WRONG way to ship a lens.

Silverkarn · 11-29-2010, 10:35 PM

Ok, so i ordered a Promaster Spectrum 7 70-210 zoom lens off of Ebay like 3 months ago. Lens looked in good condition from the photos, and the guy was offering free shipping too, total of $15.00.

2 1/2 weeks go buy and the lens still hadn't arrived so i e-mailed the guy and he immediately sent me a refund and told me to let him know if the lens did arrive.

I forgot about it, then today a "thing" comes in the mail. I did not know WTH it was, and i was afraid it contained some kind of liquid or strange material which is why you see the green masking tape ripped away from the bottom.

Why would anyone send something in the mail like this? Yes, this was the ENTIRE package, no box or anything except for some bubble wrap around the lens.

Well, the aperture wheel cracked in half and fell off during delivery so i guess i can use it for spare parts since my other Spectrum 7 is missing the aperture pin.

Attached Images

v5planet · 11-29-2010, 10:53 PM

What... in the world? Is that a little garbage basket?

icywarm · 11-29-2010, 10:54 PM

interesting... well at least he refunded your money...

paperbag846 · 11-29-2010, 10:55 PM

I would be terrified if I found that in the mail

.

Eagle_Friends · 11-29-2010, 11:00 PM

I don't know what you're talking about.

that is some grade A packaging!

yusuf · 11-29-2010, 11:03 PM

lol! he was in hurry maybe

Silverkarn · 11-29-2010, 11:43 PM

Originally posted by v5planet

What... in the world? Is that a little garbage basket?

Its like a cheap tupperware container.

I actually have a set exactly like these with 3 different sizes and a lazy suzan that sits in the cupboard that you spin to get to the size you want.

**A Modest Mouse** · 11-29-2010, 11:55 PM

No wonder it took so long - they probably opened it at every receiving center it came through thinking it was liquid, food, or worse. A box and some newspaper must be hard to come by in that part of the world hah

LowVoltage · 11-30-2010, 12:14 AM

In college I had a professor that related story about a professor she had back in the day... The professor challenged his students to send something packaged through the mail with the least amount of materials possible to his office address. Supposedly, the most "creative" student slapped a mailing address and postage on a ziplock bag (or whatever might have been the equivalent at the time). Also, supposedly, the contents was a substance meant to resemble something illegal; marijuana or some other drug (though it was only for show).

It arrived safely and on time. But this was in the '70s. I can't imagine how this would have played out today.

Pentaxor · 11-30-2010, 12:33 AM

if this was via UPS, you should expect the worse. the container itself would had been sliced open.

I do agree that it is a GRADE A packaging. it's waterproof as well.

Silverkarn · 11-30-2010, 01:53 AM

Originally posted by LowVoltage

In college I had a professor that related story about a professor she had back in the day... The professor challenged his students to send something packaged through the mail with the least amount of materials possible to his office address. Supposedly, the most "creative" student slapped a mailing address and postage on a ziplock bag (or whatever might have been the equivalent at the time). Also, supposedly, the contents was a substance meant to resemble something illegal; marijuana or some other drug (though it was only for show).

It arrived safely and on time. But this was in the '70s. I can't imagine how this would have played out today.

One would think a coconut with a shipping label on it would have been better. Hey, they did it on Mythbusters.

RioRico · 11-30-2010, 04:11 AM

I have been buying and selling lenses on eBay. I sold ~70 in the last couple months, mailed worldwide from California to Chile, Petrograd, Venice, Dubai, Mumbai, Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo, etc. Yes, I've shipped German, Ukrainian, Japanese lenses back to their homelands. I always offer cheap shipping, and that's often what's requested. Yes, I have stuffed many a 200mm tele or zoom into a USPS PRIORITY MAIL FLAT RATE ENVELOPE draped in thin foam- or bubble-wrap. No complaints so far. Maybe I've just been lucky, or maybe those bloated little packets are handled differently than are sturdier boxes.

My latest triumph: I just stuffed a 1960's vintage YASHICA LYNX-5000 rangefinder (the size of a small SLR) complete with leather case, into one of those envelopes. And off it flew to New Zealand. A local postal clerk told me soneone once shipped a basketball in one of those envelopes. Ay yi yi.

Anyway, I've seen maximal and minimal packing. I once got a few small lenses packed into a plastic snap-top cheese container. I've also received a small, cheap lens packed in a 1-foot-cube box, swaddled in layers of newspaper. Neither is best for shock absorption. And I wonder what a buyer is thinking when they request that their long lens be mailed in a thin envelope. (They're thinking: CHEAPEST SHIPPING!)

r0ckstarr · 11-30-2010, 05:18 AM

That's worse than the lens I got wrapped in a napkin.

abacus07 · 11-30-2010, 05:39 AM

Honestly even if you didn't get a refund I think you have gotten your $15 worth.

cyclone3d · 11-30-2010, 07:43 AM

Shipping insurance fraud comes to mind when I see a package like that.

