Ed DeVivo Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 This will be the first time I actually order a kit and have it shipped from an online retailer. I have ordered plenty of other items such as smaller aftermarket products, etc. with no issue. I do worry about kits coming damaged, not being the fault of the retailer but the carrier. Transit process, being tossed around, etc. What's everyone's experience receiving kits? Any complaints, damage? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
andyf117 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 If buying from an actual retailer, you should be fine - they should be experienced at packing kits properly... ....that said, I've bought lots of kits via eBay, some of which have turned up in nothing more than a plastic bag, and never had one that's suffered any major damage... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
southwestforests Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Just like when shipping from factory to wholesaler to retailer, if the box has a rough ride some of the parts which are more delicately attached to the sprue might get jarred loose. Also, depending on which package of what weight gets stacked where, and how the kit was packaged to ship to you, minor to major wrinkling of the kit box is potentially possible. In the 4 decades I've mail ordered model kits I can remember only 2 of them have ever having actual physical parts damage from shipping. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scotthldr Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 I’ve procured kits from The US, The Far East and within Europe, all sent to me in the UK with no problems what so ever. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott Smith Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 In my 20+ years of buying kits online I have had one go missing (1/48 Memphis Belle) and one come with a badly crushed box (Fantastic Voyage Proteus) with slight damage to the kit. The vendor offered to replace it, but I declined. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Camus272 Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Never had a problem, and every kit I've obtained in 20 years has been through the mail. I suppose it's possible that a box could get creased on the corners, but I've never cared about the boxes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airmechaja Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 It's the only way to fly. Never had a problem in 20+ years. That includes coming all the way from Asia. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 (edited) I think I had only one damaged box; there was no damage to the contents of the kit. Edited January 22 by Slartibartfast Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Never had any kit boxes that came damaged.. all were securely and tightly packed with the inner packaging being sturdy. It maybe that some E Bay sellers don't realise how a model kit is fragile especially in transit when they post it.. and so don't package it securely inside and outside but that is a rare case I think. A reputable company always makes sure you get your package very secure and undamaged.. Good Luck with yours. 👍 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Keeper Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Usually good experiences, some retailers "overpack" ; they got so much styro and bubble wrap they have to sit on the box like Lucy and Ethel packing a suitcase! Regular retailers know what they're doing, I've only had one ebayer throw several models in a box without proper insulation. Phoned in an order to The New Squadron Shop which I've done since 1972, arrived quickly no problems. It's a great era! hth Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nspreitler Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 I’ve bought hundreds of kits over the years, not once has one been damaged in shipping. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott Smith Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 Oh, I forgot about some parts a guy sent me many years ago. The numb nut placed a 1/32 P-40 spinner and a few more parts taped to a piece of cardboard in a standard mail envelope. Not even a padded envelope. Spinner arrived flat after it was run through the mail processing machines for envelopes. Not the USPS fault. Pro tip: Never, ever, ever ship anything in a regular envelope but regular folded papers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gwen Phoenix Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 (edited) On 1/19/2023 at 3:03 PM, Ed DeVivo said: What's everyone's experience receiving kits? Any complaints, damage? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YrpmZFixp0 That's the vibe you get sometimes... Edited February 1 by Gwen Phoenix Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crash Test Dummy Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 WTF? I've been having kits and other stuff delivered to my home since before the internet was a thing. If people could not reliably get their orders undamaged, e-commerce sites would not have put most of the local hobby shops out of business. Damage does happen, but it's so rare I can't remember the last time and I order stuff internationally and lately from war zones all the time. Before the internet there used to be this thing called mail-order, where we got paper catalogs in the mail or saw ads in magazines. If we wanted something we had to pick up a phone, call a shop (toll free if you were lucky) and talk to another human about what you wanted, then you read out your credit card number over the phone. In about 5-10 business days you'd get a package. UPS, FedEx, DHL and USPS pretty much figured out how to ship just about anything anywhere in the world without damage before the internet existed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 I worry less about packages being delivered damaged than I do about packaged being stolen off my front porch before I can retrieve them. Stupid F'n porch pirates... 🖕🖕 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gwen Phoenix Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 24 minutes ago, habu2 said: ... than I do about packaged being stolen off my front porch before I can retrieve them. Okay, not complaining here... not at all. My mother tongue is Afrikáans. I was taught English as a second language too, but what exactly would a packaged being stolen be? The kit was securely/well/tightly packaged, right? It's a verb. So how can a packaged be stolen? I got lost in translations. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 23 minutes ago, Gwen Phoenix said: Okay, not complaining here... not at all. My mother tongue is Afrikáans. I was taught English as a second language too, but what exactly would a packaged being stolen be? The kit was securely/well/tightly packaged, right? It's a verb. So how can a packaged be stolen? I got lost in translations. Oh how I hate autocomplete when typing on a cellphone..... 🤬🤬🤬 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Helmsman Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 (edited) --- Edited February 1 by Helmsman Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gwen Phoenix Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 On 2/1/2023 at 8:25 PM, habu2 said: Oh how I hate autocomplete when typing on a cellphone..... 🤬🤬🤬 Oh, I was just pulling your leg there, habu... 😆 But yes, I'll give you that the autocomplete feature on cellophane has sometimes got me nervous as well. We refer the comms nuisance to as the mobile phone in Cape Town. Incidentally; thanks a lot for your invaluable help identifying the wingtip rails in the Chilean F-16 MLUs. Cheers, Gwen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
southwestforests Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Sounds like that when selling and shipping the thing it would be prudent to package your cellophane cellphone in cellulose padding. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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