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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
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
I knew you'd come around Foster_9. :)
The bottom line is that the buyer does have to take some responsibility in the transaction. S/he needs to verify any issues in a resonable amount of time. Even after 6 weeks I offered to help the buyer recover some insurance money, but I guess he stopped responding once he figured out I wasn't just going to take the unit back and refund his money. I mean c'mon, 6 weeks!!! I'm not a dealer lending out equipment to demo.
polk432
1,142 posts
 
Sounds like the buyer just changed his mind. I would not respond after that long.
whart's avatar
whart
3,217 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's avatar
chadnliz
3,737 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
1,142 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.
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