tropit

From my experience, I think that a very small percentage arrive undamaged, especially the cases and bases. They always seem to arrive in pieces. I now make it a habit to email the seller minutes after I've won an auction to please follow the EBay guide for shipping sewing machines. Most sellers are glad to find the information and it has really decreased the number of damaged machines that have arrived. If they've done a great job packaging it, but there is still minor damage, then generally, I chalk it up to my own expense.

If a seller still sends it packaged, "harfe arsed," (Like the one above,) and it arrives with any damage, I go straight to EBay with a complaint. I either ask for a discount, or a total refund, giving the seller the option of getting it back. EBay will really stand behind you. (Not so with GW.) I've had to send a couple of machines back to their sellers, but I got a complete refund, including my costs to send it back.

I'm so sorry to see your beautiful National arrive in that condition. If it were me, I'd ask for a partial refund, but keep the machine anyway. (And throw out those towels...yuck!)

~ Cindy

Prim Quilts

So sad. That's why I am afraid to get a machine unless I can pick it up locally.

oldsewnsew

i don't really want to diss the auction site itself. Last time the discussion got removed for being too negative.

MFord

Makes me sad - I had that happen last year, although with a much less interesting machine. Couldn't get any satisfaction from the seller. It was packed tightly in a box with about 2 layers of newspaper around it - that's it. Didn't work, couldn't fix it, wasn't worth sending to a service shop as the machine was racked out.

Margaret

joobee

I have had both experiences from ebay buys. My little white Featherweight was not padded inside of her case and she slid and broke the side of the case. (Thankfully she is fully intact). I am considering rehabbing the case.
My 99K with bentwood case was packed very, very well. I had contacted the seller and asked that he/she bubblewrap the machine inside the case so the machine would not bang around and splinter the case. They wrapped it so well it took me almost a hour to get it out of the box and then out of the case! Kuddos to my seller.

Macybaby

I've yet to have a wooden base hold up to the machine sitting on it during shipping. Now I tell them to take the machine OUT and pack them side by side. I've had pretty good luck with machines, not very good luck with wood cases.

Candace

It's not the auction site that's the issue, it's the ignorant sellers that are..

amcatanzaro

I don't really think it's the fault of the site. Some sellers are clearly better packers than others. I haven't packed a vintage machine but when I ship other stuff I'm know to recycle as much packing stuff as I can manage.

I'm baffled by towels. Seems like that would add an excessive amount of weight onto the shipment. I can understand their use in between the two boxes as a buffer but to do more than a single towel around the machine to prevent scratches. Ahhhh, lost.

amcatanzaro

I think we've heard over and over that the wood cases don't ship well with a machine in them. Ancient glue and all that.

onthebrinkofdisaster

The best packaging ive seen was when i bought a vintage iMac PC they put it in bag. Then placed a three inch thick styrofoam board on the bottom of a box ,placed the bagged computer on top of the foam board then they gilled the box around the computer with that spray can expandable insulation.
I bet that would work with sewing machines too.
I got a knot in my stomach when i saw this pocture,ugh im so sorry that happened to that beautiful machine.