weren't damaged, but what happens when the next guy that buys a cymbal from the seller gets a damaged one. It could end up being a very big mess trying to get the seller to refund the money or replace the cymbal. By leaving a negative feedback, it lets potential customers know any problems that may occur, and if they aren't willing to take a risk, can find another seller.

I agree. Let the seller know that you were not satisfied with his "packaging" methods, and leave a clear description of what happened on his feedback so the next guy knows what he's getting into.
 
Firstly, the Postal Service Priority Mail is the best route to ship anything, ever.

+1 on that, as much as possible I try to convince my ebay seller to send priority mail.
It arrives quicker than UPS fed-ex etc...time and time again priority mail has proven faster delivery (for me) than any other method.

And guess what? The K mastersounds I got off ebay recently arrived in the packaging the OP described - priority flat parcel NO padding whatsoever....what were they thinking? I would never do that with a $250 pair of hats!!!!! luckily they were not damaged...but thats priority mail for ya...

When I package cymbals they are over-padded and over taped....
 
what a foolish seller. I've bought cymbals (from across the pond) before, and they arrived in a package that one could only assume was transporting a highly sensitive bomb of some kind.
 
People take negative feedback really seriously. I got into once with someone. I think "neutral" is an option. If not, then just leave positive feedback and leave a note about packaging. Look at it this way, did you get what you paid for? Yes... The transaction took place technically as it should have. If you have a beef about the way it was packaged, that's understandable, but it doesn't warrant caustic negative feedback in my mind.
 
Exactly ... and there is ... after all ... protocol to solving a problem before you blindside some cat with "negative" feedback.​
First thing would be to contact the seller.​
Registering a dispute with eBay would be "another" step to take ...​
Finally, if the "dispute" cannot be resolved ... then you play the "negative" feedback card.​
 
I got my A Custom MS hats from someone that shipped exactly the same way and I pondered leaving a neg feedback, but that's pretty damaging to a seller. I thought about sending him a note to let him know that I didn't think that was cool, but ultimately decided not to leave any feedback.

Nice hats, too btw...
 
I got my A Custom MS hats from someone that shipped exactly the same way and I pondered leaving a neg feedback, but that's pretty damaging to a seller. I thought about sending him a note to let him know that I didn't think that was cool, but ultimately decided not to leave any feedback.

Nice hats, too btw...

Seems to me that, despite the light packaging, cymbals are making it through okay. Has anyone had an experience where the cymbals have arrived damaged?
 
Seems to me that, despite the light packaging, cymbals are making it through okay. Has anyone had an experience where the cymbals have arrived damaged?

Yep......a new Avedis 16" med thin arrived with the smallest of crimps in the sound edge. The box(hmmm...??) was crushed right in the area of the damage. I weighed up the hassle of return etc, and decided that the nick is that small and the price of the cymbal that cheap, that I wouldn't do anything about it.

I told the seller via message and wrote "poorly packaged" in the feedback section and went about my business. Great cymbal fwiw, if the crimp negatively affects the sound, then it's a better ear than mine who'll pick it up.
 
Yep......a new Avedis 16" med thin arrived with the smallest of crimps in the sound edge. The box(hmmm...??) was crushed right in the area of the damage. I weighed up the hassle of return etc, and decided that the nick is that small and the price of the cymbal that cheap, that I wouldn't do anything about it.

I told the seller via message and wrote "poorly packaged" in the feedback section and went about my business. Great cymbal fwiw, if the crimp negatively affects the sound, then it's a better ear than mine who'll pick it up.

... and that was boxed.

Maybe the post office should keep a supply of unwanted Pitch Blacks and ZBTs to sell to eBayer drummers needing simbolle protectors for postage? Frisbees would probably do the job for splashes.
 
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