I do agree to a point... However, as far as I'm concerned it doesn't matter if you pay top dollar for shipping, or budget.... It should still arrive as expected. The cheaper shipping prices are normally for slower delivery, NOT damaged goods.
Which stores will block you after a return? I have heard people here posting they were permanently banned from Amazon (including whole address/family name) from too many returns/requests for refunds but that is the only one I know of.
I think this really must be down to whoever your USPS or delivery person is. After Christmas, I ordered six different vinyl box sets and various LPs from independent sellers via Amazon. I didn’t go for any expedited shipping or whatever. Regardless of the various packaging methods from the different sellers, they all arrived in pristine shape, placed carefully on my front doorstep. Maybe one of the LPs had a slight crease in the corner. Didn’t bug me one iota.
Well, I can't be 100% certain to be absolutely fair. I can say however that in all of my time [a long time!] mail ordering records, I have never got a badly damaged packet from Japan, the U.S.A. or Germany. I seem to have got more than a few crushed corners when I ordered from some U.K. suppliers, for some reason? The Irish Post Office seems to be pretty good, in my experience anyway, with handling records. Maybe it helps too that my Postman is a vinyl guy! In the case of the Diverse package I mentioned, there was nothing at all sub standard with that. It was robust and well packed but somebody somewhere damaged it quite badly on one side. Thinking back, I wouldn't be surprised if the damaged corner got caught in some sort of machine (sorting device?) while in the postal process. It was very bad and the worst sleeve damage I have seen. But .. the records were pristine and kudos to Diverse for shipping a replacement sleeve to me too. Of the U.K. suppliers I deal with, I find Esprit's packaging to work very well if only because of the rectangular shape packaging and the extra cardboard which 'cushions' the corners and prevents crush damage to the sleeve. Mind you, I have noticed that the corners of the packet still get damaged though. On occasion I have seen minor damage, like mildly creased corners on my jpc orders but it is rare, thankfully. Nothing is perfect unfortunately but the rectangular mailer can avoid most of the woes inherent in shipping records, in my experience.
Four SHTV forum members walk into a bar: First guy says: Shipping damage is the new normal Second guy says: Off-center pressings is the new normal Third guy says: Never received a damaged sleeve Fourth guy says: How does damaged sleeves affect music? Then the bar owner, Steve, says: "Shut up you whiners and fill or update your equipment profile!"
Thank you. So when your new car is delivered to your house damaged or someone rear ends you at a light - kindly reply .... no problem. It doesn't affect the way it drives. I'm sure you will live by the same standards that you have implied here.
I feel your pain and frustration. The Bob Dylan "More Blood, More Tracks" deluxe box I ordered from Amazon back in December had moon craters on the lower portion of the box. It was packaged in an envelope...of course, I sent it back for a replacement. The second arrived, again, in an envelope after I complained about the packaging. It was in slightly better condition than the first, but not by much. I sent it back and ordered it from Elusive Disc. It came packaged in a proper box with packing peanuts and was in perfect condition. That's far from the first time I've experienced getting damaged things from the big retailers like Amazon and Barnes. I'll continue to buy mundane household things from Amazon; I don't care if the toilet paper I ordered comes in a damaged package. However, where possible, I'll use specialty retailers like Acoustic Sounds, Elusive Disc, Presto Music, and JPC for my boxed sets. I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting a new item to actually look new.
Well the OP is buying records from a book seller. I was always told never to order steak at a seafood restaurant. They'll serve it, but don't expect it to be as good as what you'd get at a steak house.
I bought and returned Metallica's Kill 'em All Deluxe Set from Amazon about 4 or 5 times, and every single one had big scrape marks all over the front and dents...Finally I just had to give in on one that was slightly less damaged than the other ones had been. It's quite ridiculous.
I collect Reverend Horton Heat and other new rockabilly bands, especially RSD releases. In the case of the RSD stuff, I buy the 7" picture sleeve singles, which have the same songs I already own on cd, but in a limited, numbered sleeve with proprietary artwork . These are marketed as a limited collector's item and the only reason I buy them is for the limited packaging which isn't available anywhere else. Why does the band and label go through all the trouble of paying for the packaging and numbering of these RSD releases if it doesn't matter as long as the music sounds fine? Anyway, I used to order these from Amazon and never had a single one arrive undamaged. I now buy through Ebay where there is more accountability for sellers to package the items securely.
I think part of the problem is that we thing everyone else in the world is vinyl lovers too. I sometime's think that "they" (anyone that handles my record before it arrives to me via mail) view the record cover the way that I view the packaging on a fan, for instance. I don't care if the box is damaged as long as the fan is in one piece and operates as it should. I honestly believe that there are people that are infected with the collectors disease that most of us have, and see the cover as nothing more than the "packaging" for the actual vinyl. I am not in any way condoning the mishandling of vinyl. It drives me absolutely crazy. What I am saying, is that we seem to automatically assume that everyone views records as we do and the fact is, we are probably not the exception, not the norm. I've just come to the conclusion that there is some inherent risk in ordering online and i have to determine if the product I'm ordering is worth the potential frustration that comes with it. It's kind of like buying a lottery ticket, isn't it? We know there's a good chance we are going to be disappointed, but we keeping buying 'em.
Bottom line is the seller deals in vinyl so should learn how to pack the darn medium they happily accept money for. When packed well it will withstand most intransit handling or mishandling as the case may be.