Does anyone else here have a huge problem when buying sets online? Every single time I order a set from EBay, toys r us, amazon or Target it arrives damaged, they just do not care that collectors need the box in pristine condition!

Ya I mean ordering online is always a risk it you are a big box collector. However if you order a box off EBAY you should tell the seller that you want the box in pristine condition and they shouldn't have a problem with packing it well. But with that being said USPS has been known to handle packages pretty rough (I don't know about other countries). In all this though I have only gotten 2 bad boxes and strange enough they were both this year and both from Barnes and Noble

Ya I mean ordering online is always a risk it you are a big box collector. However if you order a box off EBAY you should tell the seller that you want the box in pristine condition and they shouldn't have a problem with packing it well. But with that being said USPS has been known to handle packages pretty rough (I don't know about other countries). In all this though I have only gotten 2 bad boxes and strange enough they were both this year and both from Barnes and Noble

I had to send the imperial shuttle back to TRU 3 times and jabbas palace back to amazon 3 times. The problem is that most of these big sets you cant find in stores. Sooooo irritating

Edited August 1, 201212 yr by stephen_rockefeller

Ya I hear ya. Especially if you are a box collector, which I am really not. I recently heard of people at USPS taking and opening boxes that sound like LEGO because they know how expensive it can be. It is really disgusting to think about, especially when some people there treat packages like garbage.

Ya I hear ya. Especially if you are a box collector, which I am really not. I recently heard of people at USPS taking and opening boxes that sound like LEGO because they know how expensive it can be. It is really disgusting to think about, especially when some people there treat packages like garbage.

oh and then there was this, I bought a star wars set from 2008 on ebay a few months ago. 250 bucks! I tracked it online on USPS.com says it was delivered yet never got it. My carrier swears he delivered it. Someone ( probably my postman) is in possesion of my set!! Filed a claim with USPS and in not so many words they said "o well"

As someone who also collects items that they want in pristine condition, I can understand this dilema. The best piece of advice I can give you is to find a good vendor and stick with them. I've bought things from sellers repeatedly because they treated me well the first time. Also, it really does help if you mention that you want good packaging and be willing to offer alittle extra money to help offset the cost.

Personally, I'd never buy something from TRU or Amazon that I would want in good shape - everytime I've tried before, I've been disappointed with damage. I'd much prefer to spend alittle more and buy the same thing from a brick-and-mortar retail store, where I can pick out the best box. Fortunately, there's also the local Lego store, where I can scrutinize packaging.

A few weeks back I ordered the new batmobile from Tescos in the UK and I was shocked when I went to pick it up from the store ( if you get it delivered to the store you don't pay delivery). It looked like someone had run it over so I took it back and they ordered another one which had the exact same problem. The lady behind the counter said that it will most likely be the same again if I reordered it. It really annoyed me what if I was ordering it for a birthday present I couldnt give someone that box so I don't order from there anymore.

Look at this:

As someone who also collects items that they want in pristine condition, I can understand this dilema. The best piece of advice I can give you is to find a good vendor and stick with them. I've bought things from sellers repeatedly because they treated me well the first time. Also, it really does help if you mention that you want good packaging and be willing to offer alittle extra money to help offset the cost.

Personally, I'd never buy something from TRU or Amazon that I would want in good shape - everytime I've tried before, I've been disappointed with damage. I'd much prefer to spend alittle more and buy the same thing from a brick-and-mortar retail store, where I can pick out the best box. Fortunately, there's also the local Lego store, where I can scrutinize packaging.

the problem with that is two fold for me A) the stores in my area do not stock larger sets and B) I sometimes buy sets from many years ago which are discontinued and their days of being on retail shelves are far removed.

Edited August 1, 201212 yr by stephen_rockefeller

I have had issues with Amazon, LEGO, EBAY, TRU...You name it. LEGO is careless sometimes and should know better. So is Amazon. It seems every second order is crushed or creased in some way.

oh and then there was this, I bought a star wars set from 2008 on ebay a few months ago. 250 bucks! I tracked it online on USPS.com says it was delivered yet never got it. My carrier swears he delivered it. Someone ( probably my postman) is in possesion of my set!! Filed a claim with USPS and in not so many words they said "o well"

That's pretty outrageous, I would not let such an incident go personally. Don't you have to sign for a package when it's delivered?

That's pretty outrageous, I would not let such an incident go personally. Don't you have to sign for a package when it's delivered?

No I did not have to sign for this particular delivery....I have done all I can,spent hours upon hours on the phone with USPS. Its a government agency so getting anywhere is tough. They said the best they can do is deliver it if it is found:( I have even asked to speak in person or on the phone with the postal inspector who is handling the case and was told they do not accept phone calls or meet with anyone!

No I did not have to sign for this particular delivery....I have done all I can,spent hours upon hours on the phone with USPS. Its a government agency so getting anywhere is tough. They said the best they can do is deliver it if it is found:( I have even asked to speak in person or on the phone with the postal inspector who is handling the case and was told they do not accept phone calls or meet with anyone!

So basically, their workers can steal packages risk-free this way? This is madness.

I have had issues with Amazon, LEGO, EBAY, TRU...You name it. LEGO is careless sometimes and should know better. So is Amazon. It seems every second order is crushed or creased in some way.

Your forgot about Bricklink... I assumed that Bricklink sellers would take care of proper shipping.

But some weeks ago, I bought 6 older MISB technic sets (all of them were small).

Descrition stated that 3 boxes were good, and 3 boxes were bad.

For shipping, the seller used a box that was too tight. No space for filling stuff in order to protect the contents.

Result: 5 sets were crushed, only 1 set survied without crushed box. So, 2 sets that have beend good before shipping, were damaged due to improper packaging.

Lessons learned: when buying from private sellers, I always (!) talk abput shipping and packaging before buying. Most sellers only offer the cheapest shipping methods, related to limited allowed size of the shipping boxes this often results in improper packaging.

TRU here in Canada is horrible.

I've ordered from them a few times and my sets come in these MASSIVELY OVERSIZED boxes...with NO packing material in them at all!?!?!

Thankfully, I'm not one to worry about MISB most of the time but, at the time, I couldn't help but wonder about those folks who DO care about such things. It's shameful.

Thankfully Shop @ Home packs things fairly well. I've never had any complaints regarding packages I've received from THEM (which isn't much of an issue now, anyway, since we've finally got B&M LEGO stores in my city).

A year ago I received this from amazon.de:

Thanks for the stickers, Amazon. (note: there was no other packaging)

Wow, that Amazon thing surprises me. I've never received anything from Amazon that was not packaged within another box. Shouldn't happen.

A year ago I received this from amazon.de:

Thanks for the stickers, Amazon. (note: there was no other packaging)

Hope you sent that garbage back!!!