Is this unacceptable or is it just me? 4 4

[namisgr]

13 hours ago, oakman29 said:

For one thing. I would never buy a book that expensive from someone I don't know, there are too many scam artists out there.

+6000

[HENRYSPENCER]

It's unacceptable and very risky for the seller.  No private collectibles insurance company will insure a package of this value through USPS media mail.  However, if you've purchased through eBay and paid through PayPal you have nothing to worry about and will be reimbursed by them should comic not arrive. 

Make sure to open the eBay claim first then if you aren't satisfied with the outcome open a case through PayPal, but don't open them both up at the same time.

Depending on the seller's feedback this almost sounds like a scam...A seller sells high-value items and provides no tracking or ships via the slowest possible means to distance himself from the buyer or blame the PO for a failed delivery. Given how PayPal 99.9% of the time sides with the buyer only a fool would think this.

22 hours ago, Squad008 said:

Like the title says, is the following unacceptable or is it just me:

Bought a very expensive CGC graded key off eBay (roughly $6,000).  The Seller has mailed it via USPS Media Mail.  This means no insurance, longer time in the mail, and it doesn't qualify for media mail by USPS standards.  Shipment was sent from an in state seller on Monday, would be 1 day via priority mail but it hasn't arrived yet and who knows when it will arrive.  Can't comment on packaging and won't list eBay seller id because I haven't received the comic yet to find out if there are issues, but all things considered, when someone pays that much for an item, to save a few bucks on shipping by mailing it media mail just seems beyond unacceptable to me.

Am I being unreasonable on this?  

Edit:

Thanks for all the responses, didn't mean to make this a big deal, and definitely will not give an eBay seller a bad reputation if it is delivered safe and sound and packaged properly.  There is tracking on the package, actually got a notification that it is at a nearby post office being held for pickup at customer request.  I didn't request that, so unless the seller requested it, possibly it means that there is insufficient postage?  Either way, I'm happier seeing the package at the post office prior to delivery.  If the package is beat up I can deny acceptance, can also try to open it there to have the post office worker confirm if it is damaged or not.  Will give an update after I go tomorrow.  

If it was me, I would send registered mail.  Always do when it is a comic over a certain value.  

 

[lizards2]

17 hours ago, James J Johnson said:

Let me give you the lowdown on insuring antiques (comics) through carriers. It's a losing proposition. I can only imagine just how much money ebay sellers waste on insuring "antiques" through the post office and Fed Ex every year.

First off, the less expensive way to insure is to use registered service. That will cost you about $12.50 for the basic service added on to whatever the priority charge is. Lets say you're sending a package from coast to coast. A medium flat rate box is $13.75 and registered service is about $12.50, so = $26. That comes with $100 worth of insurance, automatically, for all the good insurance will do you on an antique with the post office if there's a claim.

While adding $5000 worth of insurance to that priority service (the limit) will cost you almost $50, about a rate of $1 per each $100 worth of insurance, if registered and the initial $12.75 is paid for that service, with it's $100 worth of insurance, to insure for $6000 (limit is $25,000 for registered) will only cost about $20 a fantastic savings vs. not registered. So $26 + $20 for a medium flat rate priority box, registered-insured for $6000, quite a savings.

So as a seller, you're thinking you're covered with the insurance if something goes wrong, right? Here's why you're not. Like Fed Ex, even if the post office accepts assignment and allows you to pay for the insurance, if push comes to shove and a claim must be filed, once the fact that the item was/is an "antique", what shipping companies blanket designate as any vintage item that is no longer manufactured, you're going to have a huge uphill battle trying to get this claim settled!

Carriers go by "replacement value" to settle claims. Not what you say it's worth, and not what the buyer paid. Replacement value is determines by what it would cost by manufacturer invoice to replace. Since the item is no longer being made, it can't be replaced through the manufacturer. This isn't like insuring a pair of shoes or watch or iPhone still being produced.

