Partially ripping a card opening the mail

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by K-Nole

I receive cards almost on a daily basis and never ripped or cut a card yet.
Know why?
Cause I dont manhandle the package while opening it.
You can take scissors and barely, cut just the tip of the envelope or the tip of the vanilla package.
Should it have been packaged better? Yes.
Do we live in a perfect world where it shouldn't happen, NO.
Should you rip open a package with an +$800 card in it? NO.
Should you be more careful, and not trust somebody else's packaging, YES.

Perfectly said!

Also, I tap the bottom of the envelope on a countertop a couple times before I carefully open the opposite (top) end, to make sure the contents of the envelope are at the far (bottom) end. Isn't that just common sense?

Should the card have been packaged better? Of course, but as it turned out, that wasn't a problem. The card arrived safely. The problem occurred after the responsibility of the seller and carrier had ended.

[steve B]

I suppose my time doing shipping/receiving of heavy stuff skews my views a bit. By heavy, I mean stuff that would be around 35lbs in a box around 9x9x9.

The coffee spill example is a good one, except that a toploader between cardboard inside a bubble envelope will easily survive that and more. Postmen sometimes leave packages out, and sometimes it's not rainy when they do, but pours a bit later. Should whatever it is be packed to have a chance at getting through that? Or is a simple envelope just fine?

You should see how I pack stuff that's both fragile and expensive. The plate that sold for 600+ could have probably been driven over and been fine. Did it take a few minutes extra? Yes, it did. But lots of time less than it would have taken to go through filing an insurance claim.

Steve B

[frankbmd]

I guess that I am accustomed to receiving checks more frequently than cards in plain white envelopes, but often the checks are for funds in excess of $800.
I do not recall ever receiving a check in a top loader between two pieces of cardboard.

I also don't recall ever ripping a check while opening an envelope that contained a check. In fact I received two such checks today from board members, who will be relieved to know that both envelopes were successfully opened despite the abysmal packaging of the checks in plain white envelopes.

Absolving Pete of any responsibility in this instance is like blaming the baby on the sperm rather than the delivery vehicle. Now if the sperm was in a top loader between two pieces of cardboard, that would be a different story, I think.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I guess that I am accustomed to receiving checks more frequently than cards in plain white envelopes, but often the checks are for funds in excess of $800.

I do not recall ever receiving a check in a top loader between two pieces of cardboard.



I also don't recall ever ripping a check while opening an envelope that contained a check. In fact I received two such checks today from board members, who will be relieved to know that both envelopes were successfully opened despite the abysmal packaging of the checks in plain white envelopes.

But those checks wouldn't have lost their value if they were dinged on a corner or creased in transit.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by 4815162342

But those checks wouldn't have lost their value if they were dinged on a corner or creased in transit.

That's true, but to suggest that either the seller or the buyer is 100% responsible in this scenario is a stretch in my opinion.

If only Judge Judy would chime in, ..................

[steve B]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I guess that I am accustomed to receiving checks more frequently than cards in plain white envelopes, but often the checks are for funds in excess of $800.
I do not recall ever receiving a check in a top loader between two pieces of cardboard.

I also don't recall ever ripping a check while opening an envelope that contained a check. In fact I received two such checks today from board members, who will be relieved to know that both envelopes were successfully opened despite the abysmal packaging of the checks in plain white envelopes.

Absolving Pete of any responsibility in this instance is like blaming the baby on the sperm rather than the delivery vehicle. Now if the sperm was in a top loader between two pieces of cardboard, that would be a different story, I think.

Well! that makes sense.

Thanks Frank.

Maybe it's a matter of expectation?

Most of the stuff I've bought on Ebay has been packed at least fairly well. The ones that come in plain envelopes are usually stamps instead of cards. (can't recall getting a card in a plain envelope, but it must have happened sometime over the last .....darn, almost 20 years. My Ebay account is around 18 years old. I wonder if it can vote....
Anyway, the stamps are usually obvious. Since most of what's been printed since the 30's is essentially junk, and is usually available for less than face value, lots of dealers and collectors use it on their mail. The envelope with my new stamps is usually the one with 5 or more oldish stamps on it. I'm always careful with those (I'm generally careful with all the mail, but more careful with those. Once I have a boxful, they're even saleable)

The funniest ebay mail I ever had was when someone asked where his stuff was and I told him the check hadn't arrived. So he sent a second one. In the pre barcoded window envelope that came with his electric bill. When I explained that the barcode was read by the mail handling machines to send the mail where it needed to go, he said he'd just learned that from his electric company that had called to ask why he'd sent them a check made out to someone else and included an Ebay printout.

Steve B

[sportscardpete]

Just as a heads up - EBAY refused to refund. In a way I'm not really surprised; explaining it to people that don't collect cards is kind of hard. For most of you, you can get how a poorly packaged card is a cardinal sin, but ebay can't really see it that way.

Lesson learned is this: 1) PARTICULARLY for raw cards, assume it isn't packaged correctly and handle with care, and more importantly 2) life is more important than worrying about a ripped card (but boy does it suck).

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and for helping me feel a lot less dumb! I've had the worst pit in my stomach this whole weekend but I am glad most of you made me feel like I wasn't entirely crazy!

Pete

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by sportscardpete

Just as a heads up - EBAY refused to refund. In a way I'm not really surprised; explaining it to people that don't collect cards is kind of hard. For most of you, you can get how a poorly packaged card is a cardinal sin, but ebay can't really see it that way.

Lesson learned is this: 1) PARTICULARLY for raw cards, assume it isn't packaged correctly and handle with care, and more importantly 2) life is more important than worrying about a ripped card (but boy does it suck).

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and for helping me feel a lot less dumb! I've had the worst pit in my stomach this whole weekend but I am glad most of you made me feel like I wasn't entirely crazy!

Pete

Did you pay for it with a CC? File a dispute with your CC company.

Can you at least out the seller so we can block them?

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Did you pay for it with a CC? File a dispute with your CC company.

Sure, now pass responsibility on to the CC company and get THEM to eat the loss.

Is the concept of personal responsibility completely dead?

Look, I once spilled a beverage on a fairly valuable card myself and I know how depressing it is. But looking high and low for someone else to blame isn't the right thing to do. The right thing is to learn from the mistake, of course, and be thankful for all your blessings. If you can afford an $800 bit of cardboard, your life is likely far better than that of most around the world.

My mom used to tell me, whenever I'd lose or break something, that I should think of the people who get hit by tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and so on, who literally lose their entire homes and everything within them. Really puts things in perspective. For that matter, I have a picture of a childhood friend on my computer monitor here... he died when he was just 16 years old. Looking at it lets me remember and honor him, and also reminds me to be thankful for what I have, and worry less about what I don't have, or have lost/broken/ripped.

Just sayin... man up, admit you ripped it, it's a bummer, and move on. Don't excuse your own carelessness by passing responsibility off to someone else (like a CC company,) thus making a victim out of them.

[Jantz]

Pete

To be honest, my earlier post was not directed toward you.

I know what it feels like to get a poorly packaged card. It aggravates me as well, especially since I go overboard when packaging a card that someone has purchased from me. I've had two packages in the last 6 months either get eaten by the postal sorting machine because the seller forgot to write "non-machineable" on the envelope (paid $3 for S&H) or lost because the seller didn't include tracking and that was with a $4 S&H charge.

There is really no excuse for it. Bubble wrap envelope with tracking = $2.64

I'm always amazed (though I shouldn't be) at the lengths some sellers will go to just to save a dollar on shipping. Once the cash is in hand, they quickly forget that its someone else's property that they are mailing out.

It seems to be common practice these days though.

Jantz