UPS broke a 2:90 I shipped.

Yep. I am 100% local on deals now on anything amp/guitar. I will still ship pedals and pickups and other hard to break smalls....but nothing else.
Be careful with pedals.
Take photos of every control in detail.
I sold a higher end pedal, double boxed it and wrapped it like a mummy.
The buyer claimed one of the adjustment controls on the backside was stripped.
I knew this was untrue and used the control once. He intentionally stripped it.
Later I realized another seller lowballed my sale after I sold it to the buyer so he intentionally damaged it to return it.
LAME.
Luckily, I'm handy with this stuff and repaired it and sold it later.
I sent video's to Reverb, fought hard but no dice.
I realize this isn't about UPS, just thought I'd put this out there since you mentioned pedals.
 
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savages out there man...

sack up and resell it if you don't want it. its the gamble you take when you buy gear online.
 
Had a UPS driver drop a package when he was loading and ran over it with his truck. He brought it on to me, so he admitted it was his fault, but they denied the claim because it wasn’t “packed well enough”.
i’m not sure how to pack something that can withstand a ups truck crushing it.
What is even more crazy is if you really want it covered you have to have them pack it...but they don't really pack it any better than just sort of commonly acceptable packing. If I really want an amp or guitar to arrive safely I don't want to rely on their mediocre packing.
 
You have a shady buyer. UPS will deny every damage claim. It then goes to a private party on your appeal. I take pictures of my packing and offer the pics to my buyer. This stops a shady buyer from playing games.
I pack gear with 2" thick poly lam foam on all six sides. Headshells are stuffed with bubble tight, especially all around the tubes. You can drop my box from 6' in the air with no damage. We have to CYA when shipping.

Insurance is null and void if you drop it off at a UPS store on your private account. Insurance is void for loss if no sig required, in a case of theft or a driver delivers to a wrong adress. If you ship on your account and value is over 1K , you must have the UPS driver sign your receipt you print, or you have no claim. I have drivers scan my valuable boxes at pickup also.
 
If you only sell gear now and again try the following:

1. Always sell local and lower the cost.
2. Buyer pickup only.
3. You meet them face to face.

When I buy new gear I keep the box and packaging for up to a year and at that point I know if I will keep or sell the gear again. Advertise you have original box and packaging.

This will encourage the local buyer to come to you.

I avoid any form of third party middlemen wherever possible.
 
I have a really good local tech so I'll try to get it back and get it fixed. The guy claims only 2 power tubes are broke, he said it powers on, but no output. It could be something simple. I'm definitely not shipping it again, IF I get it back and fixed probably just keep it.
 
I hate to say it, but UPS probably won't pay on the claim. They have an exclusion clause in their insurance for electronics. It's complete BS, because they accept your money when you buy the insurance, but then you get nothing.

Sorry this happened to you, OP.
 
Update. I won the case!!! The guy had the return case opened but never responded to any messages I sent him so I escalated the case. I was busy contacting EBay in chats or having them call me. Basically it came down this, 2 weeks ago I just accepted that I would send this guy a pre paid label and send a refund AFTER I got the 2:90. I called EBay to confirm this, that this shithead would need to ship the 2:90 back to me before I send a refund, they said yes that IS the policy. I sent the label and have checked it everyday. It was never updated, I messaged the douchebag if he were shipping it back....no response. They had until today and that came and went so I’m not sending a penny.

If you find yourself in this position you have to pester EBay as much as you can, get info you need, cover your ass, etc.
 
Update. I won the case!!! The guy had the return case opened but never responded to any messages I sent him so I escalated the case. I was busy contacting EBay in chats or having them call me. Basically it came down this, 2 weeks ago I just accepted that I would send this guy a pre paid label and send a refund AFTER I got the 2:90. I called EBay to confirm this, that this shithead would need to ship the 2:90 back to me before I send a refund, they said yes that IS the policy. I sent the label and have checked it everyday. It was never updated, I messaged the douchebag if he were shipping it back....no response. They had until today and that came and went so I’m not sending a penny.

If you find yourself in this position you have to pester EBay as much as you can, get info you need, cover your ass, etc.
Good for you! There are asshats out there.... if I’m shipping anything over $200, I send pics before, during and after packing. Two reasons: 1.) to let the buyer know I’m taking good care of their purchase, and, 2.) to protect myself as best I can from scammers.
 
