Do people seriously care about the condition of regular cd Jewel cases?

Sold a rare-ish cd on eBay that I had lying around since about 2007. Did a deal with the guy and took a hit on shipping, sent it as priority, so he got a good deal. Sent it out in a padded Jiffy bag as usual - (I've sold a lot of CDs before and never got a complaint) and he then sent me a message saying the cd was 'smashed to bits' and sent me a picture of the hinges of the Jewel case. I said 'are you sure? The cd or Jewel case?' and I got this response:

i was of course referring to the jewel case which, in case of collectable CD's, are part of the original issue. I'm sure you're aware that collectable blue note vinyl records, with a missing or new inner sleeve, are regarded as incomplete or less desirable as full original and completely intact pieces. The hassle with looking for transparent jewel, that, probably are not even the same, is easily avoidable with a bit of proper care. Maybe it makes you perfectly happy to pay the cost of another jewel case but it does not make my experience a whole lot better.

Seriously? He got a cd cheap and it wasn't 'part of the original issue' - I got it without a Jewel case (it was in a wallet) and I put it in a Jewel case myself at some point in the past. It wasn't a stickered issue or an old style smooth edge Jewel case. The cd came out in 2007. Just a standard Jewel case that you can get anywhere. Unfortunately, I'm sure we've all experienced a broken Jewel case hinge in transit?

If this was an LP with a damaged sleeve, or the cd sleeve or disc was damaged, then I could understand.

I've actually refunded him 10 Euros, about half of the total price he paid for the disc.

So my question is do people really either care about Jewel cases or consider an ordinary standard Jewel case 'part of the original issue'? I know Discogs doesn't -

How To Grade Items : Support

Standard Jewel Cases: Standard Jewel Cases are not graded as they are replaceable.

 

It seems to me that this person cares more about collecting music then enjoying music.

 

Some people obviously do.

I can fully understand this if the case is something special and not easy to replace.

I don't care about original old cases (smooth sided etc.) personally but can understand that some people do. Usually they can be replaced by another old case. I don't think buyers can assume that the CD is still in the original old case, they should ask in advance.

For a damaged standard case a refund of 1 dollar or Euro should be more than enough ...

 

He wasn't really complaining about the jewel case. He was complaining that it was sent in a padded envelope. And those jewel cases with clear trays are a pain to find.

 

He had already complained about the cost of shipping and packaging though before he paid, so I gave him a quite significant discount. But then expect more elaborate packaging than usual...

 

Just curious, did you volunteer to give a partial refund or did he ask for one?

Usually when buyers show signs of trouble at the beginning of a transaction I tend to avoid selling to them.

I don't care about jewel cases unless they're difficult to replace e.g. I once bought a few 4 cd sets and the doofus seller used brown paper wrapping as packaging and nothing else, so the cases were all shattered. I didn't have any 4cd cases spare so I had to go out and buy them and since no one sells them in stores these days I had to find them online. Otherwise, I just replace them.

 

I offered to asborb the cost of shipping and packaging after he complained about that. Never acknowledged receipt.

I offered the refund - as you can see in the original email he wasn't happy about that either. Refund (or gesture of good will to be honest) was sent yesterday. So far no acknowledgement of receipt.

In all, he paid something like €28 of which he's had about €15 refunded and with the cost of shipping that I absorbed I've sold it for about €1.
I've see this particular disc go for anywhere up to €100 as it's long out of print.

I fully expect him to now leave negative feedback, which he will get in return if so.

As you said probably shouldn't have sold to him.

 

Not here in the UK. A lot of those covermount CDs come with clear plastic trays, and they can often be found in charity shops. Also, many CDrs/DVDrs are sold in CD cases, often with clear plastic trays. These can noe be found dirt cheap because no one wants them. I bought some just for their cases.

 

The buyer reminds me of someone from another forum. You would have to be pretty anal and knowledgeable to be bothered by the incorrect CD case. And as many sellers recased CDs, a buyer should be pretty much thick skinned about it (and have a load of cheap spares handy).

 

It's a stretch to compare a plastic Jewel Boxes to vintage Blue Note paper inner sleeves for vinyl records.

(Granted, I myself am particular about the condition of jewel boxes when buying used CDs, but realize they can be easily replaced... Unlike the actual paper inserts.)

It just sounds like the buyer is desperately fishing for a discount.

 

Maybe, but some types of jewel cases are very rare, e.g., the early Japanese ones with the long bar stopper.

