What to do when receiving damaged ogp???

Hello, I received a coin inside of a flexible plastic bubble wrap envelope. Upon opening I noticed the outer box had a corner smashed in significantly. I contacted the seller who replied that it was sent priority mail, and is covered for up to $100, and I should assume the burden of having to deal with the P.O. is it my responsibility for this??? I feel that I paid for an item to be shipped to me in "like new" condition, not a smashed ogp. If they would have shipped inside a regular cardboard box, this wouldn't have happened. Seller from EBAY. What would you do???
John.

 

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Follow the golden rule in treating him as you'd wish to be treated. That said, he insured it, so as far as I know, he's also the one who would have to put in the claim.

Either way, just try to work with him first...

 

File a claim. It is their responsibility to get it there safely, not yours. Ebay will ask you to ship it back (and have the seller pay). They can then file a claim with the post office if they want.

 

Thanks guys, I didn't think it should be my burden/problem. I'll talk to the seller, and tell him exactly that.

 

I would send a request for a refund first, explaining the item arrived damaged. If he denies it, then ask ebay to step in. At least that gives him a chance to fix it before ebay dings his account.

 

The burden is on the seller/shipper. He is the only person that can open a claim of damage with USPS.

 

If that was the seller's response then you should file a complaint with Ebay. Assuring a package is delivered as described is the seller's responsibility. Ebay monitors all emails between the seller and buyer so you should win a case. I use ebay a lot and I always try to work with buyers to make things right. Sometimes it sucks but it is the cost of doing business.

I wouldn't knock the seller for using a bubble envelope. I use these all of the time and I haven't had any issues yet. The seller probably opted for this to save you money shipping the item. A cardboard box may have cost a few more dollars to ship. A few extra dollars for shipping can sometimes be the deciding factor on one seller vs another.

 

I would ask the seller for a partial refund and keep it or a full refund and return it. If he says no file a claim with eBay under not as described.

 

First, and regardless of what the almighty says, the genuinely responsible party here is the post office, so why run to eBay prior to knowing if the seller realizes he's the one who must file the claim? The OP wasn't sure, and this is something that has come up a number of times here indicating that many are not aware. A quick and polite message from the OP informing the seller of the above should come before even considering filing a claim.

Being as you're a seller yourself, I can only assume that you're aware of perfectly reasonable skepticism many sellers feel when such a complaint takes place. Just as the OP doesn't know the seller's motivations, the seller doesn't know the OP's, and is why simple and respectful discourse the wisest initial approach. If the seller rejects his good faith attempt to both inform and rectify the situation, then and only then should eBay be involved imo.

 

As far as I know the only person who can file insurance claims are the one who paid for the insurance. That said I seriously doubt USPS will do anything with a claim.

Just as a side note it is rather disconcerning so many people think it is okay to just make eBay do whatever they wanted. An outer box got hit, OPG doesn't impact value on moderns the market showed that time and time again. I will never understand how a mint box is worth more than the coin but somehow we shouldn't trust grading.

 

From the OPs message it sounded like going to the seller was a dead end. If a seller is not willing to help it kind of puts you in a bind. Your options are live with it, try to fight USPS, or get EBay involved. Trying to deal with USPS for an insurance claim can be a nightmare.

And yes I'm skeptical of anyone who I've mailed stuff too. Sometimes making things go away is the easiest path. As a buyer I try to be reasonable myself.

 

While I personally agree with baseball21 that the cardboard is meaningless, I've sold mint coins where people complained about the packaging.

 

I usually agree with you, but not here. If a mint box is in good shape when shipped, it should arrive in good shape. You can argue that a coin that is graded is worth the same, whether the holder is scratched up or not, but we would all rather have a nice clean holder.

 

When people purchase a coin in OGP, they expect both the coin and the OGP to arrive in good condition. If a seller told me that the coin is OK, so don't complain about the OGP, he would be on my blocked list and I definitely would open a claim with eBay.

 

I think Books has he right idea. If I read the original post correctly, the OP received a damaged item. He contacted the seller, who replied that the package was insured, go ahead and file a claim.. Without seeing the listing, or knowing who the seller was, it's possible he may not realize that the shipper (in this case, the seller) is responsible for getting the package safely to the buyer. He did insure it (so he said). I think the next step for the OP is to respond to the seller stating USPS policy when it comes to shipping items, and the insurance claim process, and requesting a refund. If the seller then doesn't respond, or refuses further intervention, then, and only then, should the OP contact eBay and get them involved. Looks like there was only one exchange between the buyer and the seller. I'm giving the seller the benefit of the doubt, so before flying off the handle and filing the complaint with eBay, try one more time to work with the seller.

 

As others have said, the seller either doesn't understand how postal insurance works, or is hoping the buyer doesn't.

I'd send back a reply saying "Thanks, but claims on postal insurance have to be made by the shipper, not the recipient. I'll be happy to return the item so you can start that process. How would you like to proceed?" If he responded with anything other than "send it back" or a partial refund that made me happy, that's when I'd open a case.

 

Either the shipper or the receiver can file the insurance claim.

DMM Section 609 Filing Indemnity Claims
1.3 Who May File

A claim may be filed by:

a. Either the mailer or addressee, for damaged articles or articles with some or all of the contents missing.

 

After reading all comments, I decided to do as suggested. I let the seller know that it was their responsibility (shipper) to start the claim with USPS, and not mine. (recipient) Then asked how they would like to proceed.
One thing though, the packaging may have already been damaged prior to shipping???
Whenever I make purchases from the mint, they always have been shipped in boxes, not plastic envelopes. Some may not care about the packaging, but I do. The item was offered with original packaging, "like new" condition. That's why I bid on it.

 

I've been told many times that the shipper has to file, but none of the people saying that ever pointed to an actual regulation. Thanks for setting me straight!