USPS damaged Mego Issues

[ignignokt]

Well... This is a first. I bought 3 carded Mego 1977 figures from this auction last month: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221816497000...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT.

I thought it was a good deal, but when they arrived I noticed that the Joker had been resealed. The other two were fine. They were as they were described. I tried to renegotiate the price because I didn't want to ship them back. Negotiations failed and I shipped them back in the exact same box and packaging he had shipped them in with ample bubble wrap and insured them as a precaution. A day later, the seller changed his mind and decided to accept my new offer. I told him I'd try to have the package intercepted, but if that failed I wanted him to just refuse it if they were delivered so the package would come back to me. He agreed and I tried to have the package intercepted, unfortunately there was a glitch on the USPS website that prevented me from intercepting the package. The glitch was documented and the package was delivered and sat at his neighbors home for several days until he returned from vacation. When he returned he was able to refuse the package and had it sent back to me. When I got it, Batman's head had cracked the top of the bubble and was sticking out and Penguins bubble was over 50% unsealed. The box had fragile written all over it and the fragile box had been checked on the insurance ticket. They were either dropped or jarred very hard to achieve this kind of damage. Anyway, I filed a claim with USPS for the amount I thought the figures would have sold for on eBay. The original amount I requested was $365. I figured Bats would sell for around $210 and Penguin about $155. I based that on past auctions so there's lots of wiggle room. Anyway, my negotiations on the Joker reseal got me a refund and put me in about the same amount I was requesting for damages which is a coincidence. I only based the claim on the value and not what I paid for it, which is how it should be since sometimes I get some really sweet deals. Anyway, I got a check the other day for only $50. I appealed and told them I would accept $250 since I could keep the two figures and sell them as mint loose figures. They denied that appeal as well, so I'm coming here to my peers for assistance. I'm hoping to get the USPS to read this and grant me my appeal. Do you think what I'm asking is unfair since I paid for $500 in insurance and they are only giving me $50? Thanks in advance for any comments negative or positive.

[Mikey]

Did you just get the standard $50.00 insurance when you shipped it back ?

If so they're not going to pay any extra

[Hector]

Also, always ship with signature confirmation...that way, the package will never be left behind by the door.

[ignignokt]

I insured the package for $500. The seller never opened the package. He simply returned it. USPS would have been able to intercept the package if they didn't have a glitch in their system. Here's something to ponder: how would this go down if the seller didn't agree to my terms and he opened up the box and found them damaged. Do you think I'd be receiving a refund from the seller? How much would he be asking to compensate for damage on a $550 auction? If USPS decided to award only $50 in that scenario do you think that would be fair?

[ignignokt]

When I sent the figures back, I was expecting a full refund of $550 from the seller. That's why I insured them and carefully wrapped them and wrote "FRAGILE" all over the box. This isn't my first rodeo. 1 out of every 7 packages from USPS has arrived at my place damaged . One was insured for close to $2k. Only 1 figure was damaged. Another was insured for around $8k. The box was damaged, but tbe contents were fine. I think it's my rural location. Anyway, they've been paying out a lot to me so they possibly suspect shenanigans of some kind. Meanwhile, with every rare item damaged, the rarer they become and the more expensive.

[ignignokt]

I would much rather have the items I purchased undamagef than cash. If they want to replace the damaged items that would be great as well. If they want to give me the full insured amount and keep the damaged goods, that too would be acceptable. I just want to know what everyone feels is fair. I don't think many of you would honestly feel that $50 is fair if I purchased additional insurance.

[josephcardone]

Travis. Wow this is a disaster!! You know I hate to say this but you need to call ebay. You did not get what you ordered in the first place and who is to say they did not get damaged while sitting around before being refused. It is always difficult with them but you did not get what you paid for !!

[ignignokt]

Before:







After:

[ignignokt]

Travis. Wow this is a disaster!! You know I hate to say this but you need to call ebay. You did not get what you ordered in the first place and who is to say they did not get damaged while sitting around before being refused. It is always difficult with them but you did not get what you paid for !!

Ebay will probably be a no go because I accepted his offer before I got the figures back. Plus, they were fine when I first received them. The damage more than likely occurred through the round trip, but it is possible. If that's the case, then it's due to them not intercepting the package. Also, they were never opened or the postal service would not have let him refuse the package and return it to sender.

How much do you feel the two figures were worth prior to being damaged? USPS doesn't even feel they were worth $250 as they refused my appeal for that amount. They should give me enough to replace the damaged figures and $50 isn't going to get me a moc '77 Batman and Penguin. If they're basing the refusal on the fact that the package was refused then they need to reconsider as I tried multiple times to have the package intercepted and saved all emails. The package was packed quite well just as it was when it arrived to me unscathed the first time. What was the purpose of me paying for the extra insurance? This thing is a nightmare.

