another ebay ?


T

tlark

Member
For those have have bought a engine, have you had stuff damaged in shipping. Handrails, sun shades (etc). Just wondering before I pull the trigger on a nice Kato or Genesis if I need to expect the chance of possible damage for those already assembled.
 
I wouldn't worry one bit about damages with Genesis or Kato locomotives, they all fit REALLY snugly in their boxes, and if they're brand-new, I certainly wouldn't worry about it.

I think you have the modeling skills to glue a sunshade back on a locomotive! ;) If you don't this may be the wrong hobby for you. :D (Just kidding)
 
I have yet to recive any dammaged locos in the mail. They have been really good at packing them, even the ones that are missing there boxes. My last two were my GP9's and they were without a box. they came thru without even a scratch.
 
tlark said:
For those have have bought a engine, have you had stuff damaged in shipping. Handrails, sun shades (etc). Just wondering before I pull the trigger on a nice Kato or Genesis if I need to expect the chance of possible damage for those already assembled.
Click to expand...

There is no way to answer this. You aren't buying from ebay, you're buying from an individual or a business and how it's packed is up to them.

I've rarely had any problems with packing on train stuff - either buying or selling. The only time anybody ever claimed anything I sold was damaged, it was physically impossible for it to have occurred in shipping. And I know for a fact I didn't do it; it was obvious to me that it was damaged sometime after the buyer received it and took it out of the box, but he vehemently denied that even BEFORE I suggested it. Under the circumstances, it could not have happened any other way. The damage was minor, I didn't have any parts to send him which he seemed to think I should have even though I'm not a dealer, so I offered to send him a few bucks to buy the parts and he said ok.

Look at the seller's feedback. High volume sellers are bound to have a negative here or there. But if you see several feedbacks with a recurring them of inadequate or improper packing... that's a red flag.

Most train stuff is not hard to pack even if you don't have an original box. Recently I sold two PBL Sn3 box cars - very detailed plastic models with delicate truss rod underframes. These were RTR cars I bought just for fun, as well as guides to building the kit version. Unfortunately I misplaced the boxes long ago - they had vacuum formed box inserts that protected them nicely. I ended up making a cradle for each car cutting strips of cardboard and literally building a box around the car, taping the strips together and making sure the underframe, end, and roof details were protected and then bubble wrapped the whole thing, put it in with some peanuts in a much larger box and shipped them (to two different buyers) and both arrived intact. But that was quite a bit of work compared to just sticking a boxed item into a box of peanuts and go. Worth it though, because I got good $$ for the items and I wanted the buyers to be satisfied.

Andy
 
I've had a few packaging mishaps on stuff I bought. A couple of locos who were shipped in loco boxes, but not the original box. They shifted around, and stuff got bent and broken. Nothing that can't be fixed, but if they charge $8.50 for shipping, you'd think they'd package it better.

The worst was a building I bought. The guy put the building in a suitable box, but just taped it (relatively securely) to another piece of cardboard which fit snugly inside. That was it, no newspaper, peanuts, or any other packaging material.

My first clue of the impending disaster was when I saw the box. There was a big dent in the side of it, crushed is more apt. When I opened it, the crushed part was in an open area where there was no building. But, the box had been roughly handled and pieces were broken everywhere. Many were stuck to the tapejob, but some were lost. A number of wall joints were sprung.

Again, it wasn't anything a bottle of Tenax couldn't fix, but I was annoyed enough to fire the guy a note about it. Just to see what he'd do. I got a typical response back, about how he always ships like that, never had a problem, yadda, yadda. Wasn't a big enough issue to leave a negative.

Ever since then, if I have packaging issues which results in some damage, I'll contact the seller, explain what happened, tell them I can fix the problem, but that since I paid XXX amount for shipping and handling, I certainly didn't pay for broken items, and it'd be nice if I got some amount back (usually $5, which still leaves the guy some amount to cover his cost). I usually get that amount back, if not all of the S&H, and give the guy a positive.

Kennedy
 
I had a Proto2000 Sw8 switcher come with some shipping damage to the delicate railings and bell. It was shipped assembled (shell attached to the chassis), and it could freely slide back and forth in the box. An oversight on the shipper's part, and it didn't take much to fix up.

I guess it depends on how careful the seller does his packaging. If he throws the lot together without shaking it around to see if it will move, then damage can occur. Honestly, shake it hard - will USPS/CP care if it hits the back of the shipping bin? Give 'er the gears!! :)

Mark
 
I ordered about 12 cars or so from Ebay, n when they got here they were not in the boxes they said were included for each car and all they did was put one page of a newspaper on the bottom n top of the box with the cars all stacked inside and all but one was busted all to hell. I tried to contact the seller about it and no reply so I left a neutral mainly cause I got them all for a song...all athearn cars ...12 of em for I think 25 bucks. Might even be a good idea to ask how they pack before bidding?? Just a thought...
 
Nothing to add, really. 99% of everything I've gotten from e-bay has been well packed. Some have really been overpacked, like it took me a half hour to get the box open. :) As has been said, check the sellers rating. If he has even a few negatives for bad packing, I'd make sure you got it straight about what you expected before you paid the bill.
 
Too true. I've opened up boxes where the item was mummified and buried inside of a ton of styro peanuts, or the entire Sunday NY Times newspaper. In those instances, I'm worried about throwing out the item inadvertantly!

:D

Kennedy
 
I recieved some locos from the group HOYARDSALE a few times, all in great shape. However, last week I bought 3 custom switchers that were lettered for a private railroad.

When I opened the boxes (original P2K boxes) I saw some detail parts laying around...actually, nearly all of them. The 2 boxes were stuck in a flate rate USPS box...which can fit 3. There was no padding in the space for the 3rd box.

This by itself, would not upset me. However, when I took the shells off the two SW9s, and saw the circuit boards were missing, I wanted to hit something...maybe the seller???

Phil
 
I am nervous buying from ebay incase things arrive damaged. A friend is offering me an HO Tyco loco (santa Fe) it looks great but runs a bit rough. I think the wheels need cleaning. I have never bought Tyco before. Is Tyco any good or am I wasting my money? What should I pay approx?
 
Tyco, in general, is junk. You'd be much better off looking for an inexpensive Bachmann Spectrum engine. You can get some nice Bachmann diesels with DCC already installed for less than $40.
 
There is such a thing as "overpacking" as well. I had a single 50' box car arrive in a massive box stuffed solid with shredded paper. In the end it added about a two pounds to the shipping costs to a car weighing ounces, and it really didn't protect the car much better.

Mark
 
railfanusa said:
I am nervous buying from ebay incase things arrive damaged. A friend is offering me an HO Tyco loco (santa Fe) it looks great but runs a bit rough. I think the wheels need cleaning. I have never bought Tyco before. Is Tyco any good or am I wasting my money? What should I pay approx?
Click to expand...

Don't even waste your time.

Phil
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top