As far as I know UPS will not honor any insurance claims unless they did the packing themselves. Shipping cost and issues like this are the main reasons I finally have up on tube amps, just too much hesstle to move.
 
Local UPS hub told me they will deny any claim if the box doesn't have some sort of Certification stamp( from the shipping box manufacturer) on it.
The clerk was like," why even pay for the insurance since the wont cover it anyway" :loco:

Puts a lot of faith in trusting shipping companys.
 
1. I NEVER do high dollar stuff on eBay. There are scammers everywhere, but especially for high dollar music gear.

2. I always videotape the item working before packing, and take pictures/video of the packing process. I also video the OPENING of high dollar items in case I'm on the other end.

3. When it comes to really expensive stuff, I only deal with people I know and trust 🤷‍♂️ It's good to make online friends with guys who are into the same stuff as you, plus you can network to get access to stuff unavailable to the public. How y'all think I got a used Larry?
 
So I shipped out a Mesa 2:90 a month ago. It was in a rack, I put bubble wrap in between the tubes, bubble wrap between the rack and the cardboard box it was in. A week after I ship it I get a “ bad pack job dude” message in EBay. I asked what happened! The buyer said broken tubes, glass everywhere, tubes loose in the box. I thought that was impossible since the rack would close up tight to the back of the amp not allowing tubes the fall out, and the rack zipped shut, how the hell could the tubes be outside of the rack case. I get 1 word responses to any question I asked and he sent me 2 close up pics of broken tubes. I said to send me pics, I said it was insured, I repeated several times to SEND ME PICS. I get no pics, then nothing. No communication, no messages. A month goes by and yesterday I get a return request. The guy said in the claim he bought new tubes, it doesn’t work, and claimed it wasn’t as described.

I say in the claim to again SEND ME FUCKING PICS! But I’m guessing the idiot isn’t going to do shit at this point. I opened a claim with ups, when he should have, and what they want for the claim looks impossible from my end. They want the original packing, materials, everything. The fact that this Ahole sat on this for a month probably means the box and bubble wrap I shipped it in is long gone.

What else can I do beside close my eBay account and remove my bank info? Such BS that this guy took it upon himself to buy tubes instead of immediately taking pics and filing a claim. I’m soo done with shipping amps!!!!
This is clearly a shady scammer kind of guy! This guy is a piece of shit and scum bag. Sorry this is happening to you. I am so sick of hearing these stories, god damn, guitarists robbing other guitarists is actually sheer insanity, and greed that knows no bounds!! Sorry bro!!
 
I stopped selling on Ebay and shipping stuff too. Its not worth it anymore, the biggest problem is the dirtbags out there more than the shippers. I now consign gear to a local shop and let them deal with it. Yes, I lose out on some money, I guess I'm ok with that.
I stopped selling on eBay many years ago!! They tried to charge me huge fees for items I didn’t sell!! No matter how many times I spoke to some mentally deficient eBay puke, I could not get them to listen to me, so, I closed shop on eBay. Screw them!
 
Update. I won the case!!! The guy had the return case opened but never responded to any messages I sent him so I escalated the case. I was busy contacting EBay in chats or having them call me. Basically it came down this, 2 weeks ago I just accepted that I would send this guy a pre paid label and send a refund AFTER I got the 2:90. I called EBay to confirm this, that this shithead would need to ship the 2:90 back to me before I send a refund, they said yes that IS the policy. I sent the label and have checked it everyday. It was never updated, I messaged the douchebag if he were shipping it back....no response. They had until today and that came and went so I’m not sending a penny.

If you find yourself in this position you have to pester EBay as much as you can, get info you need, cover your ass, etc.
Awesome bro!! Well done!!!!
 
I have always had really good luck with FedEx, except, post Covid, I had a guitar sit in a hub outside Atlanta for 3 weeks in 100+ degree weather!
 
I stopped selling on eBay many years ago!! They tried to charge me huge fees for items I didn’t sell!! No matter how many times I spoke to some mentally deficient eBay puke, I could not get them to listen to me, so, I closed shop on eBay. Screw them!
It's unfortune that its like this now, oh how I long for the good ole days when you could trust everyone on the interwebs.:ROFLMAO:
 
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