... and I sent the seller specific packing instructions, citing previous extreme damage I've had during shipment of improperly packed similar equipment.
Well, they did write "fragile" and "this side up" on the box (even though the monitor was packed face-down), but that was it. There was a handful of packing peanuts in the bottom of the box, and a loose half-sheet of bubble wrap on top. The equipment was just loose in the box, with no padding or support whatsoever.
Of course, the machine was utterly destroyed. I've politely demanded a full refund including return shipping, but their return policy is "no returns" and there was no shipping insurance (hence my initial packing instructions), so we'll see what happens. :/
Depressing photos (that sucker was MINT I tell you, other than dirt; 20-year storage closet fresh):
https://imgur.com/a/k15pVpZ
If they won't let me return it, I'll probably try to sell off the stuff for parts at a loss, except for maybe the keyboard. I bought it mainly for the monitor and the disk drives, but the video is dodgy (monitor requires bench-thumping) and it doesn't seem to want to read any 3.5" boot media, behaving as if no disk is inserted. Haven't tried 5.25", or the printer.
Very very very demotivating. :/
That Breaks my Heart. Not much more to say about that.
They can't not let you return it. If the seller offers shipping, then they're responsible for its safe arrival. If they refuse to refund, file a dispute.
[quote=Tom Owad]
They can't not let you return it. If the seller offers shipping, then they're responsible for its safe arrival. If they refuse to refund, file a dispute.
[/quote]
I second this. Hopefully you paid with PayPal. File a dispute. People say things all the time that won’t stand... just because you put it in the description doesn’t mean it aligns with ebays or PayPal’s terms.
Well, the nice lady at the post office said she'd corroborate for me if I decide to file a claim with ebay.
I sent the guy a message asking how he wants to proceed, saying that if I didn't hear back by tomorrow morning that I'd file a claim with ebay.
I guess we'll see how it goes....
If I get stuck with this busted up stuff, I guess I'll have a heck of an epoxy + bondo + emery cloth + paint matching project on my hands......
As others have said, just return it. Don't take a loss because the seller can't package correctly or the post office damaged it.
Just click on eBay to return the item. Make sure to select 'Arrived Damaged', that's the most appropriate, and some of the other options (changed mind, etc) would allow him to refuse it. If you choose arrived damaged, he is not able to deny your request for a return. Upload a picture, or a few pictures, and describe that it doesn't match the pictures in the listing, it arrived damaged. Usually I find keeping things simple is best, eBay reps like it clear, it really doesn't matter at this point if he packaged it poorly, or what you told him before he shipped. It arrived damaged, that's all they care about.
Most likely he won't accept right away, that's fine, it will give you a date after which you can ask eBay to step in, if you don't have a solution by then, click that link and eBay will force the return. Then he'll have a few days to provide a return label, if he doesn't, escalate it again. Don't pay for the return label yourself, make sure he provides it, because if you pay for it, it's very unlikely you'll get refunded, even if he says you will.
If it was priority mail, he might want a picture of the box to provide to the post office, they do give $50-100 insurance by default depending on how he purchased the label.
edit: oh, and I'd strongly recommend doing it through eBay, you can do it through PayPal, but then you would probably have to pay return shipping, which would be expensive. Through eBay the seller would be forced to pay return shipping. (PayPal has a new program where they pay return shipping costs, but not sure how this works, and it's a limited thing)
Well, I got ebay to step in and finally got a refund from the seller. But he doesn't want to pay the return shipping and says to just keep it, so I guess I am going to have to try to fix this thing. D: Because I am certainly not throwing it in the trash.
I opened the monitor up and found that the problem was bad connection at the video connector. The cable was left plugged into it when shipped, so maybe that caused some undue pressure on things. Fixed that and it seems to be working fine for now. The 3.5" drive still isn't working, although the 5.25 seems to be ok.
I think I can repair some of the cracks with epoxy. But the monitor is just smashed up on the corners. I'm not sure what to do with that. Perhaps some Bondo, applied with tape on the inside so it doesn't get down in and stick to the internal components. I can probably finish it with a needle file and some emery cloth to match the seam between the two halves decently. And then I'll have to find some kind of color-matching paint (probably difficult considering the variable amount of yellowing that this ABS stuff always has). Probably will come down to taping and painting the whole shell. Uff.
Regardless, I can't think of a good way to fix the smashed up places in a way that will allow the monitor to ever be taken back apart again without causing even more damage, so that's not good. Hrm.
Easier alternative might be to replace the back shell, if anyone has a parts monitor that they'd like to sell one off of. There's a crack in the front bezel part, but nothing smashed to pieces, so I can probably epoxy that.
Expoy does not go well with ABS especially this older apple cases. The cases often have a very slick surface and epoxy will easily come off. even when sanding, epoxy does not stick too well. Use special ABS glue (ABS cement like this). Your best bet for a lasting repair is to additionally use some thin nails or wire and melt them into the plastic from the backside (like stitching a cut together) by heating the metal. Be very cautious to not melt it in too deep. You can make a Z- or S-shape out of the wire for more strength. If you use special ABS glue, beware that it may have solvents that attack the plastic. Test it on a part (the inside) that is not visible first. There is ABS filament for 3D-printers that can be used to fill in missing parts or to cover something up. You can use a 3D printer retouching tool for the final repair. There are better retouching tools available with selectable temperature for different plastic types.
The color for the IIgs (Platinum) is near to RAL9003. There is sometimes ABS filament available in that color. It is called 'Signalweiß' (signal white) in Germany and even retouching pens are available in that color.
-Jonas
Thanks for the info! :D