Another eBay Rant

[ChesterCheetah18]

I don’t normally do this, but this purchase I recently made has me shaking my head. I had made an offer on a copy of Victor 24735 “The Continental” by Jolly Coburn. Not a rare or expensive record by any means, but still a decent and not-so-common record from 1934.
After getting it today, all looked good until I opened the box. The record was sandwiched between the cardboard as pictured, wrapped in Saran Wrap, and put in the box with wadded up paper. Naturally, the record arrived cracked.
I have a hard time understanding how someone would think this is a good way of packaging a shellac record. As it stands, the crack is tight and I will use epoxy to “stabilize” it, but it’s now a “player”. It’s a shame, as I would (very conservatively) grade it an E- copy.
If you read this far, thanks for putting up with my rant.

Steve

[paradroid1793]

I had a seller do this with a 1938 pressing of Ted Weems "Heartaches"

[JerryVan]

I received a similarly packed record lately. Minimally sandwiched and placed in a 1" tall box, "padded" with shredded paper, on ONE side of the record only! The other side of the record was directly against the lid of the box. Amazingly, undamaged!

I usually only buy from sellers that deal exclusively in 78 rpm records. There have been many records I've "passed" on due to unknown packaging practices. I also passed on a nice Columbia N due to the seller knowing nothing at all about shipping cylinder phonographs. Especially those where the works are not fastened to the cabinet.

[ChesterCheetah18]

Agreed Jerry. I haven’t bought from anyone on eBay I don’t know personally or have dealt with before for quite some time now. Even if one provides specific packing instructions nine times out of ten the instructions will be ignored. I decided to give the seller a chance in this case as they have sold many shellac records in the past and have a good feedback rating.

Steve

[epigramophone]

Even if one provides specific packing instructions nine times out of ten the instructions will be ignored.
Steve

At least if the worst happens, you can prove to eBay that you gave the seller specific packing instructions.

[Steve]

That is very irritating, I can well understand the disappointment. However, this example of incompetence (and many others) pales into insignificance when compared to my experience receiving a $1500 gramophone from the US in 3 separate shipments including a cereal box and a plastic bag! I doubt this level of stupidity will ever be surpassed, especially if you consider that the gramophone was portable and ingeniously designed to fit into a rigid leather carrying case (included with it). For some reason known only to the gods, this clown sent separate parts of it in two shipments initially, including the soundbox in a plastic bag - it arrived crushed and broken. The wooden box designed to house parts in transit was bereft of them! But where was the leather outer case? Oh, yes, the seller accidentally "forgot" to ship that insignificant apart! By the time I received that I had had to pay 3 lots of customs charges and admin fees instead of one singular payment!

This FTA gramophone is one of the rarest machines in my collection. The fact that I managed to repair the soundbox and get everything back to where it should have been is a minor miracle. It is photographed in one of the Fabrizio and Paul books before it landed in the hands of an absolute idiot. Luckily it once again looks exactly like it does in the book!

[Woody]

I sometimes wonder whether this happens because the sellers are trying to unload the collections of a deceased parent.

This should remind us all that there are three important things we all need to do as we age:

1. Make sure our wills are up to date and legally sound.
2. Provide clear instructions for end-of-life care, so that there are no family fights about when to shut off life support.
3. And make sure our kids know EXACTLY how to package our 78s before selling them on eBay!!!!

[ajhuth1877]

I once bought a Little Wonder record that came broken clean in half.

[Jmcmahan67]

My three most interesting record shipment memories are as follows:

1. I bought an international record company record from 1905 for $10 from some guy who knew nothing about shipping 78 records. I even gave him instructions on how to pack it. He mailed it in a flat ½ thick box with no padding, and it was broken in three pieces.

2. I bought an 1896 Berliner record from someone who knew nothing about shipping records. It came to me sideways in a 7 inch cardboard box with no padding of any kind. Amazingly, it was not damaged.

3. I once bought a large lot of 78 records from the 1920s or so. I think there were about 70 records. The shipper put them in a Home Depot bucket with each record stacked on top of the other with a small piece of cardboard in between. My heart sank when I saw that big ultra heavy orange bucket full of records at my front door. Once again, the 78 gods were with me as not one record was damaged.

[AudioFeline]

I bought a 78 over Gumtree. On payment, I contacted the seller and requested that it be securely packed, and I could advise on how to pack and send 78s if he was not familar with them. He replied and assured me he knew how to ship 78s. I was shocked when the 78 arrived. It had not been packed, it was just inserted into an office envelope, not even card or bubble wrap protecting it. Amazingly, it had not been damaged. I contacted the seller, explained that 78's were fragile, and how to pack them (and how I expected them to be posted). He thanked me and said he had no idea, forgetting my offer to advise him prior to posting and his assurance he knew what he was doing!