Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
'The problem is that when I sent it that was the time I didn't have the cardboard. Don't return it the cost to send it back would be too much and if it's damaged its worthless. I will send you a refund by the beginning of next week. I apologize for the inconvenience and your understanding.'
OK, my sheet was ruined and now I see it all. The seller was out of cardboard. Worse he will not refund until next week? He gets until Tuesday then I file a claim.
I swear I wonder where these folks come from..
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Hard to believe. I have to shake my head a lot about what people do.
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At least he didn't tape it to the plastic liner... 
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Over the years I've heard stories and have received some awful things myself. One of the worse was a seller who took a valuable model car, a 1962 Chrysler convertible, and slammed it into a bubble mailer. Of course when received the convertible windshield and frame were crushed flat against the body, absolutely ruining it.
I hate it when stamp and cover sellers tape things up solid which makes it difficult to retrieve the stamp without damaging it. And worse when you get this tape mummy square slightly larger than the stamp. You cringe because you cannot tell if you are cutting the stamp as you cut an edge open.
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Perhaps my worst was a fellow in Canada who sold me a nice set of hingeless album pages. They arrived with the entire left sides whacked off by a paper cutter in order to get them into the mailing envelope he'd used! Worse he argued with me that his description was 'fair' and was refusing to take them back. I filed a claim and won a refund.
I have also received my share of 'tape mummys'- little squares of cardboard sandwiching a stamp. One guy Down Under sent me one I knew I could not get open without damage, he refused to reply to my complaints so I sent it back and filed a claim. I won and the best part was thinking about him getting baack what he'd done and having to get it out-Karma.
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I just got one where the contents were taped to the inside of the envelope. I slit open one side of the cover and tried to pull out the contents and the whole envelope started to split open.
But that cardboard excuse - OMG DUDE, go empty a box of cereal for the cardboard or something. Sheesh.
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"But that cardboard excuse - OMG DUDE, go empty a box of cereal for the cardboard or something. Sheesh. "
My new favorite cover came in the mail yesterday wrapped in cereal box cardboard. The free cardstock of choice seems to be USPS Priority Mail envelopes, which is pretty much stealing.
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I had to buy a new replacement long-handle shovel for my yard/garden work. It came in a long cardboard box. The only packing material (at the top end of the handle) consisted of an otherwise unused USPS flat rate box that had been assembled and taped so that it retained its shape during shipping. It was the ideal size to hold the top end of the shovel handle firmly in place during shipping and would have cost the seller only the gas required to visit the post office to pick up (steal) the boxes.
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Michael wrote:
"At least he didn't tape it to the plastic liner..."
I never understood our simultaneous abhorrence against and predilection for Scotch tape. We would never put it anywhere near our stamps in our collections, and yet most packets or stamps, albums, or supplies I receive have tape near the product. And that includes stamps received from collectors. Fortunately, no "tape mummies" from collectors, but most glassines are taped shut or taped to stock cards.
-Steve
PS The Wiki for Scotch Tape has this gem:
""Scotty McTape, a kilt-wearing cartoon boy, was the brand's mascot for two decades, first appearing in 1944."
Now there's a challenge... Try to work "Scotty McTape, a kilt-wearing cartoon boy," into an everyday conversation.
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I had the same thing happen to me ,one single stamp in a business sized envelope when I received it the envelope had been folded and the stamp as well,no protection for the stamp at all.
I informed the seller he said it was the first time it had happened and he gave me a refund for the stamp $20-00 ,that's an expensive piece of cardboard!!!!!.
Brian
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When I was selling covers and postcards on eBay, I printed my "Thank You" note on 110lb cardstock. When trifolded like you would a standard letter, it provided enough stiffening to protect the contents. This was placed in a business size envelope and I never had a complaint.
No need to tape the cover or card to the stiffener. And I can't understand why someone would tape a glassine envelope shut?? And I've received those too. I don't even try to remove the tape. As long as I can see the stamp inside, I'll cut the end off the glassine, retrieve the stamp and throw it out!
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I don't mind tape as long as it is not stuck to the stamps/cover and I can see where I can cut or remove without damaging anything.
Its those packets that come encased and cardboard and tape and you have no idea where the contents begin or end. Even in this case I find scraping a blade of a scissors along the edge of the taped cardboard will allow you to open up the package safely.
