# eBay disaster!!!



## butchndad (Dec 28, 2021)

i saw a Jersey City bottle on eBay that i had never seen before or heard of or could find thru google.  An attic find, it was in beautiful condition with the Hutter porcelain stopper and everything.  I watched the auction several times a day and was eventually the winner.  The bottle arrived promptly ... IN TEN PIECES.  It was clear that it had not been packed (and positioned in the box) properly.  The seller immediately said it would send a refund which is fine but this bottle was beautiful and now, not only is it not mine but it's gone forever.  I already had it in my mind as my favorite Jersey City bottle just based on the photos.  You folks know what i mean when i say that i feel like someone just took a hammer to the statue of David.  just such a shame


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## woods_walker (Dec 28, 2021)

butchndad said:


> i saw a Jersey City bottle on eBay that i had never seen before or heard of or could find thru google. An attic find, it was in beautiful condition with the Hutter porcelain stopper and everything. I watched the auction several times a day and was eventually the winner. The bottle arrived promptly ... IN TEN PIECES. It was clear that it had not been packed (and positioned in the box) properly. The seller immediately said it would send a refund which is fine but this bottle was beautiful and now, not only is it not mine but it's gone forever. I already had it in my mind as my favorite Jersey City bottle just based on the photos. You folks know what i mean when i say that i feel like someone just took a hammer to the statue of David. just such a shame



That’s terrible news! Did this seller have a history of selling bottles or other glass items? Just some advice for in the future, if you notice a seller doesn’t sell glass or bottles very often or at all make sure to send them a message after winning to let them know how important the item is to you and that over packing glass items is a good idea. It might just save you from a disaster like this one! If the seller specializes is selling bottles then chances are they know how to pack them but even then sending a message politely asking them to pack the item well might be a good idea. Better luck on the next one! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## nhpharm (Dec 28, 2021)

Same thing has happened to me in the past...it's devastating for sure.  Many people don't understand that that it is critical that the correct size box be used and that the voids in the box be packed full of something incompressible.  Wrapping a bottle in a few layers of newspaper and throwing it in a box with no other packing (which happens a lot) is a sure fire way for it to be broken.  Also, protecting the heel and the lip of the bottle with some extra layers of packing or bubble wrap is important.  Most beers and sodas I have received that were broken were poorly protected at the lip and were free to move inside the box and the momentum of the lip striking the end of the box when the box was being shipped broke it.


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## embe (Dec 28, 2021)

Although 10 pieces (or any shipping damage) is terrible...10 pieces might be something you can still glue back and at least have a memory of this heartbreaker.  

I glued a common bottle years ago that must have arrived closer to a 50 piece jigsaw puzzle and put it back on the shelf.  Then a few years later I think the kids hit it with a nerf arrow, or ball, or something.  Glad it was that bottle, and not a different one.  Definitely trashed that time.


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## hemihampton (Dec 28, 2021)

I feel your pain, Been through this same thing many times due to incompetent sellers that are not aware glass is fragile & breaks easily. You figure everybody would already know that with common sense but NO. Worse yet is when I go out of my way to express how important it is to pack good & they say yeah yeah, I know what I'm doing don't worry. Then they pack like total crap & it arrives broke anyways. Then ebay won't even let you give them a negative for there incompetency. LEON.


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## east texas terry (Dec 28, 2021)

hemihampton said:


> I feel your pain, Been through this same thing many times due to incompetent sellers that are not aware glass is fragile & breaks easily. You figure everybody would already know that with common sense but NO. Worse yet is when I go out of my way to express how important it is to pack good & they say yeah yeah, I know what I'm doing don't worry. Then they pack like total crap & it arrives broke anyways. Then ebay won't even let you give them a negative for there incompetency. LEON.
> View attachment 233467





nhpharm said:


> Same thing has happened to me in the past...it's devastating for sure.  Many people don't understand that that it is critical that the correct size box be used and that the voids in the box be packed full of something incompressible.  Wrapping a bottle in a few layers of newspaper and throwing it in a box with no other packing (which happens a lot) is a sure fire way for it to be broken.  Also, protecting the heel and the lip of the bottle with some extra layers of packing or bubble wrap is important.  Most beers and sodas I have received that were broken were poorly protected at the lip and were free to move inside the box and the momentum of the lip striking the end of the box when the box was being shipped broke it.


