|
|
Post by runamuckchuck on Jan 10, 2024 1:19:24 GMT
A package arrived from a dealer well known to this and other forums. It contained a new $1,400.00 engine. The first thing that struck me was the odd appearance of the shipping carton. On one side was what you would expect, tape down the bottom/top center seam.
The other side however looked as though it had been laminated over the entire surface and about 1/4 down both sides of the carton with brown shipping tape. No cardboard's visible. It felt mushy.
Now I like a pristine factory shipper so my hackles were already up.
I chose to open the shipping carton from the more conventionally taped side of the carton.
Once the engine was out of the carton, I gave the odd looking side a closer look from the inside. What I discovered was that the MTH shipping carton had been cut in half right between the two engines it contained. Then scraps of cardboard had been used as false tops/bottoms to which copious amounts of tape had been applied to give some semblance of structural integrity.
Right off the bat, a multi engine shipping carton appropriate for pallet shipping is IMO not suitable for shipping in these United States regardless of the carrier, at least not MTH's.
Second for an engine costing this much am I not entitled to expect a real shipping carton appropriate to the task?
In spite of the fact that the engine arrived safely despite the dealers best efforts to the contrary this only reinforces the 'good enough' practice of doing business.
I would gladly pay more than receive less.
|
|
|
|
Post by david1 on Jan 10, 2024 4:50:31 GMT
Make sure you tell the dealer and make sure you tell him the consequences of his poor Customer service. Never ever use who ever it was again.
Dave
|
|
|
|
Post by harborbelt70 on Jan 10, 2024 6:50:27 GMT
I know of at least two main dealers east of the Mississippi who seem to box their MTH shipments this way - as if the items arrived without the factory shipping cartons that one expects from Lionel. I have wondered whether they were shipped to the dealers on a pallet without shipping cartons. I’ve also had MTH items arrive in a shipping carton that was made for a different model. I’ve never encountered this with a new Lionel engine or any 3rd Rail/GGD product so I infer it’s specific to MTH for some reason.
|
|
|
|
Post by runamuckchuck on Jan 10, 2024 13:33:46 GMT
To be fair, I must say that upon further examination the MTH carton is IMO adequate for shipping on or off a pallet. However the makeshift top/bottom is still an issue for me. Here are some photos of what I received. The photos pretty much speak for themselves especially the one piece of makeshift top/bottom with the grease/oil stains which I thought was a particularly nice touch. That piece was taped stain side down against the engine box. I guess since the MTH plastic sleeve was around the engine box no harm no foul rules apply. However IMO it speaks volumes to this dealer's shipping practices. That old saying that the devil is in the details strikes again. And BTW Old Bay is not a condiment it is a staple in our household. It also hides the shipping label really well. |
|
|
|
Post by josef on Jan 10, 2024 14:04:01 GMT
Last year I sold an MTH engine. The buyer was worried about the length of these MTH boxes and asked if I would cut the foam cradle in half which would separate the engine and Tender, fold the MTH container slip. Then get a box which would encompass these items with bubble wrap. I also added stiff cardboard to each end of the cut Styrofoam's. The reason the buyer asked this since I asked, said that more then once the UPS and of course USPS damaged the containers and some damage to engines were claims were put in and he had to return them.
Needless to say my items arrived safely and he was able to slide both pieces of Styrofoam into factory box I enclosed. He said that is the way he asks all sellers of the long boxes to ship when he buys.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sir James on Jan 10, 2024 14:46:57 GMT
Not all engines come in a shipping carton. It is not unusual for a store to make a shipping box.
|
|
|
|
Post by rockymountaineer on Jan 10, 2024 15:32:19 GMT
For whatever reason, sometimes MTH locomotives are shipped "2 per case" from the factory. I purchased two MTH Decapod locomotives several years ago, and the "factory shipping carton" actually contained BOTH locomotives. So there was no individual shipper for each locomotive.
Bottom line... most dealers do the best they can when it comes to shipping our goods. So much product was shipped to train stores in 4Q2023, it's not unusual for large dealers to ship hundreds of boxes each day. I'm sure we'd be quite amazed by the amount of work that goes into boxing and shipping the different things we order.
