Discussion Forums - Questions about SwapaCD

i ordered a 5-cd elvis box set and prior communication with the sender established that the set was pratically new and in great shape (and i believe her).

i received it today and the package looked like it had been opened, there was an opening at the opposite end of where the package is usually sealed and it had been taped over. sure enough, there was a notice inside the bubble mailer saying that since it had been mailed at the media mail rate, it was subject to inspection and that indeed it had been inspected by someone at the local post office. i was horrified to see that right at the exact same spot where the postal worker opened the package with a box cutter, there also were slash marks ON THE BOX ITSELF! i am 100% positive those slash marks came from the post office, as the rest of the box is pristine. i already called to complain and they gave me a case number and everything, but knowing how these things go, i'll probably never get a call back or anything more than a "sorry we screwed up your mail, won't happen again"...

i believe that the sender did everything right to protect the item and that all blame lies on the USPS. can this be marked as damaged by USPS? please advise. thanks.

Hi Tompee, 

Let me just be the first to say, OUCH.  I'm so sorry that happened to you -- and to your trader, who acted in good faith to send that nice box set your way.  Just ouch.  

My instant response is, yes, mark it damaged by USPS.  My reasoning:  your trade was for CDs with all art intact, and that was what was sent in a nice bubble wrap mailer.  By the time you got it, it had suffered cuts to the exterior that made it no longer a box set with all art, and now not something you could re-list the same way you ordered it.  IF you were going to use the site as designed, that is, to swap CDs, you'd have received something with a lower "trade value" than you ordered, and it wasn't youur trader's fault.  My take --

ICB

thanks for the response, icb! what pains me more is that i had passed on this item about 4 or 5 times already so that i could get the set absolutely complete, and now that i do, it arrives like this. :(

yup, i hear what you're saying. i wouldn't trade this set at the condition it's in, at least not as "disc, front & back insert". i actually had something quite similar happen to me over at swapadvd, however it was the sender's fault. i received a dvd wherein the disc itself was ok, but the artwork had been cut with scissors, so much so that i couldn't completely read the text at the back part of the artwork. i contacted swapadvd and they said to mark it as RWP if the damage would prevent me from reposting the dvd in the future.

I agree with icberry.  That's a real shame the PO mangled your box set.  I also agree that you should mark it as received with a problem caused by the USPS.

Whenever I send something with greater value such as a box set, or hard to replace, I get insurance for it.

Just out of curiosity, could you tell us which box set it was?

sure djtal, it's the elvis presley complete 50's masters box set, the original longbox release with the album cover stamps.

ok... now i have a new problem. i just inspected the cds today (i got too upset yesterday with the damage from USPS and i assumed everything was good since i had communicated with the sender before it was mailed) and a disc missing!

so which takes precedence, "damaged by USPS" or "disc missing" (something like that, i don't remember what the exact option was)? it also occured to me that MAYBE the disc was lost when USPS opened my package, so that would still count as "damaged by USPS"...

Well.  If you're asking for opinions, I'd say a nice email to your trader to enquire after the disc, since she posted it as complete, is in order, first off.  Let her send you the disc if it got left behind, somehow.  If the disc arrives safe and sound, case closed.

The box was still damaged by USPS;  nobody's out any credits and  you can do what you like with the now-complete set (with damaged box).

If the disc turns out to be well-and-truly missing, then it comes down to how punitive you feel.  She shouldn't have posted it in the first place.  On the other hand, you aren't out the credits if  you marked damaged by USPS.  So: you can either let it ride and contact the Team to ask about getting your old place back in the wishlist line (explain, and I bet they'll work with you) or if you are feeling ripped off and want your trader to know it, contact the Team and say something specific about the fact that a set like that was posted with a disc missing.

Really, we all need to be careful about what we post, and a condition check is the right thing to do before posting anything...but on the other hand, mistakes can happen to any of us.  It's really up to you what you want to do, but I don't think you'll be out any credits and most likely you'll get your place back in the wishlist line.  As for the disappointment of losing that set -- we're with ya, there.  Ouch.

Hope the disc comes along safe and sound, Tompee...

Let her send you the disc if it got left behind, somehow.  If the disc arrives safe and sound, case closed.

As it were! Probably a case of the final CD never making it out of the CD changer. Empty cases happen at garage sales all the time. I wouldn't blame the PO for that one.

icberry speaks well.  SwapaCD should put her on the payroll.

thanks for the responses everyone. sender got back to me and said that everything was complete before she sent it and i do believe her. i didn't mark the package until i heard from her, so i marked it now as "damaged by USPS". so i'm still next in line for whenever this gets posted back, hopefully really soon.

i agree with djtal. :)