Shipping Horror Stories

[MacrossMania]

I just got an item back from Japan through the US Postal Service, and the the box was opened and all torn up.  It looks like somebody had stomped on it!  The toy was fine (undamaged) but the box for the toy itself was damaged.  Dented one side where it was clearly unable to handle the support of the force that had stomped on it.  Some of you might think that I'm complaining a little too much, but to an MISB collector like me, that's as good as stomping on the toy itself.  Have any of you had any similar experiences?  Do you have any idea how to counter such an invisible beast?  I've tried different shipping services, pleading with the gods, offering sacrifices etc.?  Kidding.  But I've tried everything under the sun including double boxing, and sometimes that's not even enough.  It just makes you wonder what people are doing with these packages?!!!  Does anyone have any suggestions?  Guaranteed vendors, shipping methods/services etc.?

[wmkjr]

Which service did you use to ship from Japan? I've used EMS, FedEx, and regular airmail via all the normal online retailers and never had a box dented like that. I know that some proxy services allow an option for extra padding for a fee. Maybe you can request that they mark it "fragile" or something? Could be some disgruntled employee somewhere along the delivery chain not giving a rip.

[MacrossMania]

It's funny that you've never had that happen.  I swear to god but I've had this happen to me on several occasions so far.  And I'm beginning to think that customs is targeting me or something.  Sounds paranoid I know but so many "coincidences" and "accidents" add up to more than just an accident.  Anyway, don't know the service that was used, and I've used EMS in the past without this joke happening.  I can request what they use and we'll see.  I'm a little disappointed because I've finally found a seller in JP that has the same eye I do and may be able to find some rare items to ship over.

Here in the states I've had packages look like someone was playing football with them.  Honestly, I'm at a loss.  Anyway, thanks for the advice.

[jenius]

I have an item right now I suspect the post office has destroyed... either that or the shipping label has an issue. It's been at customs for more than 2 weeks which I  know is bad juju. Ship with insurance and hope for the best. 

[aaajin]

I've never seen worse box condition than what happened to me circa 2005..

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/16748-so-much-for-border-protection/

yeah customs can sometimes really screw your boxes up....literally

[seti88]

54 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

It's funny that you've never had that happen.  I swear to god but I've had this happen to me on several occasions so far.  And I'm beginning to think that customs is targeting me or something.  Sounds paranoid I know but so many "coincidences" and "accidents" add up to more than just an accident.  Anyway, don't know the service that was used, and I've used EMS in the past without this joke happening.  I can request what they use and we'll see.  I'm a little disappointed because I've finally found a seller in JP that has the same eye I do and may be able to find some rare items to ship over.

Here in the states I've had packages look like someone was playing football with them.  Honestly, I'm at a loss.  Anyway, thanks for the advice.

If MISB is of absolute importance, ask the seller to pad and mark as fragile, and consider going via delivery services like DHL.

Perhaps ur local post clearing hub could be the problem, so consider bypassing them and see the results you get.

[MacrossMania]

7 minutes ago, aaajin said:

I've never seen worse box condition than what happened to me circa 2005..

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/16748-so-much-for-border-protection/

yeah customs can sometimes really screw your boxes up....literally

That's crazy!  If that ever happened to me I'd sue the feds and test their appetite to entertain suit under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

[MacrossMania]

2 minutes ago, seti88 said:

If MISB is of absolute importance, ask the seller to pad and mark as fragile, and consider going via delivery services like DHL.

Perhaps ur local post clearing hub could be the problem, so consider bypassing them and see the results you get.

I suspect you're right.  Every time I go to the post office the local employees suddenly find excuses to start throwing things around.  I can literally hear them throwing boxes against the wall while I wait in line.  It just makes me wonder what the other people are thinking when they hear such things.  Anyway, good idea, but how do you go around your local clearing hub?

[seti88]

Delivery services have their own supply chain, and their own clearing hubs. This applies to most major cities/towns but you can check with them if you want to be sure for your location.

You might want to check with them too, what other options you have for ensuring non box damage.

Edited March 19, 2017 by seti88

[F360]

If you start to notice your packages getting damaged repeatedly, there's a very high chance that it's more isolated to your local sorting facility, may it be USPS, Fedex, or UPS. This also includes your local customs holding location and where it was staged.