11-29-2010, 10:35 PM	#1
Silverkarn Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 120	WRONG way to ship a lens. Ok, so i ordered a Promaster Spectrum 7 70-210 zoom lens off of Ebay like 3 months ago. Lens looked in good condition from the photos, and the guy was offering free shipping too, total of $15.00. 2 1/2 weeks go buy and the lens still hadn't arrived so i e-mailed the guy and he immediately sent me a refund and told me to let him know if the lens did arrive. I forgot about it, then today a "thing" comes in the mail. I did not know WTH it was, and i was afraid it contained some kind of liquid or strange material which is why you see the green masking tape ripped away from the bottom. Why would anyone send something in the mail like this? Yes, this was the ENTIRE package, no box or anything except for some bubble wrap around the lens. Well, the aperture wheel cracked in half and fell off during delivery so i guess i can use it for spare parts since my other Spectrum 7 is missing the aperture pin. Attached Images

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11-29-2010, 10:53 PM	#2
v5planet Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Seattle Photos: Albums Posts: 1,915	What... in the world? Is that a little garbage basket?

11-29-2010, 10:54 PM	#3
icywarm Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Saskatchewan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,278	interesting... well at least he refunded your money...

11-29-2010, 10:55 PM	#4
paperbag846 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,395	I would be terrified if I found that in the mail .

11-29-2010, 11:00 PM	#5
Eagle_Friends Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 971	I don't know what you're talking about. that is some grade A packaging!

11-29-2010, 11:03 PM	#6
yusuf Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palo Alto, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,497	lol! he was in hurry maybe

11-29-2010, 11:43 PM	#7
Silverkarn Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 120 Original Poster	Originally posted by v5planet What... in the world? Is that a little garbage basket? Its like a cheap tupperware container. I actually have a set exactly like these with 3 different sizes and a lazy suzan that sits in the cupboard that you spin to get to the size you want.

11-29-2010, 11:55 PM	#8
A Modest Mouse Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Facebook - See ya there. Posts: 248	No wonder it took so long - they probably opened it at every receiving center it came through thinking it was liquid, food, or worse. A box and some newspaper must be hard to come by in that part of the world hah

11-30-2010, 12:14 AM	#9
LowVoltage Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Mount Joy, PA Photos: Gallery Posts: 544	In college I had a professor that related story about a professor she had back in the day... The professor challenged his students to send something packaged through the mail with the least amount of materials possible to his office address. Supposedly, the most "creative" student slapped a mailing address and postage on a ziplock bag (or whatever might have been the equivalent at the time). Also, supposedly, the contents was a substance meant to resemble something illegal; marijuana or some other drug (though it was only for show). It arrived safely and on time. But this was in the '70s. I can't imagine how this would have played out today.

11-30-2010, 12:33 AM	#10
Pentaxor Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,513	if this was via UPS, you should expect the worse. the container itself would had been sliced open. I do agree that it is a GRADE A packaging. it's waterproof as well.

11-30-2010, 01:53 AM	#11
Silverkarn Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 120 Original Poster	Originally posted by LowVoltage In college I had a professor that related story about a professor she had back in the day... The professor challenged his students to send something packaged through the mail with the least amount of materials possible to his office address. Supposedly, the most "creative" student slapped a mailing address and postage on a ziplock bag (or whatever might have been the equivalent at the time). Also, supposedly, the contents was a substance meant to resemble something illegal; marijuana or some other drug (though it was only for show). It arrived safely and on time. But this was in the '70s. I can't imagine how this would have played out today. One would think a coconut with a shipping label on it would have been better. Hey, they did it on Mythbusters.

11-30-2010, 04:11 AM	#12
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	I have been buying and selling lenses on eBay. I sold ~70 in the last couple months, mailed worldwide from California to Chile, Petrograd, Venice, Dubai, Mumbai, Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo, etc. Yes, I've shipped German, Ukrainian, Japanese lenses back to their homelands. I always offer cheap shipping, and that's often what's requested. Yes, I have stuffed many a 200mm tele or zoom into a USPS PRIORITY MAIL FLAT RATE ENVELOPE draped in thin foam- or bubble-wrap. No complaints so far. Maybe I've just been lucky, or maybe those bloated little packets are handled differently than are sturdier boxes. My latest triumph: I just stuffed a 1960's vintage YASHICA LYNX-5000 rangefinder (the size of a small SLR) complete with leather case, into one of those envelopes. And off it flew to New Zealand. A local postal clerk told me soneone once shipped a basketball in one of those envelopes. Ay yi yi. Anyway, I've seen maximal and minimal packing. I once got a few small lenses packed into a plastic snap-top cheese container. I've also received a small, cheap lens packed in a 1-foot-cube box, swaddled in layers of newspaper. Neither is best for shock absorption. And I wonder what a buyer is thinking when they request that their long lens be mailed in a thin envelope. (They're thinking: CHEAPEST SHIPPING!)

11-30-2010, 05:18 AM	#13
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	That's worse than the lens I got wrapped in a napkin.

11-30-2010, 05:39 AM	#14
abacus07 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Taiwan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,075	Honestly even if you didn't get a refund I think you have gotten your $15 worth.

11-30-2010, 07:43 AM	#15
cyclone3d Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Huntsville, Alabama Posts: 511	Shipping insurance fraud comes to mind when I see a package like that.