There are also lots of success stories too. Just last week I received a locomotive that was double-boxed. The dealer could have easily shipped the locomotive using the factory shipper, but they elected to ship the locomotive along with its original factory shipper inside a U-Line shipping box. Nice touch.
|
|
|
|
Post by runamuckchuck on Jan 10, 2024 17:15:01 GMT
For whatever reason, sometimes MTH locomotives are shipped "2 per case" from the factory. I purchased two MTH Decapod locomotives several years ago, and the "factory shipping carton" actually contained BOTH locomotives. So there was no individual shipper for each locomotive.
Bottom line... most dealers do the best they can when it comes to shipping our goods. So much product was shipped to train stores in 4Q2023, it's not unusual for large dealers to ship hundreds of boxes each day. I'm sure we'd be quite amazed by the amount of work that goes into boxing and shipping the different things we order.
There are also lots of success stories too. Just last week I received a locomotive that was double-boxed. The dealer could have easily shipped the locomotive using the factory shipper, but they elected to ship the locomotive along with its original factory shipper inside a U-Line shipping box. Nice touch.
Double boxing is an approach I would gladly pay extra for every time.
|
|
|
|
Post by steveoncattailcreek on Jan 10, 2024 20:28:26 GMT
For whatever reason, sometimes MTH locomotives are shipped "2 per case" from the factory. I purchased two MTH Decapod locomotives several years ago, and the "factory shipping carton" actually contained BOTH locomotives. So there was no individual shipper for each locomotive.
Bottom line... most dealers do the best they can when it comes to shipping our goods. So much product was shipped to train stores in 4Q2023, it's not unusual for large dealers to ship hundreds of boxes each day. I'm sure we'd be quite amazed by the amount of work that goes into boxing and shipping the different things we order.
There are also lots of success stories too. Just last week I received a locomotive that was double-boxed. The dealer could have easily shipped the locomotive using the factory shipper, but they elected to ship the locomotive along with its original factory shipper inside a U-Line shipping box. Nice touch.
Double boxing is an approach I would gladly pay extra for every time. Yeah, when you are being asked to pay premium prices for premium products, the level of care shown in the packing should reflect the nature of the transaction for sure!
|
|
chuck
New Member
Posts: 47
|
Post by chuck on Jan 11, 2024 14:59:58 GMT
Crazy "boxing" as can always make a box or cut down an oversized one rather quickly.
|
|
|
|
Post by curtis on Jan 12, 2024 0:24:49 GMT
You want great shipping? Get Adam to box something and ship it to you. I purchased a few items from him and the shipping has always been outstanding!
|
|
|
|
Post by guitarmike on Jan 12, 2024 18:11:12 GMT
For whatever reason, sometimes MTH locomotives are shipped "2 per case" from the factory. I purchased two MTH Decapod locomotives several years ago, and the "factory shipping carton" actually contained BOTH locomotives. So there was no individual shipper for each locomotive.
Bottom line... most dealers do the best they can when it comes to shipping our goods. So much product was shipped to train stores in 4Q2023, it's not unusual for large dealers to ship hundreds of boxes each day. I'm sure we'd be quite amazed by the amount of work that goes into boxing and shipping the different things we order.
There are also lots of success stories too. Just last week I received a locomotive that was double-boxed. The dealer could have easily shipped the locomotive using the factory shipper, but they elected to ship the locomotive along with its original factory shipper inside a U-Line shipping box. Nice touch.
There is no doubt most of us do not realize what is involved in shipping packages to us, there is an insane amount of effort and money required to get your items delivered in one piece. I was selling $20-30,000 per month between eBay and Amazon the last few years, on average I shipped 75-100 packages per week. Since USPS picked up for free, gave free boxes, I routed as much as possible through them. It was normal to ship 40-50 boxes on Monday, all from weekend sales. That sounds great until you realize that each box took 10-15 minutes to pull the item, pack it, weigh it, and purchase postage. The time did not change whether it was a $10 sale or a $500 sale. I packed stuff to survive anything other than being run over by a forklift and had very few damage claims. I bought bubble wrap by the mile! 12" wide by 6,000' long, that would last 2-3 months. Mike
|
|
