Extremely poor packaging of expensive MOC G1 = wrecked. Very long post.

[dollhands]

Hi all!

I posted about this problem in the My Little Pony Australia and New Zealand Collectors group, but it was recommended by several people that I post here as well.

Please forgive me if I ramble lol, still feeling a bit shaken and upset over all this.

I bought a MOC Mummy Sunbright off a well known seller on here and ebay, I saw the listing on ebay and she took the auction down and allowed me to pay her off. I did take a bit longer than I would have like to pay her off, maybe 6-8 weeks (this is the only thing I think she could use against me)... but I did send one with fees added on and the rest as gifts, which I totally regret now but I thought I could trust her because she's been in the community for so long. I paid 102 Euro for the pony and 18 euro for shipping.

Mummy Sunbright arrived yesterday and the card and bubble are ruined :'( I was very shocked at how she had been packaged. She was stuffed into a box that is way too small for a MOC, the only way you could fit her in the box is to angle her in diagonally and even then I had to push her in. There was only one small piece of foam stuffed into the top.

Here is an album of lots of pictures of the damage, the ones with the pony in the box diagonally are just to show the ONLY way you can fit her in the box.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login



Also this is a picture of the pony I thought I was getting, she has a clear bubble but the pony I received has a yellowed bubble. So as well as receiving a severely damaged pony due to poor packaging, I feel I have not received what was advertised. If it is the same pony and her bubble had yellowed after taking the photo, then I should have been told this.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


I sent this message to the seller yesterday:

Hi ____,

I received the package today, thanks for that. I am very disappointed though. The box arrived extremely squashed and was too small for the pony so as a result of that the card and bubble are very damaged. The card was so squashed that the bubble was ripped off the card in some parts. I was also surprised at the lack of packing. I know you've been selling for a long time so I thought I wouldn't have had to tell you to make sure she is securely packed.

I noticed too that the bubble is yellowed. In the picture of the pony you had for sale her bubble was completely clear. So I also feel like I don't have the pony that was advertised.
I would really appreciate a partial refund. Of at least 75% of what I paid plus the full price of postage, so 84 euros in total. Cause I'm most likely going to have to de-card her, and a mint loose Mummy Sunbright is not worth 120 Euro. That's the whole reason I buy moc/mib ponies, so they are perfect in every way.

I hope we can resolve this, I really don't want to have to make a post in the pony groups and also in trader support on the mlparena.

I've added pics so you can see the damage and how the box arrived.

Thanks for your help,
Gemma


And this was her response:

I have send well packed as i always do.it seems that the box has been extremely smashed during transport.this is not my mistake.you can send the pony back,and i refund you.


So basically she is saying she packed the pony well.  With some help from my friend I sent this message today:

______,

The box unfortunately had very little packing material to support the pony.  It was also too small.  Even if the pony was angled, there is not near enough packing material to keep her from moving around or to keep the box from being compressed during transit.

If I send her back I only feel comfortable doing so if she is sent with tracking which will cost 35 euro, but I ask that you please cover the cost of return postage as well as refund me the full amount of 120 euro. 

If not I would be willing to keep the pony and except a partial refund, though I am requesting no less than 80 euros since I will likely have to de-card her and possibly resell her, and if I sell her I will be out additional money due to fees and purchase of packing material.

I hope we can come to a resolution soon.


She has not read it yet. 

This has affected me so much that I couldn't get to sleep last night. I feel so stressed and upset by it. Pony collecting shouldn't be like this.  I was so excited to buy her and now she is ruined! I didn't think I had to tell people who have been collecting and selling ponies for years the proper way to pack a MOC. 

I really would like a partial refund because I feel like it will be the easiest option for the both of us. If I send her back I only feel comfortable sending tracked and that will cost NZ$50 :/ I do not think she will want to pay for that, and it's not fair that I should lose out on money. I think my offer was fair too but I don't feel like she is being very helpful to me. I just want to keep her but a mint loose pony is not worth 120 euros really upset.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading

[kezrob23]

so sorry this has happened to you. i was one of the ones that supported you on your fb post (can prolly guess by me user name... )
i really hope the seller comes through and you get the resolution you are after.

