Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana Sad/MAD day for me yesterday.......

If a seller doesn't mention insurance in the listing, I always email the seller and tell them I will pay for item after insurance is included and if they need to send me an updated invoice, I'll gladly wait. Due to the nature of globes/lenses, I have never risked buying even a single $100 lens that wasn't shipped insured. Like I mentioned in the original post, I sent a couple emails to the seller requesting insurance before he finally replied that he would include it in the price quoted. Good thing for him I insisted, although I doubt USPS will cover this one for him.

This is why I rarely buy on eBay. Shipper accepts all responsibility too, NOT THE BUYER! But when I do I always TELL THEM how to pack it. When I see shipping costs of under $35 I also TELL THEM you cannot safely ship a gas globe for under $35! Sometimes they listen, sometimes not. I got a complete globe in a mag wheel box the inserts were bulging out each side and yes, broken. Idiots!!! Scott B.

You emailed him 3 times asking for insurance...BUT NOT concerned with how he would ship Your GLASS globe lenses? The guy ONLY sells paper currency, HOW could you just ASSUME he knows how to ship fragile globes...This happens over and over again!
I hope others buying globes learn from YOUR mistake!
Good luck with paypal claim because a postal claim is a long drawn out nightmare!
Scott said it best, He rarely buys from ebay, But when he does he ALWAYS tell them how to pack it!!!!

Yes Tom....IF you or anyone else goes back to read my first post, in closing that was the point I was making that from now on I will make sure the seller makes an honest effort to securely pack the globe/lenses. I hope this will be a learning experience for everyone who has read the thread.
Darin

Darin, sorry to hear what happened to the lenses. Hope you receive your refund soon without too much trouble involved. Another piece of history lost. That sucks!!

Thought I'd share an experience I had. It might help others in the future.
I was the winning bidder of a highly valuable gas globe offered at auction. The auction company had never shipped a gas globe before. My biggest concern was how I would get what I purchased without it looking like a broken glass Christmas tree ornament when it arrived. The auction company had told me they would take the gas globe to the UPS store and have them pack and ship it. Having been around distribution for 25 years, just hearing the UPS name was enough for me to immediately take action. At first I tried contacting some collectors around the area in hopes of having it personally picked up and would worry about getting it from them at an upcoming show or have them pack and ship it to me. Strike one. Then I recall reading some where how to pack and ship gas globes, but couldn't remember if it was online or in one of my books. Well, page 25 from Scott Benjamin/Wayne Henderson Gas Globes book, Chapter 7 "Packing Gasoline Globes for Shipment". I took a photo of that page and emailed to the contact I had from the auction company, and also called to talk with them over the phone. They agreed to pack it themselves following the guidelines I had sent to them. The gas globe traveled over 800 miles via USPS with the lenses still on the glass body and arrived DAMAGE FREE! The lenses probably should have been removed, but they had enough crushed newspaper inside the body to prevent any vibration from glass lens to glass body. It was their very first attempt at packing a gas globe and they succeeded, so anyone else can do it too given some guidance and effort.

Must have been the blue ripple body from the Texas auction SS

Keep in mind if a globe is packed properly you can ship these all day long.
Don't be afraid of globes because of breaking. I shipped 15 globes in a month and half time period and only had a hull body break. hull bodies are fragile thin glass and that is the chance you take. But then again when properly packaged they will make it. Body broke but the $5000 lenses made it.

Proper packing is the key in shipping anything! Globes you can't sacrifice packing.

Its a shame, I've lost a few myself last one was a 15" coop with body, the box was only as big as the globe. Probably didn't make it out of the post office. It was a 3 hour drive I should of had taken one way. What I don't understand we the buyer pay for the shipping so it should be packed to our specs. I've shipped some globes to California which is a long distance from Ontario and triple boxed them to be safe from the handling of these shipping companies. Ted

ebay sellers ECONOMY POSTAGE on a Power-lube qt!
Bubble Pad Envelope;

I received notice that my refund is in process and will be completed within a couple days. Thanks to all who posted advice on what to do, I really appreciated it.
For the most part, this turned out to be a positive discussion and hopefully others will learn as I did from this unfortunate happening what we can do to try and prevent future losses to the hobby.
Darin

Darin, I sent you an email.