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
You are a tough buyer Foster_9, I think Elizabeth's rule of 7 days is adequate. The buyer has to assume some liability in this transaction and checking the gear out promptly should be expected. After all, we are not dealers selling new product here, we are hobbyists selling used gear. I think a week is sufficient time for a buyer to check out for damage. If over a week, I'd be willing to help the buyer recover possible damage claims....but you snooze, you lose in the used market. Overall I think if you don't have time to listen in a timely fashion that should become a factor in your purchasing decision. Maybe you need to buy from a dealer instead of a hobbyist. After all, how long is the seller suppose to be strung out? 10 days? 2 weeks? 1 month? 3 months? 1 year? In a previous reply here, I said I had a buyer come back to me 6 weeks after purchase and say he finally got around to trying the phono stage and that it was not working. It worked perfectly when I shipped it, how long should I wait for a buyer to honor his end of the bargain and check out the gear?

This is off-topic, since the OP did not indicate that there was a time delay before opening his new toys. If the items arrive and damage is immediately noted, the seller should hold full responsibility.
How is it that UPS / FedEx didn't pick up on the fact that the 3.7's were so poorly packed? My local shops routinely tell me the packaging has to be able to withstand a 4 foot fall on to a concrete floor… without damaging the contents. In response I typically tell them to E-mail their CEO suggesting they install rails on their conveyer system. I always go way beyond the bucket with my packaging. I’m sure the buyers must think I’m looney when they open the item.
Jmcgrogan2 we'll agree to disagree. I agree completley that your buyer contacting you after 6 weeks was ridiculous, but flexibility within reason is not a bad thing.
You have to ship things bomb proof. I use original boxes and another box with foam in it for anything I ship. When you buy something always use a CC linked to paypal and use your credit card company to get you a chargeback. If there is a claim for damage, the shipper pays the seller and the seller reimburses the buyer. I agree tubes should always be shipped in their own containers just like the way they are shipped from the dealer. Then double box for safety.
Lets to to the UPS. It is not for no reason that UPS generally only pays damage claims on electronics if the item is shipped in the manufacturers boxes and uses all he manufacturers packing materials. Even then, you have a hassel since older items did not have the packing and shipping standards that are practice today. A must is double boxing and let the UPS store do the boxing of the original boxes and packing materials. So, any buy is risky unless picked up and the seller demo's the item before your cash is in his hand. By the way, UPS can deny, out of hand, any shipment that did not use the original manufacturers packing materials and boxes.