VOGONS


Another IBM damaged!!

Topic actions

First post, by Brickpad

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

I found another PS/2 model 50Z and bought it to replace the broken bezel on my previous order, and some spare parts. Well, this is how it came today. The left corner is broken, and the rear of the base is broken as well. I might be able to salvage the bezel on this one, but COME ON!!! Do sellers have any CLUE as to how to properly pack a box?! Just because you wrap it in bubble wrap in the center of the case is no excuse not to pad the damn corners! FRUSTRATING!!!

Attachments

  • DSCF4006.JPG
    Filename
    DSCF4006.JPG
    File size
    349.64 KiB
    Views
    2335 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • DSCF4003.JPG
    Filename
    DSCF4003.JPG
    File size
    345.93 KiB
    Views
    2335 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception

Reply 1 of 50, by clueless1

User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

😢 at the lack of respect for these historical pieces...

The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.
OPL3 FM vs. Roland MT-32 vs. General MIDI DOS Game Comparison
Let's benchmark our systems with cache disabled
DOS PCI Graphics Card Benchmarks

Reply 4 of 50, by CkRtech

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Sometimes I try to buy stuff that is cosmetically damaged so I can use it to restore an identical system in good shape. Maybe (for mental health) you can reverse this and keep an eye out for good-looking stuff that doesn't work and Voltron-up a nice-looking, functional system.

And in the meantime get a nice bit of a refund from the seller.

Displaced Gamers (YouTube) - DOS Gaming Aspect Ratio - 320x200 || The History of 240p || Dithering on the Sega Genesis with Composite Video

Reply 5 of 50, by Imperious

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

It doesn't hurt to contact the seller before they ship, to explain why they need to pack it properly.

Atari 2600, TI994a, Vic20, c64, ZX Spectrum 128, Amstrad CPC464, Atari 65XE, Commodore Plus/4, Amiga 500
PC's from XT 8088, 486, Pentium MMX, K6, Athlon, P3, P4, 775, to current Ryzen 5600x.

Reply 6 of 50, by Brickpad

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member
Imperious wrote:

It doesn't hurt to contact the seller before they ship, to explain why they need to pack it properly.

That is exactly what I thought and would be willing to pay a little extra, but I didn't and this is what happens. Argh.

CkRtech wrote:

Sometimes I try to buy stuff that is cosmetically damaged so I can use it to restore an identical system in good shape. Maybe (for mental health) you can reverse this and keep an eye out for good-looking stuff that doesn't work and Voltron-up a nice-looking, functional system.

And in the meantime get a nice bit of a refund from the seller.

That's why I bought this one. The previous PS/2 I bought a couple of weeks ago had a smashed bezel because the seller didn't properly pack it. I bought this one which was in decent cosmetic condition to replace the bezel on the other one, and save some of the rest for spare parts or sell off. Guess that's not happening now. The upside is that I think I can salvage most of the bezel and the pieces that are cracked. Still though, nobody should be having to do this if they pack it properly.

The selling of the previous PS/2 gave me a full refund and got to keep the machine. I immediately contacted the seller of this one, with pictures attached, and have not had a response yet. I'll give them a day, but I think a partial refund is more than fair.

Reply 7 of 50, by shamino

User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

When buying items that are heavy and prone to damage, I try to check their other items and their selling history to see what experience they have. The people I trust the least in these cases are amateur sellers who have hardly ever sold anything, who might just be some guy cleaning out his garage. Their inexperience can be a huge gamble.
After that comes the major sellers but who normally just deal in indestructible stuff like teddy bears and Matchbox cars. I'll hesitate with them also.
My preference is to buy from a store that routinely deals in breakable heavy items like CRTs and printers or whatever. Those places will have their methods sorted out and appropriate packing materials on hand.
However, if the Teddy Bear Store or Bubba Garage Cleaner have cared enough to describe how they will package the Highly Fragile Item then this sets my mind at ease better than anything else.
When shopping for something uncommon though, it might be unrealistic to pick and choose who you deal with.

If you find another, just make sure to discuss your concerns with them before buying (not after). See what they can tell you about how they'll make sure theirs doesn't end up like the 2 others did.

Reply 9 of 50, by Errius

User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

Broken bezels are very common. I assume this is because the freight guys are throwing the boxes around and the bezel is the most fragile part of the case. Maybe tell the seller to remove the bezel and ship it separately?

Is this too much voodoo?

Reply 10 of 50, by Errius

User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

Another good idea would be to fill the empty space inside the case with polystyrene or some other padding, so that if internal components (fans, heat sinks) come loose they can't smash into the motherboard when the box tumbles about in transit.

Is this too much voodoo?

