wilky
Update, heard from the seller pretty quick smart. We agreed to a partial refund and it is in my PayPal account already.
She did claim that shipping damage is not her responsibility but having posted kits myself and packed them in two layers of bubble wrap and cardboard and had the buyers very happy with how they have arrived I agree with her that shipping damage isn't her responsibility if adequate steps have been taken to mitigate the rigours of shipping

gorby
That's a bit of a bugger Wilky. I know that it was for your collection, but is at least buildable? So far (fingers crossed) I seem to be really luck with stuff that I've got through the post. There is only one occasion that the box looked like it had been used as a football, but when I opened the box, nothing was damaged!

wilky
Yeah Gorby, I guess I was a bit harsh about the usefulness of the kit because I was annoyed. I've glued the broken piece back on and I'll put the kit in the stash of builders.

Robert W Martel
That Sucks Wilky! Bubble wrap & brown paper NEVER cuts it for shipping model kits. Must be the seller isn't a modeler! lol
It is amazing sometimes what you can do with glue when you have to!

wilky
Yeah, with all her positive feedback I stupidly assumed that it would be adequately packed

Robert W Martel
Those are the sellers I put on my list of "NOT To Buy From Again" !
I consider I've been terribly lucky as far as shipping damage goes. I've received kits in the USPS Priority boxes that were crunched pretty badly & even some w/holes poked it them, and those boxes are pretty sturdy! If those had been just wrapped in paper & bubble wrap they would have been damaged for sure.
Hopefully the seller made it worth your while that you had to glue the pieces together! They may not be responsible for shipping damage, but should be responsible for decent packaging. These postal carries don't have much respect for our packages these days. it amazes me how F'd up those USPS boxes can get!
Like the Mosquito btw!

wilky
Just bought another one of these on eBay. Hopefully it arrives in one piece. I asked the seller before I purchased if they ship in a box and they said they do

Robert W Martel
Good,
Yea, the Academy Sopwith Camel I bought from Korea was just bubble wrap & brown paper. One end of the box got kinda squished. Luckily there was a lot of empty space in the box so nothing got broke. If the box had been full, like some are, there would have been broken parts.
Most kit boxes wont hold up to the rough treatment the shippers put them through these days!
Seems when I was younger I don't remember getting packages so beat up as they are these days.
And shipping is so darn expensive these days, seems they'd have more respect for our Stuff !!

wilky
It takes time to kick and stomp on all the parcels now so we have to pay for the extra man hours. They're not going to smash shit for free, you know

Robert W Martel
LOL !!! You're a funny guy Wilky. Crazy SH.. !!

wilky
Talking about squashed kit boxes. I just received the latest reboxing of the Airfix 1/48 Canberra and the box was badly squashed and thankfully the box is way bigger than the contents so I only had a quick look but nothing looks broken. It was in bubble wrap and brown paper and because it was shipped using the GSP when I informed the seller he made me do a return request. He apologised that he hadn't sent it in a box because he thought it was staying in the U.K. Well I received a refund and he kept his money because the GSP guarantees safe delivery.
Also talking about the old days. I remember my mother receiving a huge parcel from relatives in the U.K. and it was only in brown paper that had fallen to pieces but I think the contents made it through with no damage and it included three or four kits for me

Robert W Martel
Wow, that's crazy! How did he not know it was not staying in the UK???, going through the GSP ?? So did you have to send it back?
how old were you when you got those kits? Just curious. lol

wilky
I think I was thirteen. Because when you purchase through the GSP they send it to an address in the U.K. He said he didn't notice where he was sending it. No, didn't have to return it. Received a full refund and was able to keep the kit. Actually received more than I paid because I used a ten percent off voucher from eBay and they refunded the original price

Robert W Martel
Well that worked out! I think I've had that happen once a while back,,, totally forgot!
Right!, now that I think about it I've made the same mistake too! Didn't realize I had included International shipping. Crap happens !!

wilky
I was worried this kit had been lost in the post. I purchased it on the 2nd and the seller eventually marked it as sent on the 8th. As it was being shipped via the GSP I received a confirmation email from eBay. Then nothing for days so I sent the seller an email on the 15th. She said that it was at the GSP centre according to myHermes tracking. But I woke up this morning and received an email at 1.11am 18/5 saying my item just arrived. I think she forgot to send it until I sent my email as she is only 120 miles from the GSP centre.
I really hate the GSP. The U.S. one is the worst with it being expensive and so slow. At least the U.K. one is fast, usually seven days to get to me. Way faster than Royal Mail

Robert W Martel
I can believe that !!

