Packaging, Shipping, Refunds and Replacements - Share your Experiences!

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Yeah, I might just take the plunge and order the Absolute from ARTSnCRAFTS~Books.

[Andru]

So apparently I need to start smell testing any used books I buy online. One of my recent purchases from eBay has the distinct smell of must and/or mildew all throughout.

Anyone else have similar issues? I know older used books definitely come with that "old book" smell, but there is a huge difference between cozy library & musty basement.

[zaboraviti]

So apparently I need to start smell testing any used books I buy online. One of my recent purchases from eBay has the distinct smell of must and/or mildew all throughout.

Anyone else have similar issues? I know older used books definitely come with that "old book" smell, but there is a huge difference between cozy library & musty basement.

i only have a few comic books that i bought used but never had the issue, dust jacket a bit torn, some shelf wear, sure, yeah, but not the smell. i always thought it was because comic book collectors are more responsible than your regular book readers - used regular books come with all sorts of nasty. i've recently bought a used copy of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell that was listed as very good with minor shelf wear but turned out to be anything but, stained dirty pages, glass rings on the cover, and yeah, musty smelling. nevermind the money i spent on it, i'm getting it back - i will never understand how anyone could treat a book in such an appalling way...

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

When we had the price glitches a few years back on amazon and several other sites, I managed to pick up the Hellboy Library Edition Vol. 1 from Hippo Books, I believe, on Abebooks.com. I couldn't believe what I got - it had massive green mould books on the cover as well as inside on several pages and it stank to high heaven. The smell was overwhelming. It must have lain in a dark musty coffin or in some deep damp cellar for some time. Anyway, I managed to get my money back and I threw the book out with the garbage.

[Phoenixx9]

Yes, good calls all around checking on the book condition. Mold, mustiness, dust and dirt can be rampant. Be careful of smelling mold!

People will mistreat anything, including books. Others, think because they are selling the book at some reduced rate that it is okay to sell them in those deplorable conditions. Best to toss out those books. Some people store books where they should not and they acquire all these nasty things. But instead of getting rid of them, they try to profit off of something no one should touch.

[Brewman]

I had a Kevin Smith DD OHC from eBay come covered in mold. I could smell it as soon as I opened the box, so I returned it for a refund. I didn't even want to leave it in my house while dealing with the return process. It was to bad too I had gotten it for a great price.

[FluffySheep]

This isn't mould related, but my wife bought me a treat from Amazon for Valentine's Day, which turned out to be a bit disappointing. It arrived in a box more than twice the size of the book, and was packed with that brownish paper Amazon use, but the book could still move around. I've got a feeling the book was damaged BEFORE being sent out, but either way, it's going back.

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It looks like that top corner had been twisted/bent to cause the creases and it doesn't look straight from top to bottom. Obviously my wife wasn't to know, but this is the sort of thing that stops me from buying bigger books from Amazon.

[Andru]

While I am not happy others have had to deal with musty/moldy books, I am glad I am not the only one! Ended up tossing the book since the smell was intolerable. Too bad I hadn't noticed this earlier when I purchased the book. Oh well, lesson learned!

Yeah, Amazon is always hit or miss with me for books & movies. I had to return 3 different copies of the same blu ray box-set since every one they sent me was damaged. They were obviously damaged before they were shipped which makes me question certain departments in their warehouses.

[Andru]

I am having some luck this week. I ordered a Library edition of Buffy Season 8 from Amazon. The book arrived damage free which was great! However, once I removed the plastic wrap, I found the top center of about 1/3 of the pages had all been stuck together. Looks like possible water damage.

Anyways, I sent the book back and have a replacement on the way. Crossing my fingers!

[tv horror]

What amazes me is that Amazon is considering using drones to deliver their goods, what next a birds nest with optional chicks?

[Garuda]

Yeah, I might just take the plunge and order the Absolute from ARTSnCRAFTS~Books.

Raffi, I had a similar experience to benkerino and drd. I ordered Absolute Batman and Robin from ARTSnCRAFTS on 2nd Feb, it arrived in the UK on the 17th. My Absolute Box was somewhat more battered than theirs though! Luckily when I opened it, it was as new!

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[Ramsay Snow]

So apparently I need to start smell testing any used books I buy online. One of my recent purchases from eBay has the distinct smell of must and/or mildew all throughout.

Anyone else have similar issues? I know older used books definitely come with that "old book" smell, but there is a huge difference between cozy library & musty basement.

I won Alan Moore's complete run of Supreme at a cheap price on eBay a while back. Disappointing comic (In regard to the writing), but that's a different subject.

Anyway, the comics, along with their bags/boards, had a strong mothball or insecticide odor to them. To prevent the possibility of the smell spreading to my other comics, I made sure not to store these books with any of my other comics. I used new bags/boards (which also developed the smell), and I keep these in a small box away from everything else. That box of Supreme issues is the little neglected stepchild of my comic collection.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Raffi, I had a similar experience to benkerino and drd. I ordered Absolute Batman and Robin from ARTSnCRAFTS on 2nd Feb, it arrived in the UK on the 17th. My Absolute Box was somewhat more battered than theirs though! Luckily when I opened it, it was as new!

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Whoaaah! That Absolute box looks seriously dirty and beat up.

Thanks Sandbagger for the info. Just when I was going to bite the bullet on Absolute Batman Year One, ARTSnCRAFTS~Books raised the price from £46 to £57. BWB followed suit. It's now steadily decreasing so I'm going to wait it out and see how it goes.

[Andru]

Nuts, I have an order on IST that half the books are picked & scanned. History reveals that this means they don't have the other books in their warehouse.

Anyone know what the normal turnaround time is for this?

I know in the past I have waited over a week for the remainder of the order to be fulfilled before everything shipped.

[drd]

My Other ARTSnCRAFTS~Books order has come through, an Omni and an Absolute ordered at the same time, again the UK leg was handles by MyHermes

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That corner of the Omni gave me a little bit of concern but everythings pristine so no problems at all.

Thanks Sandbagger for the info. Just when I was going to bite the bullet on Absolute Batman Year One, ARTSnCRAFTS~Books raised the price from £46 to £57. BWB followed suit. It's now steadily decreasing so I'm going to wait it out and see how it goes.

If you havn't already head over to camelcamelcamel and set up a price alert, save you checking Amazon every day.