Decline or accept upon receipt of damaged gear


I'd appreciate the forum's opinion...

I recently purchased a used amplifier from an online seller.  Payment was sent and the amplifier was shipped via common carrier.  Upon arrival, the package and amplifier inside was visibly damaged.  An inspection through the holes in the damaged box found no packing materials.  After taking photographs, was it more appropriate to decline or to accept the shipment before working with the seller for resolution?

allison2

You can't return it to the shipper if you expect to get your $$ back. If the box and contents are damaged, document with lots of photos. The seller will have to initiate a claim and the shipping company *may* want to send an inspector to look at the package. Refusing the package just complicates things.

Refusing the shipment kills the transaction and you can stop payment through your credit card company. Its the seller's deal, the insurance they did or didn't purchase lists them as the beneficiary and its their problem. They are responsible for satisfactory arrival of a product.

I chose to refuse the shipment and cancel the payment. The seller was critical that I did not first accept the package and then contact him to arrange a return.

Thats why there is an option to refuse shipment. Its either his fault for not packing it correctly or the shippers fault for not handling with care. In either case, it is FAR more complicated if you had to be involved because they could then claim a third option; that you damaged it unpacking. You did the right thing and there are plenty of stories out there where the buyer got burned. There was a thread here not long ago where the buyer had waited over one year for a part for some speakers that no one was certain would solve the issue. Long past the timeframe to enforce your purchase rights for a refund. The seller will get over it...or not, but you wont be the one without a chair when the music stops.