wilky
This boxing of the Airfix Mosquito is proving to be extremely difficult for me to add to my collection.
Picked up the replacement one today from the post office and like an excited little kid I hastily but carefully unpacked it. The seller had done an excellent job of getting it to me in great condition.
Open the box and tip out the parts and instantly I was disappointed. Three sprues with only a couple of pieces attached fell out.
No decals, no clear parts. Kit has a part count of 97. 59 are missing. Everything to assemble a Mk II or VI is gone. All I received were the leftover Mk XVIII parts.
Contacted the seller but because it was sent via the GSP she is unable to refund the GSP component. Being £15 of the £25 total it's not an amount I intend on losing.
She is very apologetic but surely if you are selling something this old as "new". You really should check that it is.
Now I have to buy a fourth kit. Never have had to buy four before just to get one good one. I purchased a bagged kit at the end of last year and when that arrived I found there were parts missing and the undercarriage components were broken. I had failed to spot the missing parts and damaged undercarriage components in the pictures provided in the eBay listing. I am completely to blame there.I can't even put the first one in this box because it was crushed so badly not only the fuselage was broken but the undercarriage components were shattered and the little bits that broke off must have fallen out when I checked the contents.

wilky
So I opened up a case. This is a first for me. Well did a return for damage with the Airfix Canberra but that was different because the seller told me what to do my end and then he fixed it his end.
The seller just contacted me to ask what she has to do her end and I have no idea

Robert W Martel
That's a real bummer Wilky. That's about $32+worth. A kits worth!
Ebay is a so so proposition sometimes.
You have the point right on the $$$ !!
"if you are selling something this old as "new". You really should check that it is."
How can someone ASSUME something OLD is NEW without knowing or at least checking it out before trying to sell it. I see this happen more & more. Maybe she's just dumb, or maybe she doesn't give a hoot. There's just too many unsafe sellers for us SERIOUS modelers !!! Everybody on evilbay thinks these plastic kits are GOLD these days, and they're all trying to get rich!
Trouble is your out L15 (no pound key, lol), a sizable sum, plus you have to spend more LLL to finish your little dream! BAH HUMBUG !!!
You just gotta average it out and bite the bullit ! Like the ESCI AC-47 I'm just starting, I totally forgot I only paid $4.99 & cheap shipping. That makes up for a couple other disappointments I've had.
I feel for ya buddy ! Good luck with the rest. You'll get it done, MAN !!
Keep a stiff upper lip !!

wilky
I'm not buying any more of this boxing. I've tried. Time to move on.
eBay kept the GSP component but it wasn't their fault that the seller sold me an incomplete kit.
You seem to get a few cheap kits.

wilky
So I changed my mind and have bought another one of these kits but I couldn't resist because it came with two other Airfix 1/72 Mosquito kits for a total of £21.80.
The last one I bought cost £24.67. So three for £21.80 is pretty good as far as I'm concerned. Made sure that the seller is shipping them in a box. So maybe fourth times a charm

wilky
Picked up the parcel today and they all made it here pretty good. Package was squashed a little but the kit boxes are okay.
So fourth time was a charm and to top it off one of the kits is a boxing that is unknown to Scalemates. So I'll be adding that to the database asap.
On a sad note, two kits I picked up today were sent in padded envelopes and are badly squashed and damaged. One from an eBay seller and the other from a fellow Scalemate. That one is the most annoying as I would have thought that a modeller would understand that we want them in the same condition as purchased

Robert W Martel
Great news on the Mosquitos Wilky ! Padded envelopes !! Yikes !! I suppose some folks just don't realize how F'd Up a package can get, or how unsturdy some kit boxes are. You & I get lots of them in the mail (post), so we see it more often than most.
I've gotten as I'm sure you have, kits in some pretty stout boxes that have been so damaged I was amazed that the kit wasn't damaged. These delivery people have no respect for our "stuff" !! And for the prices they get these days, they should be treated w/TLC !
Either of those 2 willing to make good for you ?? Anything salvageable??

wilky
Haven't heard back from either of them at this time. I guess the decals would be okay with a settling agent as they are dented and the broken bits can be glued back together. No help to me because I wanted to add them both to my collection and the boxes are really bad.
I'm going to have to start selling at swap meets but it will look like I'm rough on my kits because all the ones I want to sell have squashed boxes and broken bits

wilky
Okay, just heard back from the Scalemate. Apparently it's my fault I only paid €16 for shipping and I should have paid €40 with insurance. I wouldn't have needed insurance if it was in a box. I'm fing pissed off with his response and won't be buying anything from him again.

Robert W Martel
Ouch !! Bum luck. Hope you didn't overpay for those 2 !!
I'm still looking (well,,,) for a model show/swap meet somewhere near me. Nearest I've seen is San Francisco, Los Angeles or Bakersfield,,, all too far!!
Like I said Wilky, I sure wish I had mucho $$$, I'd come down under for a visit ! lol

wilky
I'll have to drive 550km to go to a swap meet but I can stay with my family

Robert W Martel
Well, that's cool. 👍

wilky
Okay, have an update on proceedings. I have received a full refund from the eBay seller. I don't know why but that is pending until the 27th. So hopefully I do get that.
Also received a €12 refund less fees from the Scalemate. I had to pay the fee when I sent the money to him and have had to cop the fee when I received the money he sent me, which sucks but it's better than nothing.
There are a couple of online suppliers of the RS kit but I'll have to save up to get another as they will probably be about the same cost as the initial purchase

Robert W Martel
Well, at least you got SOME satisfaction my friend ! Better than not. The ebay one should get through, just has to go through "procedure". Better luck next time !!
Fees,, fees,, fees,,,, fees for the fees!! it's always something ! lol