I have shipped civil war era bottle i dug in Va. to Texas.  Go to Lowes get pvc  pipe cut 3 inch longer' Bubble wrap bottle slide in the pipe pack each end them duck tape each end then it is ready for the box


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## UncleBruce (Dec 28, 2021)

I blame cell phones and internet for dumbing down folks... just sayin'...


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## RCO (Dec 29, 2021)

i've never had anything like this happen before although would imagine shipping a bottle be more risky around the holidays as people busier and post office/ couriers are so busy they might cut corners


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## Jstorm (Dec 29, 2021)

butchndad said:


> i saw a Jersey City bottle on eBay that i had never seen before or heard of or could find thru google.  An attic find, it was in beautiful condition with the Hutter porcelain stopper and everything.  I watched the auction several times a day and was eventually the winner.  The bottle arrived promptly ... IN TEN PIECES.  It was clear that it had not been packed (and positioned in the box) properly.  The seller immediately said it would send a refund which is fine but this bottle was beautiful and now, not only is it not mine but it's gone forever.  I already had it in my mind as my favorite Jersey City bottle just based on the photos.  You folks know what i mean when i say that i feel like someone just took a hammer to the statue of David.  just such a shame


That Blows big time. Sorry!


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## Old man digger (Dec 29, 2021)

There is an area in the bought section of eBay that you can send the seller even before you complete the payment. It says," Message to Seller". I always request that the seller takes particular care in packaging the item to prevent that sort of mishap. If they don't, then the Rating for shipping gets an unsatisfactory rating with some comments about the lack of care in packing.


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## hemihampton (Dec 29, 2021)

I use that Message to Seller every time. Seems they only read it or listen to it maybe 50/50. LEON.


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## epackage (Jan 2, 2022)

butchndad said:


> i saw a Jersey City bottle on eBay that i had never seen before or heard of or could find thru google.  An attic find, it was in beautiful condition with the Hutter porcelain stopper and everything.  I watched the auction several times a day and was eventually the winner.  The bottle arrived promptly ... IN TEN PIECES.  It was clear that it had not been packed (and positioned in the box) properly.  The seller immediately said it would send a refund which is fine but this bottle was beautiful and now, not only is it not mine but it's gone forever.  I already had it in my mind as my favorite Jersey City bottle just based on the photos.  You folks know what i mean when i say that i feel like someone just took a hammer to the statue of David.  just such a shame


Was it the Willms bottle? The seller is one of the best known diggers and sellers of bottles on the whole Eastern seaboard if it was the Willms, he has been since the late 1960's. I'm sure he's sorry it's broke, I know you would love to have it instead of a refund, good luck in the future finding another...


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## hemihampton (Jan 2, 2022)

If it was a well known Digger/Seller of Bottles wouldn't he know how to pack Properly? Maybe they just don't care as I had a well know Bottle Collector send me 2 Bottles together, extremley extremely very poorly Packaged which don't make sense? LEON.


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## Jstorm (Jan 2, 2022)

hemihampton said:


> If it was a well known Digger/Seller of Bottles wouldn't he know how to pack Properly? Maybe they just don't care as I had a well know Bottle Collector send me 2 Bottles together, extremley extremely very poorly Packaged which don't make sense? LEON.


Not at all.


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## epackage (Jan 2, 2022)

hemihampton said:


> If it was a well known Digger/Seller of Bottles wouldn't he know how to pack Properly? Maybe they just don't care as I had a well know Bottle Collector send me 2 Bottles together, extremley extremely very poorly Packaged which don't make sense? LEON.