Best bet is to have any item being transacted listed and insured as personal property, category-collectible, through your own insurance carrier. That way, nothing can go wrong. IMO, anyone who insures a comic through USPS is wasting their money, which they will soon find out if a claim for loss or damage must be filed.

Pretty much agree with everything, except I would like to hear some stories about how alternative insurance has actually been successful.

[Squad008]

Sooooo............

I got the package today.  Was notified it was held at a local USPS by "Customer Request." Figured it was due to postage.  I went this morning on my way to a work meeting and was told that the package wasn't actually being held at the USPS office, that it was miss sorted, and that it was out on the truck for delivery today.  I was nervous since it was going to my office and I wanted the option to deny accepting the package if it looked suspicious.

I got back to my office a little while ago, and a box was sitting on my desk.  The box wasn't shipped media mail, I was mistaken, it was shipped USPS First Class Mail.  WTF....... USPS first class mail is a maximum of 16 oz.  You can't possibly ship a slab under 2 lbs. (well newer slabs anyway) let alone 1 lb.  The USPS first class mail sticker said 8 oz.  When I saw the box and the postage paid I immediately thought that the box had to be empty and it was scam.  It was sent with signature required and a co-worker signed for it while I was out of my office.  

First thing I did was take tons of picks and weigh the package.  This is what I found:

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

Package Weighed 2.8 Pounds, so decided to open it up while carefully documenting how it was packaged.  It was shipped in what looked like a Macy's Christmas box that the Seller got an ugly sweater in.  Box was a little banged up, there was a puncture on one side.  Opened it up and there was some cardboard wrapped with one piece of bubble wrap.  under the bubble wrap was a white box with the pink shopping bag that the sweater originally came in.  The packaging was very poor, the bubble wrap/carboard/pink shopping bag contraption was able to move inside the Christmas box that this thing was shipped in.  

So just my luck, got a Seller that is so cheap that he would only pay for 8 oz. of shipping weight, not nearly enough bubble wrap, old Christmas boxes and used shopping bags to ship a $5800 comic.  However, he literally is the tape Nazi.  He must have spent $30 in shipping tape taping this thing to the white cardboard and then another $30 worth around the pink shopping bag.  This is probably one of the worst things that a shipper can do (not the worst, but up there.) Over taping a raw comic, or a slab like this, not only takes forever to unpackage, but creates a serious risk that the comic will be injured when unpacking.

Anyway, after what felt like 45 minutes of surgically removing the tape, finally found what I was looking for. . . . it is under the next spoiler

 

Spoiler

Was only able to inspect the slab for about 5 minutes but didn't see any cracks or broken corner posts.  Will definitely be spending some serious time looking this over tonight to make sure there are no cracks or any other issues with the case/comic that would be cause for concern.

I'll hold off until the case is inspected more carefully for cracks/tampering, but my initial impression is that whoever the seller was, they attempted to package the comic well but did a poor job.  The Seller also did a double skimp out on shipping: This should have been mailed priority, he even shafted USPS by not at least paying the 1 lb on the first class mail, 8 oz on a close to 3 lb package?  I can't come up with an excuse for that, nor can I say anything positive for the seller there. He did accept more than 10% off the asking price and was below last and 90 day GPA prices.  

As long as I don't discover anything wrong with the slab, then I'll be happy it arrived safe.  Always wanted one as a kid and never thought I would be able to own one.

For those that mentioned that they wouldn't buy such an expensive comic from a stranger, I was shopping around for an ASM 1 CGC 2.0 to 3.0, that presented well, for the past 1.5 months, been looking on the boards and even posted in the WTB section.  No LCS around here carries anything this pricey.  The prices on the 2.0's also started jumping so I took a leap of faith that eBay, Paypal and my CC would protect me if I bought on eBay. The next closest I've paid for a single comic was $1600 for a ASM 129 CGC 9.0 and that was from a reputable third party online dealer.  

