I tend to collect very little these days...mostly i buy sealed games when I run across a decent deal and just sit them on the shelf to look pretty. Well Today I got a package...I got a decent deal on Doom and Hexen for the sega saturn sealed. Both games have never been hung still have the little tag on the back no rips. Now...the cases....dear god these stupid freaking cases. I now remember why i NEVER liked collecting the big box playstation and saturn games. I open the package...and sure enough the more valuable game...doom...of course couldnt be hexen....has a crack ALL the way across the middle of the case.
Sure let me just open it up and put a new front case on and seal it back...oh wait...WTF!! Why cant people learn to ship these games in thick bubble wrap and NOT JUST A DAMN BUBBLE ENVELOPE!!!!
Besides thick bubble wrap any of you guys have any tips and pointers maybe we could share to prevent these things from happening
I haven't bought any in a while now, but if I ever do again I'll make sure to contact the seller and be sure they'll ship it appropriately. Most of us here on the forums know the deal, but I'll double check anyway. And I'll definitely grill eBay sellers about it.
As for when I have to ship these game cases, I'm worried all the way up to when the buyer messages me and tells me they got there OK. I might not take extreme precautions, but I do make sure to pack them VERY well. Packing one case is no big deal. I just be sure to put a ton of padding around it in a decent box. You don't want the packaging to be too tight though, and of course not loose enough for the case to knock around inside the box. I'd only consider using a bubble mailer if I was gonna wrap it more and put it inside a box.
The biggest headache I had was when I sold three high ticket Saturn games. Packing one is no big deal, but when you pack three you also have to protect them from each other inside the box. I got these pads from work that I used. They're about 12x20" paper stuffed with shredded paper, so they're like fluffy pillows. They arrived safely, thank god.
You guys should try to find some one that isn't a dick in the produce department of your local supermarket. They have lots of great packing materials that just get thrown away. Ask for the pads that come in the apple boxes. Summer is the best, it's a gold mine. Ask for the bubble wrap, pads, and cushions that come with the summer fruit. My store is high volume so I usually stock up well in the summer time and have it last me the rest of the year.
When i ship saturn games i wrap the game in bubble wrap put crumpled newspaper in the bottom of a box then do the same on the top and seal it that way it is cushioned
Thats exactly what happend. Two sealed games...NO packing AT ALL. And just shoved them in the big "Ready post" Bubble wrap envelope....as soon as the post office handed it to me my stomach sunk. I KNEW something HAD to be wrong.
I didnt spend alot, but i still expected to get them as pictured....sealed...and NO CRACKS!
edit: just found a small crack on the back of hexen...sigh....
I've gotten Saturn games in bubble packs that of course got cracked. I've gotten new sealed GBA games in bubble packs that were flattened. I got a joystick in a priority cardboard envelope (with padding but still). I don't understand people.
^ They did in Japan though. Sega (Mega) CD too, if I'm not mistaken. Why did we get the big cases in America? The bigger is better cliche?
The most annoying part of how big the cases are is how thick they are. They're mostly hollow, which is why the front cracks so damn easily.
For the few disc only Saturn games I've acquired, I really like the slim DVD covers that you can get from The Cover Project. What sucks is the one disc only game I happen to have a manual for. Damn manual wont fit in the DVD case unless I fold it. So I never bothered printing a cover for it.
As for buying on ebay, if shipping is $3 or $4, assume they are shipping it in a bubble mailer. Be proactive before bidding and ask if they will be using a box. Offer to pay an extra $2 if they say no. If they still won't, then move along.
SAT games can be shipped in a box at just under 13oz, but most people probably don't know this. The games are between 7.5oz and 10oz depending on number of discs and manual size. The small amazon box which is like 10x6x3 is perfect, weighs 3.5oz and you can ship 90% of SAT games w/some bubble in that box - no worries.
mjmjr25 wrote:I love the Saturn cases and the oversized manual.
+1
Whenever I buy a Saturn or Sega CD game on ebay, I almost always message the seller and gently remind them to package it extra well, emphasizing the fragility of the cases, etc. Nobody's given me any issues with that so far and usually the seller already knows, but yeah. Can't ever hurt to remind them.
I think you're generally safe if the seller at least wraps the game in a couple of layers of bubble wrap before stuffing into a bubble mailer. That usually seems sufficient, but naturally, a box is preferred.