Matt,

What a shame. I hope the shipper will cover it all, but it still doesn't remove the hassle, frustration or waste. I had one like this from Germany last year. As far as I could tell, once it got to the US, USPS let it sit out in the rain a couple of days before delivering it. Luckily in my case it was just Vollmer models, the models were fine...but the boxes ruined. I don't collect those. I would have been extremely upset if it was a Marklin item...

I used to work with a lot of shipping...in the end, shippers just don't care. I have been in a warehouse watching laptop computers being unloaded from a truck by throwing them out on the ground. I won't say which shipper(s). In the end, we would work expecting a certain causality rate...

You would think they would be embarrassed to deliver something in that condition.

-Brandon

Would like to let their heads just like the parcel.....
There is indeed a really annoying situation......expecting anxiously your parcel, just to get....that!

On average I have found this year that approx. 1 in 5 boxes from Germany arrives looking like this. Very frustrating indeed. In my case they don't go through the USA, so USPS is not to blame.

However, I have also found that each box that looks like this is very wet on the inside. So I can only assume that the parcels are sitting outside in the rain somewhere, perhaps at airports, for extended periods of time and then get crushed with the automated parcel handling equipment and conveyor belts used at most places these days.

I had a V100 M loco arrive in a box that looked worse than this and expected total destruction. Fortunately the eBay seller had the foresight to pack the M box in a Ziploc bag and it was dry whereas the rest of the packing was a wet mush.

It saddens me whenever I receive a parcel in a similar condition or when I see that this happens to anybody else.
Your normal instinct is to open the package and check to make sure if the contents are ok. Once you accept the parcel, you have limited your options.
If you decide to accept the parcel, ensure that the delivery person makes a notation that the parcel was damaged. Take photos of the parcel (as above) both prior to, during and after opening. Photograph each item, documenting the damage. If the parcel was delivered in the USA by USPS take the parcel to your post office and complete the PS-1000 and related forms.
Should you decide to file a claim, you may be able to stipulate that the receiver should be paid. If not, any compensation will go to the sender.
In case of Maerklin items, replacement boxes are hard to come by. There are some generic boxes for locomotives, without model number, but for sets and cars/coaches, it may be more complicated. I am still waiting for a replacement of a Roco box from 2010. The plastic inserts and liners for Marklin boxes cannot be ordered. I have had to resort to buying a complete empty box on ebay just to get the interior liner for one or two boxes that were damaged. In some instances, I managed to find the Trix equivalent and put the liner into one of the Marklin generic boxes.

Your best option may be to simply decline the parcel. If the sender has opted for "return shipping", it will be sent back to them. You can then request that they replace the order in a stronger box. In some instances, the sender may have selected "treat the parcel as abandoned", in which case, a refused shipment is not sent back, but simply disposed of or auctioned. This may complicate the replacement of the contents.

After numerous experiences with claims, I have opted to return the parcel to the dealer (at my cost) and asking for a replacement to be sent back to me. This way, I am not involved in a postal claim, and the sender can personally take the damaged package to the shipping postal authority and file a claim on their own. Hopefully most dealers have some sort of insurance that covers their losses from damaged shipments and other incidents like this in the case that they cannot get coverage from the post office. I am done with the Post Office offering me a pittance for compensation, or refunding the sender who never replaces the goods and so on...

The best option probably is to post photos of the damage and to name the shippers. Put on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc photos of the package with "Here is the latest parcel that I received damaged from (in case of Germany DHL, Deutsche Post and USPS (or other)). Having these photos tagged with the corporate brand may be exactly what is required for these institutions to improve their performance. Posting these photos in this (and other forums) will also hopefully help and European dealers will hopefully pay attention as well.

I always ask my dealers to "send the items in a NEW strong parcel, with each item individually wrapped in bubble pack, in a box with popcorn filling, with a minimum of 3 cm space between any item and the outer package, duly filled with cushioning material". Most dealers who have complied with this have seen a noted drop in problem shipments (to me). I have even asked some dealers to pack the items in a box and then place that box in a larger shipping container lined with popcorn. Shipments wrapped in bubble pack may also withstand moisture better.

This type of problem is more serious when there is a lot of airspace inside the package. Proper insulation of the goods will allow the absorption of shocks without the box collapsing.


Matt, I hope that your items are intact and that you don't have to go through the same experience that I have had to endure on numerous occasions.

Regards

Mike C

Looks like the dealer used an interior packing sleeve from a larger cardboard packing box. These are not desingned for external shipping use. They should have used sturdy corrugated cardboard.

Paul

I'm sad to see when a package is received in such a bad condition, even when it should be handled with care . I didn't know that they can sit in the rain at airports. They are cardboard and not plastic to withstand the rain. From hundreds of packages which I have received any of them has ever been wet or shown any signs of that. Some have been a little broken, but fortunately items and their packages were ok.

mike c has good instructions for the shippers, but I have only trusted to my luck and so far everything ok. There must be some differencies in the shipments inside of Europe and from Europe to US in the package handling process. I have also bought other than MRR items from US and every package sent to me here in Finland were undamaged.

