Most of my toys arrive via parcel in the past 15 years and I save nearly all the boxes and packing materials, which is mostly styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap or pillows. I have plenty of materials on hand when ever I sell anything, it gets packed well.
I prefer all items shipped to me have a at least 1/2 to 1 inch of material between the item and the side of the box as sometimes a box gets dented in on a side which could damage a model. Occasionally items get thrown the bottom of the box and packing material on top; those packers don't understand the bottom can get dented in as easily as the sides or the top. One guy shipped me a bunch of Tangent hoppers in the original Tangent shipping case/box like a glove with no cushion or padding but the box arrived with no dents thankfully. It did have fairly thick cardboard.
Fortunately I've had little issue despite occasional lack of protection. In one case I had an Intermountain 2-bay RTR covered hopper arrive with the model box crushed/accordianed somewhat from end to end. The model was undamaged surprisingly.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Update: I got Tall Firs on the phone yesterday and they were great. They asked me to email the pictures and looked at them while I was on the phone. They asked me to ship it back and they will reimburse me. I mentioned the difficulties I'd had buyng this locomotive, and the person I spoke with mentioned that they only had one of that road number in stock and would check to make sure it was in good shape and would then put it aside for me. (I told them I was OK with another road number.) They did say that because of the cost of the locomotive, they could not ship a new one until the old one was received, and I told them that was fine.
Of course, it ain't over till I have a non-broken Alco in my hot little hands, but I was very pleased with how they handled the whole thing. I expected them to do the right thing and they did.
Thanks all for your own stories, that made me feel better. :)
A good outcome and good customer service on their part, Autonerd. Glad it worked out for you.
Russ
Modeling the early '50s Erie in Paterson, NJ. Here's the link to my railroad postcard collection: https://railroadpostcards.blogspot.com/
Soooo, here's the happy ending to this story: I just received my replacement locomotive, and it came wrapped in more bubble wrap than I think I've ever seen in one place. The locomotive, near as I can tell, is intact!
The person who I spoke to at Tall Firs took a personal interest in my case, and made sure to note on the invoice that the unit should be packed properly. They asked me to ship the broken locomotive at my own expense and they would reimburse me, which they did (including insurance).
Of course, it ain't over until I get it on the test track (tomorrow) and make sure the six-axle lady sings, but I am optimistic all will be fine. And it really seems to me like the folks in Milwaukee went above and beyond to make sure there was a satisfactory resolution.
Thanks to all who listened/read, lent moral support, and came up with new rhymes for our favorite retailers. :)
Aaron
I am glad this story has a happy ending.
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-Kevin
Living the dream.