Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Received in Bad Condition x2

Minus the weapon, which I knew was not included,  I ordered the two action figures shown above from a US eBay seller.



Minus the weapon, that I didn't want even if it had been included, this is what I received: a tan/light brown action figure body, the hands of which and extra head connectors are inside a small zip lock bag; and a brown action figure body with hands attached.  What's the problem you ask?  BOTH ARE MISSING THEIR LEFT FEET and I am screaming.  (Go ahead, click the image to enlarge it.)  What looks like an action figure brochure is actually the collapsed and folded boxes for each figure that the seller could have used to ship the figures in instead of a bubble wrap envelope.

The Back Story:
The Head Play Michael Jordan head that I ordered and received last week needed a body.  None of the bodies I have on hand fit.  So I immediately went to eBay in search of a body for Michael and another head that I plan to purchase later.  I emailed a couple of sellers to be sure that I ordered bodies that would fit Michael and the other head.  I was told that 1:6 TTL bodies would fit both.

Next, I narrowed down the best price/shipping combination.  One seller in Hong Kong had the bodies for $18.99 each with free shipping.  The selected US seller had them for $19.99 each with free shipping.  "What's a dollar?" I thought.  "I'll support the US seller and probably receive the bodies quicker than I would if I order from the HK seller."  So that's what I did.

The bodies arrived today as shown in a bubble wrap envelope, which was damaged in transit and re-taped by the PO after the left feet, which were probably loose in the package (if ever in there at all), fell out.  Stamped twice in red letters on the front of the re-sealed envelope is my exact description of these two figures:  RECEIVED IN BAD CONDITION.

I didn't realize the seller's free shipping meant the use of a bubble wrap mailer. 

I am awaiting the seller's reply to the notification I sent regarding this situation. 


dbg

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18 comments:

  1. Unbelievable. I dislike it when dealers take short cuts in the packaging it ends up damaging the figure or figure box.

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  2. Shaking my head. The seller should have known better.

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  3. Wow, I'm upset for you! That is so lazy of the US seller and a darned shame. I want to jump on the action figure wagon but issues like these make me think twice. I hope the seller rectifies the situation as promptly as he received your business.

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  4. Thanks everyone. The seller promptly answered me and has already sent a tracking number for the replacement feet. I hope h/she will seriously consider my suggestion to rethink the use of bubble wrap for future shipments.

    Tracy India - glad to see a comment from you. With reference to AFs, once you own one, dress it in fashionable civilian clothing, and pair it with one of your females, you'll be hooked. They put Ken and any nonarticulated male figure to shame.

    dbg

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  5. WOW! I am glad that you have feet coming. Very odd that it was both the left feet. That is one good thing about action figures. Replaceable parts. I've had a few instances lately with shipments from China where the package was completely open. Happened twice. All the contents were amazingly still in the bag. I did complain. I'm hoping my MJ comes in the mail today. It will be interesting to see the dynamics between him and Adele. I hope he is strong enough to deal with her. My Jay Chou came yesterday. Good lawd, he looks good. I needed another Asian man for my Asian BB3.0 with the 2 Only Hearts girls. He doesn't have a body yet. I've used up my reserve.

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    1. Thanks, Vanessa. I thought it odd that both figure's left feet were missing too. Good your packages weren't missing anything.

      Not sure which female will catch my Michael's eye. It will be interesting to see which one.

      Hope you find a body soon for Jay Chou. I look forward to seeing him in your videos.

      dbg

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  6. Oh no Debbie! I'm sorry that you had to deal with this irritation. I'm glad that the seller is sending you replacement feet right away. My bs0039 body that I'm using for my MJ head came in bubble wrap also, all the way from Hong Kong! Amazingly, the body had no damage and everything was intact.

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    1. Thanks, Roxanne.

      I'm glad your bd0039 body arrived undamaged. Sellers are taking a risk when using bubble wrap. The possibility of damage and replacement costs would be far less with the use of a box.

      dbg

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  7. I have used the bubble mailer before but I still take the time to put the doll in tissue paper and bubble wrap. The pieces are placed in a baggie inside the taped bubble wrap so nothing gets lost. I also make sure to place tape on the flap so no worries of it coming open in transit.

    I'm glad your seller is sending you the replacement feet.

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    1. It's the extra steps you take to ensure the item isn't damaged in transit that make all the difference, Dollz4Moi. I actually think the bubble wrap envelope was not long enough to accommodate these two figures. They were wrapped in additional bubble wrap, but it was just not enough to protect them. The seller also did not add extra tape to the envelope.

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  8. The replacement feet arrived today. All is well.

    dbg

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    1. That was fast! I'm glad that this issue was resolved so quickly. I can't wait to see your completed figures!

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  9. Yay, glad you have a happy ending ;-D

    And yes, once you get started with action figures, you won't be able to stop. Ethnic variety and pose-ability that is unbeatable.

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    1. Thanks, D7ana!

      I owe my introduction to the world of male AF to you and Roxanne.

      dbg

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  10. When I ship action figures, I alway use a box now. I had a bad experience where a buyer asked me to ship in an evelope to cut shipping cost. One of the legs broke and I had to reship a second figure at my cost to them. Now, I only send unarticutaled Barbies by padded evelope. Even then, I use bubble wrap and tissue and rubberband the arms and legs to the body. I guess now we should ask how item is being shipped.

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    1. Boxes by far are the best shippers. Padded envelopes are okay if the doll is adequately protected, like you described. Creating a tube with cardboard box and securing the doll in it, and using a bubble wrap envelope will give it added protection without adding too much to the shipping weight.

      dbg

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  11. So glad this was resolved. I'm so glad I didn't hear you scream or did I? I can't wait to see the pictures of the completed MJ. With a good body, he will be hot!

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    1. Thanks, Brini. He "do look mar-be-lous"! I just dressed him less than 5 minutes ago. I'll probably share him with you sometime this week.

      dbg

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