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I use a blowtorch... To remove the tape, and may I add... VERY CAREFULLY
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On a more positive note, I received a shipment sandwiched between one piece of cardboard folded in half. It was "sealed" with a single piece of tape with the end folded over to create a "pull tab". There was a note with an arrow to "pull here". Upon opening the cardboard shell I found a glassine tacked to the inside of the cardboard with another "pull tab" piece of tape, attached to the BACK of the glassine so upon removal the tape was behind the glassine flap and posed no danger. The glassine was NOT taped shut. Perhaps this seller realized what all sellers should: The contents may shift, but a glassine is NOT going to magically open inside an envelope!
Lars
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A suggestion for sellers.......
If you have a nearby frame shop (or maybe a Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc. that does customer framing) ask for scraps of their matting material and foam board to use as stiffener material. Not all mats are create equal. Some are stiffer than others. All of the foam I've used in my own framemaking has been 3/8" and 1/4", but you might find scraps of 1/8". The foam has been especially handy in bubble mailers where the added thickness doesn't make any difference in terms of the USPS package definitions.
You can use one piece of foam and a piece of chipboard (or whatever) if using two pieces of foam would result in your mailer being too thick. It's handy and recycling potential waste is always a good thing!
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Shucks,
Any cereal or cracker box will do fine in most circumstances!
However, I must admit it's fun to get a stiffener that is from the packaging for 5,000 one ounce containers or 100,000 tongue depressors!
Lars
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Hi
I have discovered that the "boards" comic book collectors use to protect their comics work really well when cut to envelope size. They cost around $10 US per hundred, which would last a long time unless you're shipping a lot.
Eric
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"I'll cut the end off the glassine, retrieve the stamp and throw it out!"
Why would you throw away the stamp?
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too yellow?
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Well now another issue.
The seller refunded me via Paypal. The item is now on MyEbay page as an 'Unpaid Item'.
Will this resolve itself in time or do I need to contact someone to correct? It looks like a mark against me.
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I had that same experience a few months back. I asked the seller to mark my item paid, and he told me he had. Still, it took three weeks for EBay to get their act together.
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Today I received a souvenir sheet bought on Ebay. My heart sank when I pulled the envelope from my mailbox, it had been folded sharply so I knew two things right away; it was damaged and the seller had not protected properly. Upon opening I encountered an inner envelope of tough plastic, apparently heat sealed, took me several minutes to get it open and there was my sheet. No protection other than the plastic envelope. It was of course damaged past repair. I sent a polite note of complaint to the seller and immediately got this back, I am still laughing:
'The problem is that when I sent it that was the time I didn't have the cardboard. Don't return it the cost to send it back would be too much and if it's damaged its worthless. I will send you a refund by the beginning of next week. I apologize for the inconvenience and your understanding.'
OK, my sheet was ruined and now I see it all. The seller was out of cardboard. Worse he will not refund until next week? He gets until Tuesday then I file a claim.
I swear I wonder where these folks come from..
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08:40:11pm
re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
Hard to believe. I have to shake my head a lot about what people do.
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11:44:53pm
re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
At least he didn't tape it to the plastic liner...
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
Over the years I've heard stories and have received some awful things myself. One of the worse was a seller who took a valuable model car, a 1962 Chrysler convertible, and slammed it into a bubble mailer. Of course when received the convertible windshield and frame were crushed flat against the body, absolutely ruining it.
I hate it when stamp and cover sellers tape things up solid which makes it difficult to retrieve the stamp without damaging it. And worse when you get this tape mummy square slightly larger than the stamp. You cringe because you cannot tell if you are cutting the stamp as you cut an edge open.
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
Perhaps my worst was a fellow in Canada who sold me a nice set of hingeless album pages. They arrived with the entire left sides whacked off by a paper cutter in order to get them into the mailing envelope he'd used! Worse he argued with me that his description was 'fair' and was refusing to take them back. I filed a claim and won a refund.
I have also received my share of 'tape mummys'- little squares of cardboard sandwiching a stamp. One guy Down Under sent me one I knew I could not get open without damage, he refused to reply to my complaints so I sent it back and filed a claim. I won and the best part was thinking about him getting baack what he'd done and having to get it out-Karma.
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
I just got one where the contents were taped to the inside of the envelope. I slit open one side of the cover and tried to pull out the contents and the whole envelope started to split open.
But that cardboard excuse - OMG DUDE, go empty a box of cereal for the cardboard or something. Sheesh.
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
"But that cardboard excuse - OMG DUDE, go empty a box of cereal for the cardboard or something. Sheesh. "
My new favorite cover came in the mail yesterday wrapped in cereal box cardboard. The free cardstock of choice seems to be USPS Priority Mail envelopes, which is pretty much stealing.