Reply 11 of 50, by Brickpad

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member
Errius wrote:

Another good idea would be to fill the empty space inside the case with polystyrene or some other padding, so that if internal components (fans, heat sinks) come loose they can't smash into the motherboard when the box tumbles about in transit.

I always use boxes that provide, at minimum, 2"-4" of space around the item so that I can fill those areas with extra foam bits and / or soft padding. The last computer I shipped out I spend roughly an hour packing it. I layered the bottom of the box with packing peanuts, then slipped thick foam rings that fit around the "pizzabox" shape so that it would "hover" inside the box, then filled the individual voids with more packing peanuts. I aligned the case so that the plastic bezel is farther away from the front of the box and fill it with extra foam bits, and also around the bezel corners, which also get extra padding. Every inch of the box is filled with packing material - top, bottom, and all the corners. I don't care if the shipping may seem high. I want my buyers to receive their items intact and in great condition. Am I asking too much that these businesses do the same? Or are my standards too high?

Reply 12 of 50, by MMaximus

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

2 damaged systems in a row, this sucks. Sometimes sellers don't know what they're doing at all, at other times they think they're doing ok but they forget some crucial padding in some place and damage happens. I bought a Roland module on ebay a while ago: seller packed it fine but didn't bother to bubble wrap the PSU... unfortunately these power bricks are heavy and during transport it knocked against the casing, thereby damaging the module 😠

Hard Disk Sounds

Reply 13 of 50, by 33mhz

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

This is really sad to see.

Its unfortunate that most people don't really know what happens to their freight once they hand it off to Fedex/UPS/whatever courier company. Speaking from experience you can expect your package to tossed on to the floor of a truck, taken to a depot/airport where it will be kicked around on a concrete floor before being placed a conveyor system that's prone to jamming, then shoved into a air freight container (if its not just tossed on the floor of an old dc-10 and strapped down), then taken out of the plane, back on the conveyor, kicked around on the floor a bit more, back into a truck, and then delivered. Oh and they'll probably drop the box from 4 feet up onto concrete once or twice at some point.

TLDR: Couriers treat their freight like garbage. Pack accordingly.

Good luck on the PS2 though. I love old IBM's. Surely between the two systems you'll have enough parts for one 'minty' system.

Reply 14 of 50, by nforce4max

User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

People these days are dumb as rocks and most just don't care, I am even cutting back on my purchases because of crap like this.

On a far away planet reading your posts in the year 10,191.

Reply 15 of 50, by archsan

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

I recently had a NIB Audigy2 ZS shipped to my US combining service address via FedEx ground/truck (ugh slow) WITHOUT a proper cardboard box, just a fuckin WRAP. Obvious cost-cutting into my rights, even though the item itself was a bargain deal, but I know what "Priority" means and how much it costs there. The package 'only' bent a little, but still I wanted it in perfect good shape... >:-[

Seriously I think it's a standard practice now to INSIST that the packaging/handling be done SAFELY and PROPERLY. Leave a note that you "need the whole thing in good condition", ask the seller or give instructions directly. DO NOT ASSUME that they will always do the best for you. And finally, leave feedback accordingly. Some/many sellers deserve all-glowing 5-stars A+++ etc and some (a few I hope) just don't. Let them know.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."—Arthur C. Clarke
"No way. Installing the drivers on these things always gives me a headache."—Guybrush Threepwood (on cutting-edge voodoo technology)

Reply 16 of 50, by Formulator

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

It may seem redundant but I request "fragile" stickers from the seller upon shipment. May not make a big difference, but I tend to play the percentages.

IMG_0695.JPG
Filename
IMG_0695.JPG
File size
2.64 MiB
Views
1805 views
File license
Fair use/fair dealing exception

Reply 18 of 50, by Formulator

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

Perhaps, however thou art is quite thankful and fortuned to not have received goods other than advertised thus far under current methods.

Reply 19 of 50, by Miphee

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

I didn't want to open another thread because I just want to vent.
Got my AT case today with extras and the floppy drive came broken. It must have taken a nice kick to push the bolted drive into the case, breaking the plastic cover in the process. No way to repair that kind of damage or finding another front cover for a Mitsumi M90BCL-2. Luckily no other part of the case was damaged, not even the bezel. Still angry though. I just got my receivedsomethingbroken-cherry popped.

Attachments

  • gGfeeVD.jpg
    Filename
    gGfeeVD.jpg
    File size
    359.55 KiB
    Views
    1400 views
    File comment
    Broken Mitsumi 5.25
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • i9gKPE2.jpg
    Filename
    i9gKPE2.jpg
    File size
    501.47 KiB
    Views
    1400 views
    File comment
    Damaged
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • baby-at-haz-fa7a_1_big.jpg
    Filename
    baby-at-haz-fa7a_1_big.jpg
    File size
    133.76 KiB
    Views
    1400 views
    File comment
    Undamaged
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception