Seller is responsible to get item to you, intact. yes? or no?

As I read through these, it becomes obvious that, whenever possible, meeting the seller to pick up the item yourself reduces a lot of potential headaches and actually reduces expenses. I drove from Newport News to just south of Philly to meet the seller of the pair of Maggies I bought a couple of summers ago and even with the investment of driving 12 hours, tolls, fuel, etc (and being handicapped, it wasn't necessarily a pleasant trip), there's really no good way to package 6 foot tall speakers and ship them without damage no matter how much $$ spent or what carrier you use. Don't know how Magnepan does it, but I'm very happy Jerry Norrell was willing to travel to meet me and kind enough to load the speakers into my car...  

The sellers part is not over until it arrives at your door in tact they shipped it and it had better arrive in tact and packed well. Your part is to let them know immediately if there is an issue. Or to not accept the package if it’s damaged. Make the ups or FedEx person stay there till it’s open if you like and take pictures of it before you open and as you open to help the seller with their insurance.  Yes the shipper needs to pay for insurance as they are the ones who will get stuck. Open a case with PayPal & Audiogon immediately.  

ethiessen1 +1
I think most audiophiles should adopt this policy when dealing as a seller or buyer and the equipment is either fragile and/or old or just very expensive and/or hard to package well. I am amazed how many people buy top dollar audio gems and expect it to be shipped every time in perfect condition. And many will not make the time to travel and meet halfway to get these precious pieces. My audio room is my sanctuary away from the mad, mad world. I would drive 100 miles to get a kit of gear that helps me relax and enjoy music!!

I my used audio searches I have found and sold a lot of gear to the biggest nearby city, Chicago. The three hour round trip is no problem.I do not remember where my Kuzma was when I purchased it, but the owner drove to deliver it for $20. ((I remember the silicon dampening trough was full!, IT sounded dull and well, dull. Took 80% of the juice out and it became great. I always wonder if the only reason it was sold was the improperly filled dampening trough. IT actually sounded bad as it was when delivered.))      
Anyway i agree being able to go pick up an item is wonderful. Dropping off not so much. Now I insist on pre pay for a drop off. Driving 100 miles only to discover the buyer /changed their mind, or want a hundred bucks off the agreed upon price has spoiled dropping off for me to a degree. (I told the reluctant buyer sorry I have other plans and thought bad thoughts on the way home. Lucky I LOVE to drive anyway, so on that part no big deal.

It is 100% on the seller to get the item to it’s destination and in the hands of the buyer. Sell at a price that takes into account all insurance and packing fees with a carrier you trust the most. If the buyer does not want to pay for the extra weight or cost of proper packing then sell to someone else!!! I do not need cheap  buyers that do not appreciate how much hell an item goes through to get to them but are the FIRST to complain about every little nuance. It’s up to the seller to protect his own back  which means packing it correctly with lots of layers and crush zones. I 100% agree with the person who said the item should be able to survive a 10ft fall with no damage. I witnessed an entire vertical stack of boxes fall from a rented moving truck used by FedEx during the holiday season. The bed of the truck was at least 5ft in the air and the top box that toppled to the ground was another 5ft above that. The heavier the item, the more inertia and better it should be packed. Pack the thing like it’s traveling to the moon!!! This is really simple. Things go through 7 kinds of hell when shipped. Pretending they are getting the white glove treatment is just ignorant and delusional. LEARN HOW TO PACK STUFF!!! Take pictures of the entire process of packing an item. Sellers are not the victims. Sometimes bad stuff happens. I got a new video card over the summer from a large US mail order seller. It was packed in a box with NO PADDING the same size as the retail box. It also was run over by a truck!!! It had tire tracks on it and was physically crushed in the shape of a horse shoe. We can’t keep our stuff from being run over but we can pack it large enough not to roll under the truck.