When Will We Learn?


I retired in 2020 and have been selling much of my higher-end equipment while it still has considerable value. A few of those pieces were replaced by more mid-fi pieces, but ones that usually punch way above their weight. That lessened the pain of losing the higher SQ of the more expensive gear. This past week, I bought a very nice Aperion 6C center speaker that was in pristine condition before it shipped. It arrived today, with all kinds of protection on top of the speaker and almost none underneath. The speaker weighs 40 pounds, and one of the front corners got smashed. What was so galling was that I communicated my concern to the seller before making the purchase, because how you pack an item has a lot more to do with protecting it than how much padding you add. This seller obviously was not familiar with that concept (it was not an Audiogon purchase, BTW). The damage did not affect the sound of the speaker, but since it was a front corner, it will be a constant reminder of the unnecessary incident. The kicker was that I agreed to pay an $83.00 shipping charge to avoid this from happening, but there is no way to insure against stupidity.

discnik

Showing 2 responses by carlsbad2

As a buyer, you cannot make a seller into a better shipper.  

I never agree to pay for shipping.  If they want $2000 plus $100 shipping, I offer $2100 and they ship it.  this eliminates any ambiguity who is responsible for shipping.  Until you recieve it in good condition, the seller is responsible.  When you give advice on shipping or pay extra, you are muddying the waters.  

I always make it clear that shipping is thier responsibility, that I am in no hurry so take whatever time needed to ship it safely.  that is all I say.

When I am the seller, I operate the same way.  I take responsbility for shipping.  I've done a lot of shipping, plus I'm an engineer/physicist so I know what it takes to protect a package.  So I never have shipping damage...well almost.  I did have a component of an amp inside the amp become dislodged during shipping and I worked with the buyer to get that fixed.  

If a seller doesn't agree to ship on their nickel and take responsiblity, then pass.  there are other peices of equipment out there.  If they seem uncertain about their shipping abilities, I pass.

Jerry