I've got a better idea.
If seller won't detail postage methods, give the
transaction the flick. More often than not, every
seller that has said they "package well" packages in
the garden variety CRAP manner. You'll get a crappy
tube, or some crappy cardboard, and zero inner
packaging, and at the end of it, you'll end up with
some paper you can line the cat's litter tray with.
Me, I worry "is my packaging good enough"? Even though
I use 4 bits of card! I probably don't do enough, to
be honest, but I package better than almost all of the
stuff I get in the mail.
Natalie (burnt way too many times to be bothered
anymore)
--- David Kuspa <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> In the past, when the seller contacted me directly
> after an auction ended,
> I'd make the payment and if it was a seller I hadn't
> purchased from before,
> I'd send a payment notice along with instructions
> describing proper
> packaging to safeguard the poster. I'd often include
> a few bucks more as a
> goodwill gesture to ensure proper packaging
> materials and care (I forget who
> suggested this here on MOPO--thanks for the idea!).
> More often now, sellers
> don't contact me directly, relying on Ebay checkout,
> and Ebay's seller
> contact tools ("ask seller a question", "request
> total from seller", etc.)
> only allow limited length messages. So I can't copy
> my packaging
> instructions into their text boxes because it's too
> long. And I can't
> arbitrarily add a token amount for shipping/handling
> unless the seller adds
> it into the charges first. I know, I could ask the
> seller to contact me with
> a direct email address, but I've gotten lax over the
> past year.
>
> Just last week, a seller sent a folded poster to me
> in one of those thin
> party gift envelopes with gift wrapping on the
> outside, and a very thin
> layer of tiny bubble-wrap on the inside. It was
> actually more floppy than a
> plain paper manilla envelope, and without any
> cardboard to stiffen it. I
> paid $10 for Priority Mail with insurance, but it
> was shipped regular mail
> without insurance for $1.35 (seller claimed his
> girlfriend didn't follow his
> instructions). My mailman folded up this floppy
> envelope and jammed it
> inside my mailbox along with a bunch of other mail.
> Needless to say, I had
> no idea how many of the numerous folds and wrinkles
> were already present
> before the seller shipped it out. I'll give this
> seller the benefit of a
> doubt since he did accept my return and has issued a
> refund.
>
> The incident reminded me that I need to be more
> consistent in sending out my
> shipping/packaging instructions to sellers I've
> never purchased from before.
> Some one-time or occasional sellers truly don't have
> a clue and I've had a
> number of positive responses from sellers who wrote
> that they appreciated
> receiving it. I think only once or twice out of many
> hundreds of
> transactions have I received a poorly packaged or
> damaged poster from a
> seller I had sent these instructions to at the close
> of auction. My
> packaging instructions are copied below (some of the
> sellers on this list
> have no doubt received it from me). Fellow
> collectors, feel free to use it
> or revise it as you like.
>
> -_David
>
>
> *******************
>
> RE: Ebay item #
>
> Hello,
>
> I just submitted payment for $
>
> Please ship to:
>
> (your address)
>
> After a couple of bad experiences, I'd like your
> assurance that you package
> and ship your posters appropriately. DEALERS AND
> OTHER EXPERIENCED POSTER
> SHIPPERS, DO NOT TAKE OFFENSE--a simple
> acknowledgement that you will pack
> adequately is all I'm asking for. SHIPPERS WHO ARE
> UNFAMILIAR WITH THESE
> SIMPLE GUIDELINES AND PRECAUTIONS, PLEASE
> READ--you'll save yourself a lot
> of potential headaches, and your customers will
> reward you with positive
> feedback.
>
> IF YOU DIDN'T INCLUDE PROPER PACKING MATERIALS IN
> YOUR SHIPPING CHARGES, I
> WILL GLADLY PAY THE DIFFERENCE.
>
> Standard Folded Posters:
> -----------------------------
> Most poster dealers know how to properly package a
> paper poster to reduce
> the chances of damage in transit. For those who
> don't, if you must use your
> own packaging, you should always carefully sandwich
> a folded poster between
> at least two sheets of sturdy corrugated cardboard
> and write or stamp "DO
> NOT BEND" all over the outside envelope. In my
> experience, the U.S. Postal
> Service is really good about obeying this demand! If
> you don't put it inside
> a cardboard sandwich, it will be folded up and
> jammed into the mailbox. If
> you don't have a plastic poster sleeve to protect it
> from getting wet, wrap
> the cardboard sandwich in saran wrap so it will at
> least be water resistant.
> The majority of movie poster sellers that I have
> received posters from use a
> regular USPS Priority Mail box. They first sandwich
> the folded paper poster
> securely between cardboard (usually cut from another
> free Priority Mail
> box), then place the sandwich inside the Priority
> Mail box, using crumpled
> paper to prevent it from moving around inside. Some
> slide the cardboard
> sandwich into an unassembled Priority Box, leaving
> it flat, and have "DO NOT
> BEND" stamped all over it. This is not as safe as
> putting a cardboard
> sandwich inside an assembled Priority Box, but if
> you must do it this way,
> DO NOT REMOVE THE WAX PAPER STRIPS OVER THE BOX'S
> SELF-ADHESIVE TABS! Leave
> them alone and seal the flat box ends with packing
> tape on the outside only.
> Better yet, run a piece of clear packing tape over
> the adhesive strips to
> make sure the wax paper doesn't come off. If you
> remove the wax strips from
> the adhesive tabs to seal the ends, the poster will
> wiggle in there and
> become stuck to the adhesive, making it difficult to
> remove and damage to
> the poster can occur while trying to open the
> package.
>
> Tri-folded Posters:
> ---------------------
> Tri-folds are desirable precisely because they lack
> the additional fold down
> the vertical center. Obviously, they should not be
> folded to fit an envelope
> or box. Tri-folds are too long to send in a Priority
> Mail box, but should
> never be placed unprotected in one of the long
> Priority Mail triangular
> boxes because these are easily punctured or crushed.
> (I received one
> tri-fold packaged this way and it was virtually
> destroyed) Tri-folds should
> be rolled carefully and sent in a cardboard tube as
> described below.
>
> Rolled Posters:
> -----------------
> Of course, rolled posters should always be shipped
> in a sturdy cardboard
> tube, with something soft placed inside the both
> ends to prevent the poster
> from sliding up and down and crushing its edges.
> (wadded paper towel or
> plastic grocery bags seem to do the trick) If you
> place an unprotected
> rolled poster in one of those triangular Priority
> Mail boxes, you're asking
> for trouble, since the box can be punctured or
> crushed very easily. Some
> poster sellers place a cardboard tube inside one of
> these triangular
> Priority Mail boxes, padded with crumpled paper. In
> all cases, the key is to
> prevent movement, which will damage delicate paper
> edges. BEWARE THOSE CHEAP
> THIN WHITE CARDBOARD TUBES SOLD AT OFFICE DEPOT AND
> STAPLES. They are VERY
> easy to crush and the contents WILL get damaged. If
> these are all you can
> find, it's better to stick one of these inside a
> triangular Priority Mail
> box and crumple up some newspaper to prevent it from
> moving around in there.
>
> PLEASE do your part to help preserve these
> irreplaceable
=== message truncated ===
____________________________________________________
On Yahoo!7
Music: Create your own personalised radio station.
http://au.launch.yahoo.com/
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
___________________________________________________________________
How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List
Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L
The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
