Buyer Beware on shipped items
 

Recently I made some equipment purchases from a fellow in Calgary as I had bought from him before I had no issues with him and unlike many sellers he ships at buyers cost which is rare to find in sellers that they will ship.

So back to my purchase I bought a kalkwasser reactor from him and accompanying pump just what I was looking for and at a great price as well. After some back and forth banter we decided to ship via greyhound as it was convenient for him no biggie.

Waited for a week package finally shows up and first thing I notice is its crushed even with fragile stickers all over it the clerk hands it to me and instantly I know its damaged. She and I opened it and found the reactor broken in several spots and the pump casing cracked beyond repair.

I know its not the sellers fault as he had sent pictures of the package as greyhound accepted it in Calgary. As no insurance was bought I was SoL on claims but as I had opened infront of the clerk and had proof package was intact in Calgary I had all fees waived as it was greyhounds fault. Thought it was good of then to do that for me.

I let seller know and I told him since I purchased it it was therefore my loss by no fault of his. I was out xx bucks but it is important to know that when something is shipped there are no guarantees and if its damaged in transit be prepared as seller is not obligated to return the money spent nor is the seller responsible once that package leaves their possession.

Thanks for posting this. I agree that getting items shipped without insurance is always risky. Unfortunately, it's not the first time I've seen items come squashed.

Class act IMO for not putting the onus back on the seller *thumbs up*



They should just stop manufacturing "fragile" stickers since those seem to get ignored either way haha.

Agreed. Good on you for not bashing the seller. Sometimes shipping companies can be so stupid. You shouldnt have to buy insurance to protect your investment. If they break something by mis-handling, they should cover it no metter what.

I find that people who bash sellers feel they are owed something when in reality the buyer is not entitled to anything other than the item they bought and it is not the sellers problem if the shipper mishandles the product

People have to learn to deal with it and move on...

I too always found it funny that shipping companies want you to buy insurance from them to protect you from their negligence.

That's always bothered me as well

That sucks.

Greyhound freight is always a dubious proposition.

Inexpensive, but it's not their forte.

Good for you for not blaming the seller. When people ship items, it seems often times the buyer doesn't consider the effort the seller takes to package the item, take it to the shipper, fill out the paperwork, and have it sent off to the buyer. It is quite a favor when a seller is willing to ship the item, so buyers really should be more understanding when there is damage. Thank you for sharing this experience.

Yeah, isn't that ridiculous? I'm not sure about the other companies, but FedEx provides the first $100 coverage if you use air shipping (1-3 day). They also provide packing supplies like shipping envelopes, boxes, and bubble wrap for free (the boxes aren't very big though) for air shipping. I know UPS charges for all shipping supplies.

Canada Post also charges for all shipping supplies.

Except for tape. They'll give you some tape for free haha.

I guess it's all dependent on what you are shipping aswell as how it is packed, if it's a $100 reactor it may be worth by Canada post to insure it for $12??
If I was buying a BK skimmer forsure I would be insuring it even if used since they aren't cheap and if damaged or missing then you're out of a whole lot of money!