Regards,
Janne

A number of years ago i sold a Fleischmann locomotive to a gentleman in Dublin. It was an older model with a diecast body. A few days after I posted it I received a message that he was returning it as it was was damaged. When it it returned it appeared that someone had taken a hammer to it from the amount of damage it had sustained. I could only conclude there was somebody in the post office did not like the Irish. It was during the time of the troubles. Fortunately I was able to claim most of the value from the post office.

Bob M.

Reminds me of a heavy box of M-track from Germany that was delivered to me that had been split open and had a few pieces of M-track taped willy-nilly onto the sides.
There was also a set of about 20 Berkina VW vans, with many of the boxes ruined, some of them smashed. Other items were damaged too.

In my case however, it was a case of the original shipper just not taking into consideration the weight of the item and the box not being strong enough.
Its was about 30kg.

Since then, only small packages with very specific instructions to shippers about making the boxes "kick-proof" ... (thanks to Kevin for that suggestion)

- Mark

Whomever who mailed this in just a bare envelope and pretend it would not be damaged with shipping "within Germany"should have her head **seriously** examined.

I recommend to people who package must use to fill up to protecting around things.
For exemple to use paper cardboard.

What I've noticed is: very reluctant to use paypal, sending items overseas, getting proper packaging, refund Value added taxes and any other charges that may occur is transferred or passed on to the buyer.

regards.,

John

I have received 10 boxes of 2251 track last week from Germany , they arrived with one side corner ripped open due to the track being placed in too large a box & very little padding to stop damage , a couple of sheets of crumpled newspaper & a few of the air filled bags . There was no way that this would have stopped any internal movement of 10 boxes within . Luckily the only damage was to the cartons holding the track & all track surived as new , parcels when in transit are subject to rough handling no matter what country they may be going to , De post / DHL have strong boxes which are suitable for international post but shop owners are reluctant to use them due to additional cost even if the customer is paying . I now have the decision as to buy another 10 boxes of 2241 curves from Germany or wait till my local supplier [ 150 km away ] gets his order in which could be next Easter .



Tom in Oz.

What shocks me is that you only got a partial refund!
I think you may be able to use the parts to make a power mast by adding the wiring to one of your existing normal masts by the way.

I've had a couple of really bad experiences, many years ago I went to the local DHL office to collect my 37521 Seetal Crocodile.
The courier told me it had been run over by a forklift truck somewhere in transit. I dont have a photo now, but the loco was crushed in the box from the top of it's roof down. I rejected the parcel

It came from Lokshop and had been quite well packed, they replaced without question, but it took a while to get another, because the first production batch of these was quite small and they were rare and hard to get until the second larger batch arrived.

My other bad experience was actually within the UK. I bought a Noch Z gauge briefcase layout on eBay, and it came with no packaging at all, just fully wrapped in brown parcel tape. It took ages with paint thinner to clean off all the glue from the tape, the case was crushed from the top and a few trees and buildings damaged. I managed to repair things, but the seller didn't think they had done anything wrong!

Edited by user 06 December 2013 14:44:11(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I have gotten a small Märklin loco: one layer of bubble foil, one layer of brown paper.
Seller couldn't believe it arrived damaged, he said he always posts items that way. The plastic roof of the loco was badly distorted.
The "parcel" looked fine, no sign of any damage. But I was alarmed when I turned the box and heard loose parts flying around inside.

As Martin says - new boxes are better than using already beaten-up used ones...
And also a buildup of padding layers - some foam wrap around the item/item box itself, then some bubble plastic, and if item is not boxed some cardboard sheets around it with another layer of bubble wrap and finally "chips" or well wrinkled packing paper (could even be compact newspaper "balls" too)...

The thing is to have layers with hard & soft material to minimize impact damage.
With a good sturdy box ("outer shell") and a lot of "air" in the box, it is usually safe to just have a lot of "chips" to protect the goods.

What you can almost never be safe against is "knife" damage - ie a sharp object protruding the outer shell and going deep enough to damage the goods. But sensible packaging can protect against compression damages as well as the packet throwing and kicking damages...

And, avoid reusing "chinese" boxes with a much softer well cardboard structure....

Albert Einstein (the famous German) must have known German eBay sellers: "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

Some are immune to good advice. You can tell them they will be liable for any damages caused during transport due to bad packaging - and they still use small shoe boxes without proper fillings.

The S&H charges varied between $5.75 and $13.80 for the 3 shipments. The actual postage on 2 of them ended up being Euro1.50 and Euro2.95.

So more emphasis on the Handling instead of the shipping cost as evidenced by the poor packaging.

Peter

Sorry to hear that, Peter.

Well, since my nearest train shop is 150kms away from my town (Vigo, Northern Spain) I have to order everything from Germany...I must say that 99% of the parcels came to me well packed and the items inside completely safe and sound. Almost everything comes from Deutsche Post but when it arrives to Spain it is delivered to me via Correos -spanish post- and they seem to work fine.

Regards
Carlos