[ignignokt]

Ebay does not appear possible because I accepted the offer about the resealed Joker and they closed the case. I know anything is possible, but I don't think that the seller or his neighbor damaged them. The box is intact, this is a very hard drop or a jarring kind of damage.

[toys2cool]

print out the ebay listing and paypal receipt , they should pay at least what you paid for them but they will keep them.. if they try a partial cause they know you want to keep the item then that's when they low ball you. I've never been denied a claim if they keep the item

[TrekStar]

This is weird, if you look at the Penguin before it looks fine, then it looks like someone tried to use an exacto knife
to slide the figure out on the left hand side, Batman already had a crease in top left corner, then second pic shows
worse crease and plastic bubble top broken, and you said the box was intact, meaning it was never opened and resealed.
do you have before and after pics of the actual box?

The damage to the Batman card you could possibly say negligence by USPS, these overnight workers disregard
items marked fragile or do not bend, they figure no big deal the person's insured. The Penguin is the mystery
it really looks like someone tried to cut the side of the bubble to slide the figure out? It's hard for me to see the
Penguin issue and wonder how that could happen being tossed around, it would look more like Batman's card
creased and cracked bubble, not unglued from the card, I'm no expert on this, just guessing.
Plus who's this neighbor? could they have accidentley damaged it and not admit to it?

You can complain until domesday with eBay and USPS and get know where, try to resell them on eBay as is
or sell loose, and try to get back as much as you can.

[ignignokt]

This is weird, if you look at the Penguin before it looks fine, then it looks like someone tried to use an exacto knife
to slide the figure out on the left hand side, Batman already had a crease in top left corner, then second pic shows
worse crease and plastic bubble top broken, and you said the box was intact, meaning it was never opened and resealed.
do you have before and after pics of the actual box?

The damage to the Batman card you could possibly say negligence by USPS, these overnight workers disregard
items marked fragile or do not bend, they figure no big deal the person's insured. The Penguin is the mystery
it really looks like someone tried to cut the side of the bubble to slide the figure out? It's hard for me to see the
Penguin issue and wonder how that could happen being tossed around, it would look more like Batman's card
creased and cracked bubble, not unglued from the card, I'm no expert on this, just guessing.
Plus who's this neighbor? could they have accidentley damaged it and not admit to it?

You can complain until domesday with eBay and USPS and get know where, try to resell them on eBay as is
or sell loose, and try to get back as much as you can.

It's all in the angle of the pics. The crease just doesn't look as bad in the seller's original pics. There are other pics from the seller that show it better. Penguin is a sheer size and weight issue and even possible humidity. The adhesive simply came loose due to a hard impact. I'm guessing the box was positioned so that the weight of the figure was pushing on the bubble itself (gravity assist). No exacto. Some of the artwork is on to the bubble due to the adhesive giving way. I'll post more pics later.


@toys2cool

They have the paypal pdf and the auction link. They know how much I gave and are only willing to give me $50 for some reason. I've never had this problem before from USPS and these figures have more severe damage than any I've received in the mail before. I wish they would give me a reason why they denied my appeal.

[ignignokt]

What do you guys think the value of these figures were before and after? If I'm asking too much then I'll go lower. I asked for $250 since they're letting me keep them.

[ignignokt]

More pics:





I don't think I could get over $120 after fees if I sold these on eBay. Both figures can be removed now so they would have to be considered loose with packaging. That's how I got the Joker lowered. Ironically, the reseal held on him. Even if his packaging was damaged I couldn't include him on the claim unless the figure itself was damaged. I really need some appraisals. I don't want to file a second appeal without some ammunition.

Also, I still have the box, but the only time I take pics before opening is if I notice or suspect damage. I didn't notice anything significant other than some slight wrinkling which was due to it being delivered in the rain. The contents were sealed in plastic bags wrapped in bubble wrap and did not get wet. I took after pics to emphasize that the word "fragile" was written all over it. The figures were secure and I couldn't detect any motion when handling the box. Dropping, throwing, or a hard jar could cause this damage without denting or crushing the box. I guess violent shaking could also have caused this because even though the blister cards were wrapped in bubble wrap, the figures themselves have space to move inside the bubble. A figure being shook violently inside it's bubble could potentially crack it's bubble like Bats did and Penguin moving around inside his bubble violently could cause it to come loose by banging around inside it. Either way, that's what the insurance is for. They were fine when I received them and they were fine when I shipped them out. Unfortunately, they weren't fine when I got them back.