He has almost 10,000 positive eBay feedbacks, he's the best of the best when it comes to bottles, I have tons of bottles from him. I didn't see the box, but everything he's sold me since 2009 has arrived safe and sound. He has been selling bottles since 1968, so yeah he's a great seller and packer. As for your seller I don't know, but I know this seller...


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## butchndad (Jan 2, 2022)

epackage said:


> Was it the Willms bottle? The seller is one of the best known diggers and sellers of bottles on the whole Eastern seaboard if it was the Willms, he has been since the late 1960's. I'm sure he's sorry it's broke, I know you would love to have it instead of a refund, good luck in the future finding another...View attachment 233740


You are correct and they were very nice and refunded the money very quickly.  Ironically after not seeing this bottle before, there is another now on ebay but at a price higher than i want to pay


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## epackage (Jan 3, 2022)

butchndad said:


> You are correct and they were very nice and refunded the money very quickly.  Ironically after not seeing this bottle before, there is another now on ebay but at a price higher than i want to pay


Most of these show up with the stopper, I have seen 6 or 7 in my life and they all had stoppers. I imagine someone found a crate of them in JC and sold them off, if you keep searching you'll get one at a price you like... good luck


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## nhpharm (Jan 3, 2022)

When I was a kid, I was at a bottle show and a fellow there had an entire crate of hutch sodas under his table-"as found".  I bought the entire crate...they were found in upstate New York but were all from one vendor in New Hampshire.  I still have the crate and all the bottles tucked away, but they were one of the rarer hutch sodas from New Hampshire...which by virtue of that one crate are actually a lot less rare than most people think.


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## hemihampton (Jan 3, 2022)

epackage said:


> He has almost 10,000 positive eBay feedbacks, he's the best of the best when it comes to bottles, I have tons of bottles from him. I didn't see the box, but everything he's sold me since 2009 has arrived safe and sound. He has been selling bottles since 1968, so yeah he's a great seller and packer. As for your seller I don't know, but I know this seller...



I was just going by what original poster said, Original poster said it was clearly not packaged properly which seems odd for experianced Bottle Guy.  Seller quickly points out in his description he'll quickly refund for any Damage. Why would you say something like that unless you've had damage problems in the past? I don't say that in my Auctions but I always pack like Overkill so never had a problem with stuff I've sent. BUT, Have had many problems with other sellers. LEON.

P.S. Maybe he has 100% postive because ebay will not let a buyer give negative for a broken bottle, I know, I've gotten many broken Bottles I couldn't leave negative for so nobody gets warned.










						Attic Find Blob Beer w. Ceramic Stopper: C WILLMS WEBSTER AVE. JERSEY CITY, N.J.  | eBay
					

9 3/4” x 2 1/2" is this Strongly embossed, bright aqua blob top beer In an oval slug plate: "C. WILLMS / 214 WEBSTER AVE. / JERSEY CITY, N.J.". Ceramic stopper in red: "CLAUS WILLMS / Fancy Entwined "CW" / JERSERY CITY, N.J.".wiring all perfect.



					www.ebay.com


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## Oldsdigger (Jan 5, 2022)

I fell your pain ! 
I had the same thing happen to me with a Dr. Baker Pharmaceutical bottle from Philly. Real half assed packing job with little protective material in a way to small box ! Luckily I had Ebay on my side and did receive a full refund.


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## Oldsdigger (Jan 5, 2022)

Oldsdigger said:


> I fell your pain !
> I had the same thing happen to me with a Dr. Baker Pharmaceutical bottle from Philly. Real half assed packing job with little protective material in a way to small box ! Luckily I had Ebay on my side and did receive a full refund.


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## relic rescuer (Jan 5, 2022)

UncleBruce said:


> I blame cell phones and internet for dumbing down folks... just sayin'...


Nah, they were dumb way before that...


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