 

I think it's silly that collectors are so picky about every detail of the item. Obviously, they want for their collection, and not to listen and enjoy. When I sell on eBay I always describe whether or not an item comes in the original box, plastic, case, etc...to avoid problems like these. I actually own the MSFL Ultradisc Gold CD of Saturday Night Fever. The front and back cover artwork are not original, but who cares! The CD sounds great and that's all that matters.

 

I hear you, although I'm not too familiar with those early Japanese jewel boxes. (Good to know; I'll have to Google a pic.)

However, those seem like a very specified rarity amongst CD Jewel Boxes, and not the ones in the OP, so the Buyer comparing the 2 general media storage pieces is stretching.
He's hoping that someone reading his flimsy logical comparison will leap across the shaky mental bridge he's built.

 

The one that I was referring to was probably one I got on a magazine cover mount or something. Nothing special!

 

Here's a pic from Keith Hirsch's website.

It has "PatentPending" on the back. These cases are very rare.

Yes, the buyer doesn't appear to know that the CD case wasn't even the original one.

 

They are easy to replace here in the UK because charity shops sell them all the time, often sealed.

 

As expected, zero acknowledgement of the refund.

Huh.

 

Idk, but I personally don't care..

 

I care to a certain extent.
If the CD originally came in a black / dark grey tray then I would prefer not to receive it in a clear tray.
But I wouldn't leave negative or neutral feedback because of it.

A bigger problem is receiving jewel cases with broken teeth. This is easily avoided by putting a square of bubble wrap on top of the centre of the disc.
So many sellers DON'T do this.

I sell on Discogs and ensure that every item I sell is fully protected - I add the square of bubble wrap, then wrap the entire case in bubble wrap, then wrap in cardboard and then put in a padded envelope which is sent by registered mail. It might take a little bit longer for me to package but there's peace of mind knowing that I have done my utmost to ensure that it arrives intact.
If I notice that one of my items has a crack in the jewel case then I will mention this in the listing and give the buyer the option of me sending it in a new case.

Another bugbear is ordering an item that was originally released in a fatbox (which means I should be getting front inlay, booklet and back inlay) and instead receiving the item in a standard size 2CD jewel case - with no front inlay. That's unacceptable.
To avoid this I always ask the seller for clarification in advance. If there's no front inlay then I don't buy it.

 

I got a message from a buyer that said the cd she bought didn't work.What?It was perfect when I sent it.
Todd Rundgren original rhino issue.I played it many times and never a problem.I've never even heard of a factory pressed cd not working.
Anyway,I sold it cheap,3.00,shipped 3.00 so I immediately sent a refund and canceled the auction so she couldn't give me negative feedback. No doubt she gets to keep the positive feedback i gave her unless ebay actually pulled all info from that auction.
She messaged me a thank you. But it's hard for me to figure the cd not working.
I also put all my cds I sell in a plastics sleeve like the ones from Japan come in.It doesn't hurt the make them think you went an extra step to make the purchase good.
Scratched cases are not usually an issue (not yet anyway)since most of my cds I sell come from my collection and mainly are kept in new condition.
I've gotten cracked cases with brand new shrink wrap cds.I don't complain.I always keep extra and trays as well.
The last cd I got did in fact have a small piece of bubble wrap in the center to protect the teeth as mentianed above.
So I felt good that the seller took time to make sure my purchase was a good experiance.
With that said, you can't please averybody all the time.There is always that one out there thats going to be trouble.

 

At least half the cd's I receive have a break of some sort- I do care-
Many times it could have been prevented with more careful packing...

 

How much would you be willing to pay for additional shipping material and additional shipping costs?

 

Think that's an important point in the example I gave - the guy didn't want to pay my original fee for postage and packing. If he had of done, or told me of his concerns about Jewel case conditions and so on beforehand, maybe I'd have put a bit more thought into it - not that I didn't use the same packing I usually use. I've had people ask if they give me a couple more $$ if I'd send insured or in a box etc...no problem. If you're *that* concerned, wouldn't you pay a little extra (or at least going rate in this case) if you thought it might reduce the chance of this happening?

 

Right. I always send mine in a padded envelope with no problem.I do usually wrap the cd (case) in a plastic bag for extra protection,but the last time I just put it in thepadded envelope. I don't sell high end cds,but i do on occasion sell japan imports,but even those are not more tha 25.00.
Yes,i agree with you. If they wanted a special treatment he could of asked what was he getting for your original fees and if he wanted a box he should have asked.

 

I have far too many replacement cases to care about such garbage.
This is why I prefer to sell to my local indie B & Ms. No nut jobs that have no life.
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