[Ringlets]

  wow that box did get smashed up!  and I can understand why you are upset too     
 About the yellowed card.. its really difficult to tell in the pictures. It doesn't look bad to me but I was looking mostly at the box. While it is true that the box got smashed up in transit as the seller said, you are correct that  the box is not big enough for the pony, and for an MOC there is not nearly enough packaging in the box to protect her even if she was in a box that she had fitted in to properly. Unfortunately a lot of boxes do get thrown around or have heavy parcels on top of them in transit , so a box with something rare/MOC/valuable especially needs extra protection
. Personally I think it would be best to return the pony for a full refund but its a lot of money to return the pony and it's not fair for you to be that much out of pocket through no fault of your own.
 I wouldn't advise decarding that pony as there really aren't many of those about and it would be a shame to do that even though her card is now damaged. There are still collectors who would want her on her card even in that condition.  If you and the seller can work out a partial then that would be good , but only if you can live with your pony looking that way- if its going to make you feel upset then its not worth keeping her. 
I'm hoping that you and your seller will be able to work this out amicably please let us know how your seller responds

[LadyMoondancer]

Oh man, it hurts my heart seeing that MOC smashed up. 

The primary protection for a MOC is the shipping box.  Padding makes sure the package doesn't get damaged from rattling around in the box much.  I doubt any amount of padding would have saved this poor Mummy Sunbright.  She was doomed as soon a heavy object landed on top of her box. 

[banditpony]

): this is so devastating. I'm so sorry.

I think she was doomed even before the heavy box. That wasn't good psckaging. Just she probably wouldn't of gotten as badly damaged.

I hope you and your seller can come to a resolution that you can be satisfied with

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Um what?  If the seller is even remotely interested in collecting toys, then they should already know that this kind of packaging is NEVER acceptable!  I am so horrified and upset for you! 
And only a thin sheet of Styrofoam for packing? WHAAAAAAA?  Dude no, that pony should be wrapped in bubblewrap like crazy, then put inside another box and then filled with more packaging!  AUGH! 

[Artemesia's Garden]

Um what?  If the seller is even remotely interested in collecting toys, then they should already know that this kind of packaging is NEVER acceptable!  I am so horrified and upset for you! 
And only a thin sheet of Styrofoam for packing? WHAAAAAAA?  Dude no, that pony should be wrapped in bubblewrap like crazy, then put inside another box and then filled with more packaging!  AUGH!

^ I think this as well. Double boxing.

[kCherry]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... Those pictures made my stomach clench. I am sooooo sorry that you are dealing with this. I Hate these types of situations and hope that you can come to a resolve that you are happy with.

  Poor, poor Mummy!!!!! ;-;

[bluerose9978]

My thought is your seller had plenty of time to find the proper packing materials and they should have sent the package with insurance in case a problem like this should occur.

As others have said, I'm hoping you and the seller can come up with some kind of resolution that both of you will be happy with.

[melodys_angel]

Just a question--perhaps I missed it: Did your shipping include insurance for lost or *damaged* goods?  If so, even if it was mainly due to poor packaging, you can also go after the post office--cause lets face it--that box is crushed and I doubt it was the seller that crushed it

[melon]

Oh dear... I'm so sorry that the moc arrived in such a bad shape, esp when it's for a rarer pony. Here isn't enough protection and the box doesn't look very sturdy.

[ponycake]

Who is the seller? I buy MOCs and would like to avoid. Could you PM me with the name if you don't feel comfortable sharing publicly?

[Taffeta]

Ah, that is so sad ><. She's one of the really hard to find UK ponies, and you are right, that wasn't proper packaging.

I had it happen a couple of times in the distant past, but never for a pony that expensive. And I agree with the people who say don't decard her, if you keep her, because she is significantly rare and I'm sure there are people on here who would buy her from you in her existing state.

I hope you settle things with the seller. A pony person should know that a MOC is a delicate item and should always be in a sturdy box with significant packaging around it to make sure that even if the post office play volleyball with it (and I think sometimes they do), it gets to its new home intact.

[ClosetAvalanche]

So sorry you're going though this. I have to say, I don't believe the seller is completely at fault. Yes, she should have added more padding, but from the look of that box, no amount of padding would have saved it. For expensive purchases, I recommend insurance. If there is, start the claim. Hope it works out in the end. Also, remember that sellers are not required to offer partial refunds. Looks like you may have to return it for a full refund.

[ponycake]

So sorry you're going though this. I have to say, I don't believe the seller is completely at fault. Yes, she should have added more padding, but from the look of that box, no amount of padding would have saved it. For expensive purchases, I recommend insurance. If there is, start the claim. Hope it works out in the end. Also, remember that sellers are not required to offer partial refunds. Looks like you may have to return it for a full refund.

Huh? So then use the appropriate box and use padding and support. How the heck is that anyone's fault but the sellers? If you want to talk about fault of the buyer the only possible thing would not be how it arrived but what they can do after with insurance. The seller's packaging was disgusting and it could have been prevented absolutely.