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Audiogon members poor packing and shipping damage

Need to get this off my chest and hope it will help other members avoid shipping damage claims. I recently purchased a preamp and a pair of Magnepan 3.7 speakers off Audiogon. I am going to keep this general and leave out the member names. Both items arrived damaged and IMHO the root cause is largely very poor and careless packing.

The 3.7's had the ends of the box secured with one narrow piece of strapping tape on each end which came off during shipping and the ends of the box flapping wide open along with the outer box loose where it should have been taped. With the preamp the seller did not bother to remove the tubes or install the protective screws on the bottom that protect the internals from shipping damage.

In both instances I have taken on trying to get the problems resolved, so far at my expense, and I am just aggravated at having to do this.

I would never think of letting any piece of audio equipment leave my house so poorly packed. I routinely take hours to carefully pack and also to document the entire process with digital pics so if there are any issues with shipping I have good documentation. If you read my feedback it reflects the extra effort I take. No one will ever be able to say there was shipping damage due to my poor packing job and no box I pack is going to arrive open.

I don't know how other Audiogon members feel about this or how many other members have experienced this problem but I just want to point out that sellers have an obligation to the buyers to pack the items correctly. As we all know shipping damage claims are a super pain for all involved and especially the buyer. Right now I've got one claim going with a major shipping company and it will be weeks if I am lucky to get a resolution and my money back and also get the 3.7's back from the factory.

Just a ton of inconvenience and aggravation when I should have been able to unpack, set up, and enjoy.
etmerritt33
whart's avatar
whart
1,930 posts
 
One of the reasons why I usually use Fedex, rather than UPS. The US mail is close to the worst, I ordered a sealed copy of Janis Ian's 'Between the Lines' circa 1975 from a third party vendor. My wife found it left tucked against the mailbox on the street during torrential rainstorms yesterday. This is why the USPO should go out of business.
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
I have had much more transactions that didnt swap feedback and of hose numeroys deals from delicate tables to 600lb pallet shipped speakers I had only 1 issue and it wasnt end of world. Its clear the vast majority here do a fantastic job and as buyers we have to verify with conversations or photo evidence packing is acceptable if dealing with newer or less experienced sellers. If you get a bad package shipped to you then you share some of the blame, its that simple. Rant as you wish here but this thread will be lost in days, then what?
You gotta do your own homework or be prepared to gamble a bit.
polk432
1,116 posts
 
You as a buyer should share none of the blame. It is the sellers responsibility to get the item to you in good shape, unless the shipper is clearly at fault. Always use paypal tied to a credit card and have the credit card company get a chargeback for you. When I buy gold it's the sellers responsibility to make sure it is shipped to me on time and undamaged. When I sell back to them, it's my responsibility to get it back to them. Sellers need to learn to pack items (even over pack it) bomb proof so that problems do not arise. They need to be responsible.
larryfontana's avatar
larryfontana
6 posts
 
Mitch2,HERE HERE!
swampwalker's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
swampwalker
5,132 posts
 
A couple of random thoughts and one rant, to wit:
It is the sellers responsibility to get the item to you in good shape, unless the shipper is clearly at fault.
Actually, Audiogon terms clearly state it's the sellers responsibility to get the item to you in the condition advertised. Period. The end. Whether the shipper or the seller messed up, it's the seller's responsibility to make the buyer whole.
After all, we are not dealers selling new product here, we are hobbyists selling used gear.
Would that that were true, buddy!!!
Always use paypal tied to a credit card and have the credit card company get a chargeback for you.
Obviously, you've never sold something via paypal to a sleazebag who suffered buyers' remorse, or worse yet, shorted the speaker terminals or some such abuse, and then did a charge back. I'm just one of those hobbyists like Jmcgrogan2 and I've learned through bitter experience not to take pp funded via a credit card. The seller has NO PROTECTION. You don't even get the gear back.

Remember the U-tube video of the FEDEX driver THROWING a plasma TV over a fence to make a delivery. I once saw my usually friendly, reliable UPS guy tumble a SOTA TT end over end down the length of the van so he didn't have to pick it up!!!

When packing, you have to think hard about the physics involved. Take Newton's First Law (an object at rest tends to remain at rest and an object in motion tends to remain in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force) and multiple by the 20 or 30 or even 50 THOUSAND pieces AN HOUR that a UPS or FEDEX facility handles and divide by the 6' drop onto concrete that the packaging is supposed to withstand. The result in that the likelihood that a delicate piece of electronics or a high end TT gets to its destination intact is totally dependent on the packer really truly making the darn thing bomb-proof. FRAGILE stickers are challenges to the drivers. Reinforce corners. Put heavy speakers on pallets. Suspend items w foam blocks all around. Fill voids w peanuts or bubble wrap. Make sure the item cannot shift even one mm cause once it starts to move, it's all over. (see Newtown's First Law quoted above). PRAY. Sacrifice the fatted calf (or the nearest republican). PRAY again.

End of rant. Swampwalker out.
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