My minis arrived broken, what do i do?

[odorofdeath]

Howdy, and km sorry if this is in the wrong forum.

Recently I traded with another user for a small Grey Knight force in exchange for my tyranids. Although this user was acting on behalf of a friend and had no references, I went ahead with the trade.

Here's where things get tricky: after recieving the Knights, I reused their packaging and used it for my own models, which only fit in the package after some creative placement on my part ( I didn't have any packages of similar size).

So the package arrives a bit late, and the friend is pissed. Many of the models are busted up, and overall he is severely displeased and wants his stuff back. He also states that he will send my army back *after* he gets his Knights back.

So my question to you guys is: did i goof on the packing, or am I getting conned? I just feel a little weird about this, as this kind of thing has never happened to me before. I definitely don't want to get slammed with mail fraud or anything like that, but I also am a bit wary, and all my friends and family have said it seems a bit suspicious. I can supply pictures if it would help...

Thoughts? Any help would definitely be appreciated guys. Thanks.

[MagickalMemories]

If you had to get "creative," then you probably hosed things up. Never try to fit things into a too small box. Ever. It's your responsibility to make certain that your side of the trade arrives to your partner in the condition it was before boxing it up, not just that it arrives.
You need to sack up and make it right. If I was in your situation, I'd ask if there's a financial recompense that will make things right with them. That presumes you can come up with the cash, mind you. Ask for a list of what broke and for pics.
If you can't afford a monetary recompense, maybe you can send some other stuff or return some of theirs to make the deal work.

Keep in mind, though... BROKEN and UNASSEMBLED are different things. They should be more willing to be understanding about unassembled models. Not that you should totally get away with it (a crappy pack job is a crappy pack job), just that they should be more understanding.

If they insist on a total exchange, it's only right of you to go along with it. That said, who ships first is as debatable now as during a trade. Myself, I'd never ship first to someone with 0 ref's, even if it was my own *edit*-up that caused them to want to resend.
As it's my fault, though, I'd also reimburse them for their shipping costs. It's not right that they should be out money for your error.

My $.02.

Eric

[porkuslime]

And.. does the other guy have pictures of the damage to the models? Can he take shots of them still in the box (probably too late) or of any damage the box may have suffered?

Were the nids plastic or metal, or a combination, and is there a chance of heavy metal models moving around and damaging fragile smaller plastics?

-P

[odorofdeath]

Thanks guys. Yes, he took pictures of some of the damage, and while none of it is irreparable (that I can see and have been led to believe) I would be as pissed as he is.

I got lazy, and it blew up in my face. I fully intend to make this right.

Thanks for clearing my head, guys.

[MagickalMemories]

As long as you approach it with that attitude and an open and genuine desire to make it right, things should be fine.

I strongly suggest your lead in be, "Okay. I screwed up. It's on me. My packaging was not up to my usual standards and now you're looking at the results. Is there anything I can do to make it right and keep the trade moving forward, rather than reverse it?"
If you've got suggestions, offer them at that point.

If you hit a point where you want a staff member's input or adjudication, feel free to PM any one of us. Just make sure you BOTH know you're doing so, and that it's not done as something confrontational; "Fine. I'll get an Admin to look at it and tell you how unreasonable you're being!"

Eric

[odorofdeath]

Thanks again, MM.

[Decado26]

Actually I am the other party in this. I had posted the army for a friend of mine and when it arrived in the mail he freaked out. Although we were able to glue quite a few of the models back together there were some who were fubar'd. Its just the nature of sending models through the mail. Alot of times you can think you have it boxed up pretty good but you can never tell when the guy at the post office is having a bad day and just feels like throwing boxes around to vent his frustrations about the world.

[kturock]

Small note, "the guy at the post office is having a bad day and just feels like throwing boxes around to vent his frustrations about the world." is a 200 foot 5+ ton machine.
The days of people handling items is gone. Almost everythign is handled on machines. If you don't pack them right, they'll get damaged. It moves at 10-15 mph and moves 35 pounds packages and bundles of magazines/catalogs. The all get 'dropped 5 feet and ttravel along a couple conveyors that vibrate the ground.
There are no out of work xmas elves carrying your prized package on a satin pillow.

Bottom line. It was packed poorly and was damaged becasue of it.
Stick to the facts. All items must have 2" of padding around them and in a study box that resists being crushed. no cereal boxes.

[starslayer]

As a small note - its against the rules to share accounts or " trading on behalf" of a friend/relative. Its your account. You are the sole party responsible.

[Shane]

Egg cartons work great for shipping minis. Plastics always arrive with some breakage no matter how well they're packed

[starslayer]

Egg cartons work great for shipping minis. Plastics always arrive with some breakage no matter how well they're packed

I disagree. There is not always breakage.

[kturock]

And egg cartons are not good. The cartons themselves are fragile, how can they protect the contents from a 50-70 pag of mail siding down a ramp and falling on them?

Have you seen the ways egg cartons are actually shipped? they break the eggs themselves. The plastics crates that they ship in are cross stacked and even hten the weight of the cartons on top can break the eggs in the bottom cartons.

[MagickalMemories]

As a small note - its against the rules to share accounts or " trading on behalf" of a friend/relative. Its your account. You are the sole party responsible.

Half true.
No sharing accounts but, if you are buying or selling "for a friend," it's allowed, provided YOU are the one using the account to make the deal and you understand that you are responsible for ensuring that your friend makes good on his side.

So, if your buddy has some Necrons that you sell for him here but he never ships them to the guy who paid in advance, or if they arrive broken, YOU are the one responsible for making right on the deal.

Eric