Are fruitcakes running rampant on eBay lately? Selling, buying, listing, feedback, etc...

[MartinP]

Pathetic : https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/tad/5057333191.html

​There is probably a book and puzzles pieces in the box instead of the Lego Mindstorms pieces. Since this is a CL related listing, shouldn't it be in the Craigslist war stories thread?

[Bold-Arrow]

​

​There is probably a book and puzzles pieces in the box instead of the Lego Mindstorms pieces. Since this is a CL related listing, shouldn't it be in the Craigslist war stories thread?

​Yup.. sure does

??????

​he opened it, resealed it so you can sell at as never opened . 

[Brickson]

Wonderful. This guy is telling me he received an envelope that ripped and torn open? Why would the postal man even deliver such a letter?

I wrapped the polybag in a folded piece of paper, with a bonus plastic bag of 2 cash tiles + diamond. I put it in a normal letter envelope and taped it shut. Somehow the polybag was ripped open, and the minifig lost, but the cash tiles survived. Seriously? 

I suspect he's a scammer, or someone stole it, but not that it was damage by the post office. It said it was a "lego polybag" on the declaration sticker.

[tonysbricks]

The PO will deliver anything. What he described is exactly what the letter sorters do to letter envelops that are bulky. You should never send lego this way. Poly / paper bubble mailers are the correct way to go. I would refund or send out a replacement. Sorry man, hopefully it was a cheap figure.

Edited June 12, 2015 by tonysbricks
because, spelling

[newbie77]

 

Wonderful. This guy is telling me he received an envelope that ripped and torn open? Why would the postal man even deliver such a letter?

I wrapped the polybag in a folded piece of paper, with a bonus plastic bag of 2 cash tiles + diamond. I put it in a normal letter envelope and taped it shut. Somehow the polybag was ripped open, and the minifig lost, but the cash tiles survived. Seriously? 

I suspect he's a scammer, or someone stole it, but not that it was damage by the post office. It said it was a "lego polybag" on the declaration sticker.

​1. minimum standard for shipping minifigure has long been thought to be at least a padded envelop.

regular envelop has/had been known to have been torn when they pass through the sorter.

 

[Brickson]

Wow. Good thing I posted here eh thanks guys

Super disappointing though (+ more fees yay not sure I'm making any profit on this haha). I also just sent some jurassic polys to USA. I don't think Canada PO does this because my other envelopes made it.

[Guest TabbyBoy]

This is why I obtain a signature for every item sent. If the buyer signed for a torn or severely damged package, it's up to them. There are occasional instances where mail is delivered to shared mailboxes (eg. flats) where items can be tampered with or stolen by other residents. When I list items on eBay, I'm always honest and even describe a damaged/scuffed box slightly worse than it actually is so that the buyer is pleasantly surprised whe they receive it. Anything of value is always either collected or delivered by hand and not posted. It does limit your market but, there's still plenty of local buyers about and it saves a bunch of hassle.

[KShine]

I have received empty shipments of LEGO packed in regular envelopes (where the minifig/item was originally packed loose inside) - there is a tendency for it to press through (and fall out) at the corners. You really need to use bubble mailers.

[CrabslayerT]

The PO will deliver anything.

​I know its not lego related but think it relevant/funny all the same. One guy is currently testing the effort the Irish postal service will go to. I think the crossword one is pretty cool.

http://www.thejournal.ie/me-versus-an-post-2143603-Jun2015/

[Thumper]

Wow. Good thing I posted here eh thanks guys

Super disappointing though (+ more fees yay not sure I'm making any profit on this haha). I also just sent some jurassic polys to USA. I don't think Canada PO does this because my other envelopes made it.

Unfortunately paper envelopes will just not hold up to the high speed sortation systems, lettermail is limited to perfectly flat paper documents only since the last major systems revision a couple years ago, even the tyvek envelopes get stuck & messed up if they are not completely flat. When Canadian envelopes made it they were either very very lucky or found a route through non-major city centers where they still sort with the old bulk machines, going through customs now a-days that would be very difficult even in the best of circumstances.

[Brickson]

Unfortunately paper envelopes will just not hold up to the high speed sortation systems, lettermail is limited to perfectly flat paper documents only since the last major systems revision a couple years ago, even the tyvek envelopes get stuck & messed up if they are not completely flat. When Canadian envelopes made it they were either very very lucky or found a route through non-major city centers where they still sort with the old bulk machines, going through customs now a-days that would be very difficult even in the best of circumstances.

​Crazy. Can you recommend the type of envelopes I should use for minifigs and/or polybags? Maybe if it's too expensive on Amazon I can find them at the dollar store.

Kinda pisses me off. I paid $5 to send these as parcels, not as letters to get go through some lettermail sorter.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Brickson

[gregpj]

​Crazy. Can you recommend the type of envelopes I should use for minifigs and/or polybags? Maybe if it's too expensive on Amazon I can find them at the dollar store.

Kinda pisses me off. I paid $5 to send these as parcels, not as letters to get go through some lettermail sorter.

