Kevin Van Dam Forums

So I FINALLY found a fenwick crankshaft like I have been looking for, only to get it today at the post office and the rod and packaging tube are broke in half…..man did that ruin my day, I was so pissed. I paid for shipping and insurance off ebay so should it be covered when I talk to the guy? Never had anything like this happen, I know it was insured for up to 200$ Any input appreciated!

It should be taken care of on their end for you, although I’ve only dealt with stores selling on eBay, not private sellers. I had UPS break a 7’6” Fenwick Techna spinning rod in half & the UPS man took it back to sender & the seller took care of it. I honestly don’t know how they can deliver a package like that when it’s broke in half, it’s obviously broke & broke by their handling. I’m waiting on a rod & I’ll be pissed if it shows up broke, especially since it’s a factory rep sample & there’s no replacements other than going through the rod company. Hopefully everything shows up alright, which it does 95% of the time for me.

As a seller that has had stuff broken in the mail, I can tell you what you need to do. First, hang on to that rod and package! Put it somewhere safe and hang onto it until you have the refund check in hand.

Now, you need to visit USPS website and file an insurance claim. You can do it online and it doesnt take but a few minutes, you will need a copy of the sales receipt showing how much you payed for it (that is what they will pay you). Expect a refund check from the post office in about 30 days.

Be aware, you may get a letter in the mail telling you to bring the broken item and all original packaging, plus sales receipt to your local post office for inspection. So make sure you keep it all!

As an alternative, the seller may just send you a refund and ask you to ship the broken rod and original box back to him, then do the claim himself. This will get you your money back right away, but you will be out the money to ship the rod back to him.

A buddy of mine sent 3 rods down to Florida when we fished Lake Toho this past Feb.  He sent them via UPS. 
At my suggestion , he insured them for $500 (about 8 bucks).  His rods were not great (BPS Bionics) and cost him under $200. 
Prior to our arrival in FL, he was notified that his rods were “destroyed” in shipping.  (Their exact words). 

Within 2 days he had a check for $500 from UPS….my buddy asked them if he could see the rods.  They said simply “no….they were destroyed”. Yikes !!
Good service though.

They just handed him a check for what it was insured for? I was told I needed receipts to prove what I paid for the stuff I shipped by UPS & USPS in case something happened.

Yep…He did not have receipts as he did not save them. They did not even ask him for a model number or brand. They destroyed the rods…....and they did not even show him the damaged rods.
When we hit Florida….we went over the BPS in Orlando and bought 3 more.  They cut him a $500 check….no big deal.

I am KCL’s Username - 01 May 2012 03:15 PM

They just handed him a check for what it was insured for? I was told I needed receipts to prove what I paid for the stuff I shipped by UPS & USPS in case something happened.

I had to prove my purchase price to USPS also, and that is the amount they refunded me for (I was still out the $$$ they initially charged for shipping…which they didnt refund). Maybe, in the future it would be smarter for us to ship through UPS! lol

Well dang, post office told me to decline and they send it to seller free of charge, so hopefully he answer my emails and files the claim so I get paid back, EBAY said to file a claim as welll since i paid for insurance if he does not file a claim so I get paid they will look into it if I open a case and he is not responding to me, so may take time but hopefully ill get paid!

Yup, you will get your money. It will either come from the seller or right out of the sellers bank account if he tries to split with your cash. He will file the claim, but it doesnt matter to you- you will get your money either way.

Give him 7 days to respond to your messages, if you hear nothing then open a case through ebay.

Man I hope so or I am out 105$ lol, So since I sent it back just wait? I emailed him a couple times to make sure he gets them.

Well, good news, the seller emailed me back twice today and said he will definetly file a claim when he gets it and will make sure i get paid no matter what, he was just sad to hear that such a good rod (and rare since they are not made anymore) got broke for nothing and now is no good to anyone. I was glad to hear he is going to file the claim for insurance! I wanted my 105$!!!