Misadventures in Shipping

While out shoveling snow following a recent snowstorm, the postman pulled up to the house and hopped out of his truck.  In his hand was the bright orange package shown above.  Fumbling with his handheld device to scan the package as delivered, we briefly discussed the present condition of the package as I put shovel aside and removed my gloves.  Seeing that one end was badly crushed and the box warped, the postman wanted to make clear that this particular package was a "last mile" delivery.  That is, another shipper is responsible for shipping to the "last mile" at which time the USPS takes over for final delivery to the address.  Not recalling the contents of this package, I remarked that I hoped the contents fared better than the packing container.  He smiled and said, "yeah, me too."  

Imagine my disappointment when I opened the box to reveal the contents.  Inside was a badly mauled boardgame.  There was no protective packing material and the shipping box, itself, was rather flimsy without rigidity.  The game box showed a broken spine with severe bending or warping.  This game had a rough journey.  Given Manassas is a relatively rare commodity, I was crestfallen at my loss. 

Since the purchase was from eBay and I felt the care in packing was insufficient to protect the shipment of goods, I requested a return.  Photos and explanation of the shipping damage were sent and the seller promptly replied.  After apologizing for the damage, he offered to accept a return.  A shipping label was sent. Within an hour of receiving the shipping label, another email from the seller arrived into my Inbox.  Rather than refund my total purchase price and pay for return shipping, he suggested I keep the game in its current state while refunding my purchase.  I accepted!

While the game box was badly damaged in transit, the game's components were still in undamaged condition.  I applaud the seller for his quick and satisfactory resolution.