The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

... they certainly don't know how to pack a box. That scroll label, the one that was the whole reason that I bid on the auction? Yeah, that was on the bottom with only a sheet of bubble wrap between it and the bottom of the box. Obliterated. Took out the bottom 5 records along with it.

Luckily there was still enough good stuff in the batch to make it worthwhile but such needless destruction is still disturbing. It will be the first Victor scroll label and Bluebird labels that I will make a drink coaster out of, no regrets other than I couldn't get through to the volunteers packing the box in time to give them tips on how to ship them properly. I'll be sending them this picture though, with a few suggestions

That's really too bad, I hate seeing things like this happen.

And what's the matter with people, is there a walnut in there head where a brain is supposed to be ?
Just because they're volunteers means they don't have to think ?

I don't mean this to sound snarky, but did you instruct Goodwill on how to pack the records?

It's really not reasonable to expect "civilians" to know how to pack things they know nothing about, and with which they have had no experience. When I buy records online, I consider it my responsibility to offer advice on how to pack them.

I do so politely, pointing out that we both want a successful transaction. So far, no one has taken offense. One woman from whom I bought a 7" Berliner thanked me - and admitted that she was originally planning to use a padded envelope! But really - how was she to know any better?

George P.

"Always a smash hit"

Sorry- yeah, this stinks. And GFP is right- some people simply don't know.

A 7" Berliner in a padded envelope... amazing...

... no, that's why I said "shipped before I had the chance". I was going to reach out to them but was on the road for 3 days with intermittent service, had actually forgotten about the auction until I got a message from my wife with a picture of the box as it had arrived. I sent them an "after" message, basically "hey, no worries but, in the future..."

I love it when I find 78s in the wild.I get them at my local antique center. But I know that not every collector has places to go where they can find them.edisonplayer.

I just got a stack of Diamond Discs from ShopGoodwill awhile ago (it had Fred Van Eps records in it, go figure.) Starting to worry about how those will fare in shipping. . .

Last thing I got in the mail was this Sessions eight-day clock from 1921. This is the first time I've bought a clock in the past tense. It was not a clock when I got it; it was a clock that had once been.
Had to reglue the case--Still need a few spares for the movement, like a suspension spring and a few other necessities. It was going to need servicing anyway as it's 101 years old, but now it is needing a bit more than that. I have it sitting on the mantlepiece in the apartment right now, just as a bit of a display until I can get it together.

Holy cow, was THAT shipped in a padded envelope?

I sent them a copy of the same photo that I posted and they actually sent me a refund for part of the auction, I didn't ask for one but there it was. Good faith.
I think I even made a point to say that the rest of the batch was worth the $. Just bummed about my scroll

Yes they did ship the clock in envelopes--wrapped it up a few times in envelopes, put it in a flat-rate box, and allowed it to shake itself apart on a road trip all the way up the Eastern seaboard. I was able to get a full refund, mentioning poor packaging. The seller, most apologetic, blamed the post office. I don't know; the post-office doesn't rip boxes open to wrap antique mantle clocks in bubble envelopes.

I'm sorry to hear about your scroll label Vic. Those are good records with fine sound quality; it's never good news when we lose more 78s.

So this is hilarious. My box of Diamond Discs arrived in fine condition, wrapped up to survive re-entry from orbit. I'm almost sure that Kurt Nauck would've approved of the packing. Of course none were damaged (they're Diamond Discs.)

Yet your precious stash of nice-condition 78s get smashed up. It just doesn't seem fair.