Since it's out of our control, no matter how well it's packaged, it can still get damaged one way or another.  If you really need a mint mint item, then your only choice is to buy it in person, or buy multiples and ship it separately on separate dates, so it will not fall to the same fate.  SAL parcel is the worst, since it have no priority and every other box next to it will be either heavy,big, bad packaging,etc.  It's different than SAL small packet as that have a size and weight restriction.

[spanner]

international shipping has been pretty good for me, its local shipping within Australia which has caused me a number of head aches. I've had packages arrive damaged (including the items inside) which I came to the conclusion that international items that arrived with package damage was done within Australia, I've had items I purchased from the neighboring states (Vic to NSW for example) be misdirected to the other side of the country (WA) or even shipped outside of the country to NZ and even as far as Hong Kong! Sydney's major postage hub is the Chullora depot and I have had parcels be trapped in there for a week or two for no apparent reason or that Australia Post could explain. That distribution depot is only 40 minutes drive away from me.

Even just the other week when I had a model car arrive, the delivery driver walked down to my front door with the parcel in hand only then to tell me that he wouldn't be able to give me the parcel as there was no bar code or it wouldn't scan. So somehow it managed to get 99.9% of it journey all the way from Poland, through all the other processes then on to his truck for him to have it in his hands less than a meter away from me to tell me that. I was not impressed and got on the phone to Aus Post immediately to demand he hand it over. I was even about to run up to the road and lock our gate so he wouldn't be able to escape till he gave me my parcel! After about 10 minutes of arguing the postal system procedures he gave in and gave me my parcel. I still gave Aus Post customer service a major mouthful in order to express my disgust.

Even other postal contractors not directly employed by Aus Post have told me how bad they and the system are. Not a reassuring thing to hear when they have your valuables in their hands..

[Atheonyirh]

I've yet to have any issue of significance with USPS/EMS shipping. One time I tried FedEx after the EMS rate hike and the box was stomped to crap and the packaging to the Figuarts Iron Man mk 3 inside was damaged from the severity of the box's abuse. Well, that and the idiot who sent out a huge, ratty old box like 4 times the size of the actual item inside with nothing to secure it. Go figure the item inside had issues and had to be returned.

[big F]

Every time I've had a damaged package Anime content or not, its been down to the U.K end of things.

Ive had package dropped in puddle out side my house, and the postal worker denied it had happened despite me seeing it from an upstairs window.

I've had a package crushed so they could push it through the letterbox even though it was marked fragile.

I had a package make it all the way from Japan double boxed only to get crushed after clearing customs at Heathrow (London airport). I know it happened them as when you pulled out the crushed area the customs steam was incomplete, and wold have been complete if it had happened after. The item was no longer mint in box, more in box.

I had a car body panel, well packed by the senders, they do it all the time, so know how to get it right crushed on the delivery van, the delivery guy got stroppy with me when I refused to sit for it after seeing how he treated the packaged on his truck.

Recently I've a package left under a bush in my front garden, in the rain, it was there for three days till it was noticed by chance, due to me approaching the house from the other way, which we don't often do.

None of the stuff that's been damaged has in any way been a cheap purchase, the last problem was an Amazon purchase, so it's not really down to the class of sender imo.

My findings are if it involves one of the Toy town little league couriers or Parcel Force (part of the Royal Mail) then your usually taking a risk.

The unfortunate thing is EMS gets to the U.K and then gets stuck to Parcel Farce for final drop.

The only safe problem free services I have used is DHL and UPS, but you pay a premium for that kind of thing.

 

Sorry for the long post but this subject makes my blood boil.

[MacrossMania]

Spanner, Big F, great stories.  Love to hear em.  Sorry, but I just find it amusing because I've had the same struggles here, albeit without the same flair as you guys.  I've only just managed to contain my rage in as civil a tone as possible, but sometimes it does boil over and I do end up having a few choice words with the person behind the counter.  I feel bad for some of them because on the one hand they are just on the receiving end, but on the other some of them cop such an attitude when I go up to the counter to collect my package - staring me down with glowering, grimacing looks - I have to wonder if they're not directly responsible.  I know they aren't and they're just doing their jobs.  But the whole thing smacks of "I could care less" attitude.  Seems like an institutional problem at that point, so I consider my choice of words just institution bashing rather than taking it out on the person.