Note to Ebay buyers

[50tbrd]

It is a sign of the times that we must request that items be shipped in sturdy cardboard boxes rather than bubble mailers. However, if you do not want collectibles which you spent more than a decent amount of money on damaged in transit, I suggest that you make your desire known to the seller before or at payment. This would seem common sense or even good business practice but substandard methods of shipping have become the norm. Even some items such as DVDs or VHS clamshell cases can be damaged through the mail but especially original GCE cardboard merchandise as well.

[TrekMD]

Yes, all too often seller mail CIB games in bubble envelopes instead of boxes, clearly clueless of the real value of what they are shipping.

[wyldephang]

You'd have to be prepared to pay more, but in the end, it's worth it for CIB games. Since most of my games are loose cartridges, I don't have a problem with receiving them in bubble mailers. I've ordered somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 cartridges in the last four years and none of them have arrived broken, or in any worse condition than was expected. If I were a collector of CIB games, though, I'd be more particular.

[Mayhem]

I generally do this, specify shipping in a box if I believe an item can be damaged if shipped otherwise. I have also taken to having loose cartridges shipped in small boxes too, after two 2600 homebrew games (separate purchases) were cracked in transit while inside bubble mailers. Had to get replacement cases and labels, thankfully that didn't put out the sellers too much compared to if the circuit board/chip had been damaged.

[VECTREXER]

It's one thing to ship a cart bare in a bubble mailer. That kind of shipping is usually okay. But quite a different thing to ship a whole cartridge in a box just in bubble mailer.

Even in a small flat rate box like the kind from the USPS the danger of crushing the value out of a once collectible item has been noted recently in a shipment I received. The CIB fit the small box left absolutely no room for any cushioning . the send result was the plastic box ended up being cracked during shipment. So even a box used for shipping needs to be properly evaluated for size and overall appropriateness.

Amazing as it might sound our own Vectrex developers with an awareness of Vectrex collector needs have committed shipping faux pas in the past for collectible items. Some have shipped in less than bubble using only a Tyvek envelope to ship their boxed carts. Resulting lost of crushed plastic and cardboard collector boxed. Sometimes with a request to reship or deal with remediation in some form.


Going beyond the box issue there is other packing issues I have also experienced lately. The cheapness of a seller to ship a collectible board item without any anti-static protection. The the seller was asked to protect the item with an anti-static as well as told to take their time and add any extra cost to the shipping charge. They were also given an alternate method of foil wrapping the item if a standard anti-static bag could not be found. But in the end the seller opted to do some quite to the contrary by wrapping the item in standard kitchen plastic cling wrap. Then wrap in clear bubble and manila envelop. The best of advice offered by me, the buyer, as well as the willingness to pay more and wait longer for shipping was completely ignored by the seller. Thankfully the item arrived in good working condition.


By an large most authors and sellers ado a good job when shipping items. Especially when asked to provide the extra protection and informed of the travel hazards expected.

[wyldephang]

May 11, 2014 9:18:10 GMT -5 VECTREXER said:

It's one thing to ship a cart bare in a bubble mailer. That kind of shipping is usually okay.

Right. That's usually the bare minimum for cartridge sales. But on two occasions, I've received games that were simply wrapped in a single layer of newspaper held together with Scotch tape. Amazingly, there were no damages to the cartridge, but you know I wasn't happy about it.

[woolfman]

Amazingly some sellers just don´t listen to buyers wants, charge a shipload for shipping and still ship in bubble wrap envelope.

I always leave negative feedback for this, since I want others to know that this particular seller isn´t to be trusted.

Recently had to return 3 shirts, as they were fake (not mentioned). Seller initially wanted 100 Euros (!!!) from US to Europe. In the end I paid 50 Euros (still too high) for an envelope (!).

[TrekMD]

I just recently had to return a Sega CD game because the seller shipped it in a bubble envelope without any additional padding or protection and the case was crushed en route. They didn't understand why the thing broke and just said that it was OK when they shipped it. Thankfully, I was able to return it for a refund.