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
I had to buy a new replacement long-handle shovel for my yard/garden work. It came in a long cardboard box. The only packing material (at the top end of the handle) consisted of an otherwise unused USPS flat rate box that had been assembled and taped so that it retained its shape during shipping. It was the ideal size to hold the top end of the shovel handle firmly in place during shipping and would have cost the seller only the gas required to visit the post office to pick up (steal) the boxes.
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
Michael wrote:
"At least he didn't tape it to the plastic liner..."
I never understood our simultaneous abhorrence against and predilection for Scotch tape. We would never put it anywhere near our stamps in our collections, and yet most packets or stamps, albums, or supplies I receive have tape near the product. And that includes stamps received from collectors. Fortunately, no "tape mummies" from collectors, but most glassines are taped shut or taped to stock cards.
-Steve
PS The Wiki for Scotch Tape has this gem:
""Scotty McTape, a kilt-wearing cartoon boy, was the brand's mascot for two decades, first appearing in 1944."
Now there's a challenge... Try to work "Scotty McTape, a kilt-wearing cartoon boy," into an everyday conversation.
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Auctions
re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
I had the same thing happen to me ,one single stamp in a business sized envelope when I received it the envelope had been folded and the stamp as well,no protection for the stamp at all.
I informed the seller he said it was the first time it had happened and he gave me a refund for the stamp $20-00 ,that's an expensive piece of cardboard!!!!!.
Brian
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this post
re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
When I was selling covers and postcards on eBay, I printed my "Thank You" note on 110lb cardstock. When trifolded like you would a standard letter, it provided enough stiffening to protect the contents. This was placed in a business size envelope and I never had a complaint.
No need to tape the cover or card to the stiffener. And I can't understand why someone would tape a glassine envelope shut?? And I've received those too. I don't even try to remove the tape. As long as I can see the stamp inside, I'll cut the end off the glassine, retrieve the stamp and throw it out!
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
I don't mind tape as long as it is not stuck to the stamps/cover and I can see where I can cut or remove without damaging anything.
Its those packets that come encased and cardboard and tape and you have no idea where the contents begin or end. Even in this case I find scraping a blade of a scissors along the edge of the taped cardboard will allow you to open up the package safely.
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02:15:51pm
re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
I use a blowtorch... To remove the tape, and may I add... VERY CAREFULLY
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
On a more positive note, I received a shipment sandwiched between one piece of cardboard folded in half. It was "sealed" with a single piece of tape with the end folded over to create a "pull tab". There was a note with an arrow to "pull here". Upon opening the cardboard shell I found a glassine tacked to the inside of the cardboard with another "pull tab" piece of tape, attached to the BACK of the glassine so upon removal the tape was behind the glassine flap and posed no danger. The glassine was NOT taped shut. Perhaps this seller realized what all sellers should: The contents may shift, but a glassine is NOT going to magically open inside an envelope!
Lars
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
A suggestion for sellers.......
If you have a nearby frame shop (or maybe a Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc. that does customer framing) ask for scraps of their matting material and foam board to use as stiffener material. Not all mats are create equal. Some are stiffer than others. All of the foam I've used in my own framemaking has been 3/8" and 1/4", but you might find scraps of 1/8". The foam has been especially handy in bubble mailers where the added thickness doesn't make any difference in terms of the USPS package definitions.
You can use one piece of foam and a piece of chipboard (or whatever) if using two pieces of foam would result in your mailer being too thick. It's handy and recycling potential waste is always a good thing!
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this post
re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
Shucks,
Any cereal or cracker box will do fine in most circumstances!
However, I must admit it's fun to get a stiffener that is from the packaging for 5,000 one ounce containers or 100,000 tongue depressors!
Lars
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this post
07:54:07am
re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
Hi
I have discovered that the "boards" comic book collectors use to protect their comics work really well when cut to envelope size. They cost around $10 US per hundred, which would last a long time unless you're shipping a lot.
Eric
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03:50:04pm
re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
"I'll cut the end off the glassine, retrieve the stamp and throw it out!"
Why would you throw away the stamp?
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
too yellow?
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re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
Well now another issue.
The seller refunded me via Paypal. The item is now on MyEbay page as an 'Unpaid Item'.
Will this resolve itself in time or do I need to contact someone to correct? It looks like a mark against me.
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this post
re: Seller was 'Out of Cardboard'
I had that same experience a few months back. I asked the seller to mark my item paid, and he told me he had. Still, it took three weeks for EBay to get their act together.
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