​Padded envelopes all the way for me...  You can sometimes find a better deal online, but the bulky shipping often means finding them locally at Staples can be just as cheap or even cheaper. If you're planning on using lots, might want to just get a case.

http://www.staples.ca/en/Pull-Tape-Bubble-Mailer-5-x-10-250-Case/product_687365_2-CA_1_20001

 

[newbie77]

​Padded envelopes all the way for me...  You can sometimes find a better deal online, but the bulky shipping often means finding them locally at Staples can be just as cheap or even cheaper. If you're planning on using lots, might want to just get a case.

http://www.staples.ca/en/Pull-Tape-Bubble-Mailer-5-x-10-250-Case/product_687365_2-CA_1_20001

 

​my recommendation would be any of the

   Kraft : #0000 (5" X 7" ) it would work for mini-figures. { for the polybags you have to fold hence better to not use these. but its your preference }

if you are moving large volume then its better to buy in bulk (like 500 or 1000) from ebay. sometimes you may find on etsy.com as well.

before you buy a lot buy small quantity from a seller and see what kind of bubble mailer you get. then decide on the quantity. ( i am very picky

(i have had some really bad experience with the quality over time. especially with staples. their price is very high ~$70/500 regular. on top of that quality has deteriorated very much). staples ones looks so cheap and the padding is less than 1/16". may be in canada its different but i am not going to buy from them even @ 70% off....

i use http://www.ebay.com/usr/hypernyx?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754 but of course (i am in US). price may not be the cheapest but i have gotten to like this envelop. very nice quality. nice texture on the paper/color. { disclaimer: i am not getting commission or kickback from the seller. its just my genuine feedback } 

Edited June 12, 2015 by newbie77

[gregpj]

​my recommendation would be any of the

   Kraft : #0000 (5" X 7" ) it would work for mini-figures. { for the polybags you have to fold hence better to not use these. but its your preference }

if you are moving large volume then its better to buy in bulk (like 500 or 1000) from ebay. sometimes you may find on etsy.com as well.

before you buy a lot buy small quantity from a seller and see what kind of bubble mailer you get. then decide on the quantity. ( i am very picky

(i have had some really bad experience with the quality over time. especially with staples. their price is very high ~$70/500 regular. on top of that quality has deteriorated very much). staples ones looks so cheap and the padding is less than 1/16".

i use http://www.ebay.com/usr/hypernyx?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754 but of course (i am in US). price may not be the cheapest but i have gotten to like this envelop. very nice quality. nice texture on the paper/color. { disclaimer: i am not getting commission or kickback from the seller. its just my genuine feedback } 

I try to use 6x9 as they fit polybags better (you only have to roll one edge over a bit) but that was just an example link. I don't do a lot of small items, so I tend to buy in bundles of 50. I know it costs more, but I just don't have the space to store 1000 padded envelopes.

Not sure how it works in the US, but in Canada a 5x7, 6x9 or 5x10 are all considered oversized and cost $1.90 for non-tracked regular mail anywhere in Canada. They also all qualify as Light Packet USA which is $5.25, no tracking. For tracking in Canada, I've never managed to get a padded enveloped tracked for less than $12 (any tips would be gladly accepted) and I think tracked to the US starts at $8 - maybe more? With the low margins on these small items, I don't usually bother with tracking. I've had very good luck so far.

[zobel0022]

Uline.com is your friend for all your bulk shipping needs.  Great quality

Edited June 12, 2015 by stephen_rockefeller
corrected name of company

[maestro]

I haven't read all of this thread. I have never bought anything on ebay and hope to sell some Lego Sets on it soon. The amount of people selling sets that are nowhere near retired at silly prices is ridiculous.

[Brickson]

I haven't read all of this thread. I have never bought anything on ebay and hope to sell some Lego Sets on it soon. The amount of people selling sets that are nowhere near retired at silly prices is ridiculous.

​I would be interested to know which ones are actually selling. If you filter by sold listings, you might be surprised. Most unretired sets I see are selling for retail price, to the point I wonder how they make a profit with shipping + eBay fees. Well, I know how, they live in the states where they can fish around for more than 20% off + discounted gift cards + membership cards/visa/points and sometimes, but rarely, craigslist/garage sales. Without all that work, and proximity, I find non-retired sets to be useless to sell. Unless you get it 50% off, it ain't worth the fees and effort. Long holds are the way to go.

[MarleyMoose]

I decided to look through a potential buyers past feedback even though he's at 100% now. He wants me to ship a NIB Lone Ranger lot of 5 sets for free which could cost me $20+. Anyway he has lots of  past 1+ year old negatives and neutrals as a seller. So I added him to my block list. Better safe than sorry..

[cosmic brick]

I just got the old "my toddler accidentally hit Buy it Now, please cancel this sale".  The little scamp also sent a payment to my Paypal account, so I had to go in and give a refund. They grow up so fast.

None of this bothered me.  The fact that the listing had a $10 final value fee cap, and now that promotion is over, so I effectively lost out, now that bothers me.  

[Val-E]

I decided to look through a potential buyers past feedback even though he's at 100% now. He wants me to ship a NIB Lone Ranger lot of 5 sets for free which could cost me $20+. Anyway he has lots of  past 1+ year old negatives and neutrals as a seller. So I added him to my block list. Better safe than sorry..

Takes a strong person to turn down a Lone Ranger sale - respect.

[MarleyMoose]

Takes a strong person to turn down a Lone Ranger sale - respect.

I know. He had 8 or 9 negatives with a few neutrals saying he ripped people off or SNADs. They were all from different sales. Who knows maybe he's learned his lesson by now but  rather not risk any problems. Eventually they'll sell.

[Val-E]

And doing the deal w/o paypal isn´t possible?

[exciter1]

Received this message today:

"Would you be willing to donate a few minifigures? I have a friend who has a daughter that is 7 and she has autism..her Lego collection was stolen from her patio last weekend..I am trying to collect a few for her..she is devastated and am heartbroken..anything will help"

[Alpinemaps]

Received this message today:

"Would you be willing to donate a few minifigures? I have a friend who has a daughter that is 7 and she has autism..her Lego collection was stolen from her patio last weekend..I am trying to collect a few for her..she is devastated and am heartbroken..anything will help"

And you responded with "sure send me your address?"

[exciter1]

And you responded with "sure send me your address?"

Good idea, I'll send them some Kre-O figures.