Ebay sellers, packing and history destruction

[Greg Stahl]

On the WAGS member side of the forum, there has been a lot of talk/discussion about the way Ebay sellers don't listen to others in the shipping and packing of items.  The result is that the items are coming broken and the loss is tragic.  Now this is not the result of poor handling by the various shipping companies out there, but due to the poor packing of Cast Iron items by the sellers,  SELLERS that believe cast iron is steel and unbreakable.

Cast iron is VERY VERY fragile and breaks very easily.  Not only are collectors upset that their items have been destroyed but because, you can't go back and fix these items, you can't replace these items and more, if not most importantly, this destroys a piece of history FOREVER.

I know that many Ebay sellers read this FORUM, so please listen to the buyers, as we know what we are doing when we give you instructions on packing cast iron.  We know, as we have vast experience in shipping ourselves OR from the poor examples of receiving items shipped.

Please help preserve our national treasures, our national art, our history and our collections by packing well.

edit in red.

[Greg Stahl]

A new page has been set up so that you can directly email the link to sellers to offer packing instructions for cast iron.  Go to this link:

Cast Iron Care

or

Directly to this link:

SUGGESTED PACKING FOR CAST IRON SHIPMENT

[mrred75]

Thank you very much for providing the link for proper packing...I never would have guessed it could be so tough. And I thought shipping fish was tough  ;D

[Charles Layne]

i also fell victim to poor packaging on #8 iron mountian chicken fryer, it arrived with a crack from the top edge to the bottom. the lid survived now i am in search of just the pan; it was a sad loss.

[N3SQV]

Thanks for the thread.  I started selling on eBay and I am about to ship a few I sold. I was planning on just flat rate.  However, now I am going to package it better even if I take a hit for the first couple.

Thanks for the information

[C. Perry Rapier]

Thanks for the thread.  I started selling on eBay and I am about to ship a few I sold. I was planning on just flat rate.  However, now I am going to package it better even if I take a hit for the first couple.

Thanks for the information

Hello John. Flat rate shipping for cast iron is one of the worst things you can do, when it comes to shipping method. The best way to pack it is to think of it as glass, because it is fragile.

[Will Person]

John,  one thing.   A collector will pay what ever it takes to get there iron SAFE!!!   One time,  I told a seller to not package the two skillets together.   It was the Wagner skillet oven (pretty rare).   The seller was floored someone would pay over $500 for some cast iron.   They put each piece in a box,  and put the two boxes in one box.   I paid like $30 for shipping.   I did not care.   It got to me in safe,  great condition.   A collector will pay.

Will 8-)

[Mary Theisen]

I recently purchased a chicken pan from an ebay seller. The photo below shows how it was packaged. Amazingly, it arrived intact - even via USPS Parcel Post. No box, no bubble wrap...just wrapped w one layer of white butcher paper and then brown kraft paper. On a different topic but w the same seller, I had asked the seller if there was warpage/if it sat flat when pressed along the top edge, and she assured me that she had checked and it did...here's the youtube link on that issue: http://youtu.be/11K1Kq8r4gE

[Drew Frank]

I recently purchased a chicken pan from an ebay seller. The photo below shows how it was packaged. Amazingly, it arrived intact - even via USPS Parcel Post. No box, no bubble wrap...just wrapped w one layer of white butcher paper and then brown kraft paper. On a different topic but w the same seller, I had asked the seller if there was warpage/if it sat flat when pressed along the top edge, and she assured me that she had checked and it did...here's the youtube link on that issue: http://youtu.be/11K1Kq8r4gE

Mary, perhaps the seller had it upside down!  ::) ::)
How in the world did that thing arrive in one piece sent like that? Amazing.

[Mike Garrison]

i just rec'd a piece the other day via USPS and they placed the iron at the bottom of the box and put a bunch of shredded paper on top (instead of putting the iron in the middle of the box surrounded by shredded paper). they did bubble wrap the snot out of the pieces and taped to where i had to slash my way through it with a VERY sharp knife. ;D... no shipping damages that i saw though.

[Ray Armstrong]

I would like to add that when shipping a camp oven or spider that if the seller will tape the lid to the top securely so it cant move at all,  by taping around the entire pot a couple times in two directions, that should keep the lid and pot intact. Then add an inch, or more, of padding, like newspaper balls, in the bottom of the box and cover that with a layer of corrugated cardboard. Fallowed by putting the item in the box with the feet pointed up and then fill the rest  of the box tightly with packing paper and top it off with another sheet of corrugated cardboard and double boxing with newspaper balls between the boxes. Being sure to put the shipping label on the side of the box that the feet are on.

This should help keep the legs and handle from being broken.

Its very important, with a spider especially, that the box is packed tightly so that the handle cant tear through the boxes and get broken.    

[Don Leonard]

Here's how my 13" camp skillet arrived the other day........I'm still amazed that it arrived with the handle intact.

[Don Leonard]

They just taped an empty box to the handle.

[Will Person]

Here's how my 13" camp skillet arrived the other day........I'm still amazed that it arrived with the handle intact.

 :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o  WHAT THE......................... :o :o :o :o :o

[Brenda Jerles]

Wow! One ( My Griswold) I bought just had the skillet in the box and the box was wet in a spot and had a hole in it where the wet spot was. Just  priority mail box. Luckily all was ok!

[Karen Kale]

Here's how my new #10 Erie arrived today. These are the packing materials in their entirety - one little box and four grocery bags.  Not as much of a nightmare job as some others described here, but I almost had a heart attack when I saw the size of the box. I also discovered too late that it was insured for far less than I paid. I wonder how THAT would have worked had something happened to it.

Happy ending though, it seems to have weathered the trip OK.

[Bob Henrick]

Karen, that is one fine looking ERIE pan. Almost looks shiny what with the light reflecting on it. Looks like you won't have to do much cleaning either. Ya got lucky this time. :P

[Karen Kale]

Bob, that Erie is indeed a beautiful pan, I would have been heartbroken if it had cracked or broken. I was VERY lucky, but I still learned my lesson. If the seller doesn't have a proven track record of shipping cast iron, I'll definitely be asking about packing methods in the future.

[Cheryl Watson]

6:05 PM - Darkness has fallen, I am sitting at the computer sending a PM, when what do I hear???  The mail truck has stopped outside, the engine has stopped.  Yea!... my Iron is here! 
I turn on the light and open the door, and out onto the Front Porch I hurry, anxiously awaiting the very large box which will bring my 5 newest pieces.  My mailman pulls the very large box from the back of the truck, and even in low light I can see a very odd shape.  As he slowly approaches with head hanging low, he apologetically calls out, that hopefully, it's not something breakable.........OH NO!!!

The closer he gets, the worse that it looks, as I explained it is cast iron, and I am feeling quite sick.  "Oh, but Cast Iron doesn't break, you should be good", says he. I patiently explain that is a fallacy......

So began an hour long adventure, with Camera firmly in hand!


Three more posts to follow............. ;)

[Cheryl Watson]

The saga continued...