Problem with eBay purchase -- What would you do?

[QTCut5]

I just received a pair of collector knives that I purchased at auction on eBay and I have a problem with how the seller shipped them. I am not sure how to handle this unfortunate situation and would like to get some advice/opinions on the best course of action.

Here is the auction link along with a copy of the seller's description and some photos of the knives and boxes from the listing:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/145499449989

You are looking at a rare 2014 OKCA Queen Cut Bone Stag Knife Set #44 - #41. These factory-manufactured foldable blades are a must-have for any collector or knife enthusiast. The knifes feature a large folding hunter style and a smaller whittler ?, they are made of high-quality materials. The handles are composed of beautiful stag bone and the brand is none other than Queen. The knifes are built to last and are perfect for anyone looking for a reliable and durable cutting tool. NEW IN THE BOX , I believe they only made around 100 sets for the Oregon Knife Collector show, these are stamped with the number 24.

And here is the package I received and the condition of the contents. As you can see, the seller included a jar of polish which was not sealed in a separate baggie and the lid came off in transit allowing polishing compound to leak all over inside of the shipping envelope and ruin the knife boxes. Fortunately the knives themselves were not damaged or stained by the leaked polish.

Here's my dilemma: I like the knives and want to keep them (don't want to return for a refund), however, I was expecting to have the original boxes in good condition as advertised in the listing which IMO make the set more collectible. I feel the seller was trying to do a kindness by including a free jar of polish but he was negligent in the packaging of the polish and it ended up negatively affecting the value of the purchase.
Price of the knives = $185.00 (that was the seller's starting bid amount and I was the only bidder). My total cost with tax and shipping = $208.38

So, what would you do in this situation?

[philco]

I would start by contacting the seller and show him the photos of the damaged boxes. I would request a partial refund for the loss of the value of the boxes. I'd request $15 per box since the overall value of your purchase has been diminished. If the seller is not agreeable to a partial refund, request a full refund including return shipping charges. You shouldn't have to bear any part of the loss.

[Railsplitter]

I would also send the photos to the seller and ask for a partial refund in an amount that you can both agree on.

I would thank him for the polish as well. If he was nice enough to include the polish, he’s probably the kind of guy that would easily agree to a partial refund under the circumstances.

This incident might also convince him that he should start shipping in boxes instead of envelopes.

[dsutton24]

I agree with my colleague philco. Message the seller, include the photos, and suggest a resolution that you'd be happy with. Chances are he'll just send you a partial refund without any hassle. Be nice, your post suggests that you're anxious to find a solution that you both can be happy with.

[edge213]

If I get a knife and it comes with a box I keep the box.
But I'm a knife collector not a box collector. I really don't care if I have the box or not.
I would send the seller pictures of what happened for his education for future shipping of items.
If he offered a partial refund I would accept it, but I wouldn't ask for one.

Ps. The knives look great

[bestgear]

If I get a knife and it comes with a box I keep the box.
But I'm a knife collector not a box collector. I really don't care if I have the box or not.
I would send the seller pictures of what happened for his education for future shipping of items.
If he offered a partial refund I would accept it, but I wouldn't ask for one.

Ps. The knives look great

100% of the action I’d take David and for the same reasons why. I’m finding as I get older that MY value is always in the knives. I keep my boxes and knives separately and I rarely spend time with the boxes plus I only have boxes for about 20% of my knife collections.

[eveled]

I had a similar recent experience, I sent the seller pictures, to hopefully educate them. In my case no damage was done, but it was a miracle there wasn’t. That is a TC Contender gun barrel hanging out of an envelope.

In your case, I would do the same. But I don’t collect boxes. So in my eyes no damage was done here either.

Of course it doesn’t hurt to ask for a partial refund. The boxes were damaged. The guy was stupid to include a jar of polish you didn’t order. But he was trying to be nice.

[QTCut5]

I don't collect boxes, but, like David, I always save any original boxes the knives come in. Reason I do this is mainly because I have learned that if/when I ever decide to sell the knives they will fetch a slightly higher price if sold with their original boxes. I don't know exactly how much more, 5%?, 10%?, never bothered to calculate it, just know it's always somewhat more with original box. This holds true especially for serialized collector sets like these OKCA knives that have matching, factory printed, serial-numbered boxes. I guess it's an investment issue; the ruined boxes decrease the value of my investment in terms of future sales potential. But, they don't decrease my personal enjoyment (value) of the knives.

After reading the replies to my post and thinking it over, I have decided that I will send my photos to the seller and let him know of my disappointment but I will not request a partial refund; I'll leave it up to him to decide what, if anything, to do about his shipping error. As an eBay seller myself, I know what I would do if a buyer was dissatisfied with an item he purchased from me due to an error I made, regardless of my intent.

[herbva]

Aloha Q! I've been buying and selling on fleabay for about 25 years, and I agree with all of the good advice you've received above. I've learned that it is impossible to predict how someone is going to react to an issue that you (as the buyer) bring up. If you are going to bring up the "messy problem" that you have encountered, I suggest that you give the seller a firm $ value to you of the damaged boxes you received, and offer to return just the damaged part of the purchase for that specific $ amount. Otherwise, all you might get is "gee, I'm so sorry".

[tvic]

I have another problem with this. Not only should the polish have been in a bag, the boxes should have been individually wrapped in something - bubble wrap or plastic or something. I would never ship three items like that just thrown in together. Boxes are important to a lot of people - me included. These items need to be protected from one another in the package during shipment.

[OLDE CUTLER]

I had a similar recent experience, I sent the seller pictures, to hopefully educate them. In my case no damage was done, but it was a miracle there wasn’t. That is a TC Contender gun barrel hanging out of an envelope.
IMG_5986.jpeg
In your case, I would do the same. But I don’t collect boxes. So in my eyes no damage was done here either.

Of course it doesn’t hurt to ask for a partial refund. The boxes were damaged. The guy was stupid to include a jar of polish you didn’t order. But he was trying to be nice.

That is outrageous to ship a barrel in an envelope. I recently sold most of my TC barrels and all were shipped in boxes with a piece of wood on each end of the barrel to prevent such a thing.

[QTCut5]

Follow up.....

The seller did reply to my message and said he would file an insurance claim with the USPS once I had returned the knives and ruined boxes to him (ironically, he specifically said to return them in a BOX!)

I then replied suggesting I would be happy to settle the matter with a partial refund of $30 ($15 per ruined box) in order to save us both the hassle of a return and save him having to file a claim--which, as anyone who's ever filed an insurance claim with the USPS knows, wouldn't be paid anyway.

The seller felt that since I had gotten such a good deal on the price of the knives, a partial refund would not be appropriate and that I should go ahead and return the knives & boxes since I was not happy with my purchase. He was willing to refund my payment and pay for the return shipping.

I thanked him for the offer, but said I would keep the knives. He seemed like a decent chap (we even chatted about his last visit to Hawaii where he stayed in a vacation rental close to where I live).

The whole matter was handled amicably and we parted on friendly terms.

[Railsplitter]

Interesting outcome. Thanks for letting us know.

[HeboAndy]

Original boxes and paperwork all have a value. That amount is different with different people. The boxes were included, so the shipper put some value on them. Request a refund that you think is fair. It was a rookie mistake, a 20 to 40 dollar refund will help him remember to think before mailing.

[eveled]

I hope he learned from this.