Anyway, all in all, I have to admit the follow:

1. I was wrong on the media mail, I knew it wasn't sent priority and thought it couldn't possibly be sent first class because of the 1 lb. limit.

2. As a buyer, when you purchase something off eBay, the burden is on the Seller to properly package and ship it.  However, it is reckless on my part to not investigate about the shipping method more carefully.  Also, I did message the seller, but to be honest, when I submitted the offer it was based on the appearance of the book and what I could afford.  I didn't pay attention to any shipping specific.  Doesn't mean that this shouldn't be packaged and shipped properly, but it does mean that I overlooked an important detail.

3. I think this explains why USPS is hurting so bad.  Really USPS 8 oz on a 2.8 pound package????? How did this even get all the way through the mail?

4. Horrible horrible horrible shipping/packaging job by the Seller.  he/she is so lucky that this even arrived, let alone the fact that it didn't have big cracks from the punctures in the box/shifting.  If everything is good after I get a chance to really look this over, I will probably email the seller and try to figure out what happened with the shipping here before leaving feedback.  Another buyer will get burned by this seller if the shipping doesn't get better.

5. I see the value in paying more from a reputable 3rd party site such as CC, CL, MT, etc., to avoid these issues.  But sometimes it isn't easy to find what your looking, especially when it comes to lower grade Marvel that can vary significantly with the chipping/pieces of the cover missing, etc.

 

Anyway, really just wanted to know opinions on how expensive comics should be shipped and whether I was being unreasonable.  I don't think I was after this experience, especially after seeing the 8 oz. first class postage and the way this was shipped.  Anyway, hope this was entertaining and possibly people can learn from my lack of diligence.

 

 

[faster friends]

[ADAMANTIUM]

Yay!!!

[DeadOne]

Nice looking book. Congratulations.
Looks like you both (buyer and seller) dodged the proverbial bullet.... but the seller, man ... 3 facepalms for that person.

[ADAMANTIUM]

Just now, ADAMANTIUM said:

Yay!!!

Looks like it survived, count your blessings. 

[oakman29]

Congrats, still I would have reached out to board members, every time I've ever bought a high dollar book was from Gator,  Bob Storms, Bunky Brian, Dale. You know the kind of guys I'm talking about. They have found my books in no time . An ASM 1 is an easy find for them.

[Dick Pontoon]

20 minutes ago, Squad008 said:

1. I was wrong on the media mail, I knew it wasn't sent priority and thought it couldn't possibly be sent first class because of the 1 lb. limit.

 

If you have the tracking number and use the number to track the package on USPS.com, it shows you the method of shipment (Media Mail, First Class, Priority, etc.)

That said, something seems amiss here. Ebay only shows 3 slabbed 3.0s that have sold, 2 in February, and 1 in April, and none of them are your copy. Are you sure you bought it on ebay and not Facebook or some other venue?

[Squad008]

39 minutes ago, Pontoon said:

If you have the tracking number and use the number to track the package on USPS.com, it shows you the method of shipment (Media Mail, First Class, Priority, etc.)

That said, something seems amiss here. Ebay only shows 3 slabbed 3.0s that have sold, 2 in February, and 1 in April, and none of them are your copy. Are you sure you bought it on ebay and not Facebook or some other venue?

It was definitely eBay, it's the last 3.0 sale on gpa, it was accepted as best offer, so might not show up as the final price I paid in eBay sold listings.

The USPS tracking said first class package but thought it must be media mail due to weight and the way it was tracked. It was my mistake, but I thought it couldn't possibly be first class package, I know my local USPS weighs all packages and makes sure their not over 1 lb when accepting.

[Squad008]

48 minutes ago, oakman29 said:

Congrats, still I would have reached out to board members, every time I've ever bought a high dollar book was from Gator,  Bob Storms, Bunky Brian, Dale. You know the kind of guys I'm talking about. They have found my books in no time . An ASM 1 is an easy find for them.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll have to give them a try next time. I found plenty in the range but most had pieces of the cover missing or tons of marvel chipping. Maybe they will have better options next time. 

