- Uwe
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- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,410
Re: Another machine destroyed in the post
thetypewriterman wrote:
As a matter of interest, how many portable typewriters have you received upside-down in their carry cases ? I find this happens surprisingly often from people who obviously know nothing about typewriters !
It's yet to happen - perhaps surprisingly - but I have opened a few travel cases in person when buying locally to find a machine in that state. And of course I've seen plenty advertised online sitting upside down in their cases.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- beak
- Key Master
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: Another machine destroyed in the post
...a few non-standard but useful keys (for me) such as degree symbol. Also, it's appointed in cream with a light grey case, not the usual grey/green scheme.
Sincerely,
beak.
- •
Thread Starter- Uwe
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- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
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Re: Another machine destroyed in the post
I think the degree symbol might actually have been common; all three of my SG1 machines have that specific character along with fractions and few other special symbols. Maybe your current SG1 is the unusual one if it doesn't have it? 
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- Shangas
- Speed Champion
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- From: Melbourne, Australia
- Registered: 17-3-2013
- Posts: 298
Re: Another machine destroyed in the post
Just talking to seller about another unusual SG1, this time in America.
What's unusual about it?
Well this one is presumably in one piece, unlike the other one...
"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
- Amelia
- Platen Punisher
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- From: Southern California, USA
- Registered: 28-3-2013
- Posts: 94
Re: Another machine destroyed in the post
I've sent detailed (but concise) instructions to sellers I've bought from on eBay.
Either they failed reading comprehension or just don't care. 
Thankfully, both the typewriters I own made it to me safely despite their poor packaging/handling.
- tatte
- Novice Typer
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- From: Vaasa, Finland
- Registered: 04-7-2013
- Posts: 47
Re: Another machine destroyed in the post
How the hell are those packages even transported? O_O Tied to a rope and pulled behind a 10-horse carriages?
Just by the way, how much do you guys generally pay for packaging? In addition to actual postage fees.
- Uwe
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- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,410
Re: Another machine destroyed in the post
I've never paid for packaging. Nor have I ever charged it. For every typewriter that I've ever bought online, I've only paid the actual shipping cost.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- beak
- Key Master
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: Another machine destroyed in the post
I often offer to add a little for packing - in an attempt to get the seller to take it seriously. Works maybe half the time.
I find that many times the seller just can't get it into their heads that the thing can be broken in the post. They think I'm fussing over nothing; "'It's metal; it won't break." It sometimes takes three rounds of messages to get them to realize that I know what I'm talking about, to relay my experiences, and to get them to agree to do it my way. Even then, some will just ignore all this when the time comes!
Sincerely,
beak.
- •
Thread Starter- ProfessorC30
- Platen Punisher
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- From: Arkansas, USA
- Registered: 20-4-2013
- Posts: 75
Re: Another machine destroyed in the post
I've always been reluctant to buy or sell a typewriter online, even though I realize it opens up a world of potential buyers. I have some machines I really need to sell, but the time and aggrivation involved has kept me from it. I don't want a disappointed buyer to blame me for damage that was caused after it left my hands. It's really not fair for a buyer to pay "shipping costs only" when it take so much time and material to pack a typewriter correctly.
Last edited by ProfessorC30 (25-3-2015 11:30:24)
Clark
- KatLondon
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- From: London
- Registered: 11-10-2014
- Posts: 995
Re: Another machine destroyed in the post
Well, I've broken my rule about local-only, and bought a Silent-Super that has to be sent. It is literally the only one I've ever seen for sale in this country, and I got it for £21 plus postage. I've sent the seller a link about packaging and a very polite and heartfelt plea, which incudes the information that I've had three typewriters arrive completely destroyed in the past year. If this one arrives broken I will give no quarter. The last guy said he would pack well, and then he said he HAD, but it was a disgrace - literally an old garden lounger cushion loosely draped around the case - and the typewriter (an SM5 otherwise perfect) is unsalvageable. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Silent-Super.
Last edited by KatLondon (18-3-2015 18:59:20)