[James J Johnson]

1 hour ago, Pontoon said:

If you have the tracking number and use the number to track the package on USPS.com, it shows you the method of shipment (Media Mail, First Class, Priority, etc.)

That said, something seems amiss here. Ebay only shows 3 slabbed 3.0s that have sold, 2 in February, and 1 in April, and none of them are your copy. Are you sure you bought it on ebay and not Facebook?

Maybe he bought it on Facepalm.  

Edited May 10, 2018 by James J Johnson

[Dick Pontoon]

3 hours ago, Squad008 said:

It was definitely eBay, it's the last 3.0 sale on gpa, it was accepted as best offer, so might not show up as the final price I paid in eBay sold listings.

The USPS tracking said first class package but thought it must be media mail due to weight and the way it was tracked. It was my mistake, but I thought it couldn't possibly be first class package, I know my local USPS weighs all packages and makes sure their not over 1 lb when accepting.

The amount you paid or the GPA data is beside the point. Ebay shows sold listings for 90 days. Here are all the sales it is showing for an ASM #1 CGC 3.0. Something is odd because none of them are the book you showed in your post:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amazing-Spider-Man-1-CGC-3-0-Marvel-1963-1st-J-Jonah-Jameson-Chameleon-More-/202299393664?hash=item2f19fbc680%3Ag%3AlXcAAOSwQRla4jvV&nma=true&si=dJPNLwYkrGFira6WlQ4P2sVHbtE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amazing-Spider-Man-1-CGC-3-0-ow-w-pages-/142666044523?hash=item21378f146b%3Ag%3AFx8AAOSwndZaZ32r&nma=true&si=dJPNLwYkrGFira6WlQ4P2sVHbtE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Amazing-Spider-Man-1-CGC-3-0-Universal-Grade-1963-Off-White-to-White-Pages-/263477348261?hash=item3d587947a5%3Ag%3Ae%7EcAAOSwXf1aW38u&nma=true&si=dJPNLwYkrGFira6WlQ4P2sVHbtE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

If it was an ebay sale, I'm wondering who the seller was? I am probably one of many folks here who wouldn't want to make a purchase from somebody who packages their books this way.

[stock_rotation]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-Amazing-Spiderman-1-Chameleon-Strikes-/222961604101?hash=item33e98c1605%3Ag%3A0QQAAOSwWHZa6Ql4&nma=true&si=2f2OCbAI6VnOwAaLP3dks8yMsqg%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Confirmed by the "Mid-G" stamp next to the "The".

I found it by searching in all comics, price 5500-6500 in completed. Even though the book lists as sold for $6700, it showed up in the search.

Edited May 11, 2018 by stock_rotation

[Dick Pontoon]

7 minutes ago, stock_rotation said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-Amazing-Spiderman-1-Chameleon-Strikes-/222961604101?hash=item33e98c1605%3Ag%3A0QQAAOSwWHZa6Ql4&nma=true&si=2f2OCbAI6VnOwAaLP3dks8yMsqg%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Confirmed by the "Mid-G" stamp next to the "The".

I found it by searching in all comics, price 5500-6500 in completed. Even though the book lists as sold for $6700, it showed up in the search.

Thank you, sir!

[Callaway29]

Wow, what a nice 3.0. Stain on back slammed the grade...

[Kramerica]

6 hours ago, oakman29 said:

Congrats, still I would have reached out to board members, every time I've ever bought a high dollar book was from Gator,  Bob Storms, Bunky Brian, Dale. You know the kind of guys I'm talking about. They have found my books in no time . An ASM 1 is an easy find for them.

x 14,000,605

[kav]

I would probably leave good feedback but message the seller explaining all the deficits and point out that many are not so kind with feedback.  Conversely, if you are going to leave a neg or neutral, do not mention feedback or he can have it removed.

[HENRYSPENCER]

Nice book.  Crazy how he shipped something this valuable by media mail.