A Bit Frustrated!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ScarabFlight	18 May 2004
I ordered the Ancient Egyptian Tarot from ebay for a really good price....Yay! The package came yesterday...Yay! There was a sticker on it that said 'received unsealed'...Hmmm. I opened the now sealed package only to find some brown paper and a roll of toilet paper. What the!?! Waaah! :( I contacted the seller and she said that she sent the item in packing peanuts. Soooo......either A) I spent the money on a roll of toilet paper and she didn't send the deck (I hate to think this) (she had a 100% positive rating) B) someone at the post office saw that it was open and said "hey cool some cards" and replaced it with a roll of toilet paper (didn't their families teach them if it's not theirs don't take it!?!) C) the box popped open spewing forth the contents and they weren't sure what went in what box (so they added a roll of tp so I wouldn't be disappointed by getting a box of nothing?!) I wasn't able to purchase insurance since the seller didn't offer it...double waaaah. I did contact the postal inspector and they filled out a form that will be circulated to all the post offices (or sorting areas or wherever the mail goes) that the package would have passed through to see if my cards are sitting somewhere waiting for me to claim them. That's nice and all but she said it would take a minimum of 30 days!!!!!!! And it's a big IF. Argghhhh. I've been waiting so long already! (I don't have much patience) I suppose that they could have accidently mailed someone else's item to me by mistake and my item will be along shortly.......riiiggghhhtt. Anyway, what are your opinions. Should I buy a different Ancient Egyptian Tarot and then have two? (if the other one ever happens to show up) Should I forget it and move on to another type of deck? Maybe I should just concentrate on the ones I have. (Where's the fun in that! lol) I think I may have to stick to buying from stores. At least if I need to toilet paper someone's door I now have a roll to use. (it isn't even a good kind!! just the individually paper wrapped kind ::scrunched up grouchy face:: ) Stoopid post office.... Thanks for letting me rant.

Xarokys	18 May 2004
Hi Scarabflight, I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience. Hopefully, one way or another, your deck will arrive. I've bought several decks from ebay, and I've only had one bad experience. The seller had put two decks in a padded envelope. Somewhere it must have gotten caught in a sorting machine or something. When it was delivered I noticed a small tear in the envelope. After opening it, I found one of the decks had almost been torn in two! That had to be some powerful machine to rip a sealed deck of cards still in their box. It almost looked like someone had whacked at it with an axe. The other deck was unscathed. Fortunately the deck only cost five dollars and was not a rare deck. I didn't buy insurance either so I was out of luck. I hope any future ebay transactions you have turn out much better.

Raine	18 May 2004
That is really harsh! When I buy off line I usuly got to amazon.com for books and such. Check it out, type in tarot in the search field and lots comes up! Id'e say contact the people who work at ebay and report what happend to you!

yve	18 May 2004
The sticker that was on it, was it a customs sticker? Did you get it from a different country? Sometimes packages coming from out of country get opened randomly to inspect the contents. When customs does this, they then seal it back up and put a sticker on the outside to let you know they opened it....if it was opened by customs, it may be them you need to contact, they probably neglected to put the cards back in! It was just a thought....

ScarabFlight	18 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by yve The sticker that was on it, was it a customs sticker? Did you get it from a different country? Sometimes packages coming from out of country get opened randomly to inspect the contents. When customs does this, they then seal it back up and put a sticker on the outside to let you know they opened it....if it was opened by customs, it may be them you need to contact, they probably neglected to put the cards back in! It was just a thought.... Thanks for this idea, it would be nice except we are both in the US. The box had only been taped up once and it was taped when I received it so she must not have sealed it up properly. Xarokys- How horrible for you!! Finally getting the long awaited package and then having a dismembered deck fall out!! Gruesome. Does anyone have this deck? Would it be worthwhile to buy another one?

MeeWah	18 May 2004
ScarabFlight: So sorry to hear of your decidedly unpleasant experience, but apparent that the "received unsealed" sticker was placed by the person who removed the contents. With the increased security practiced within the U.S. & any other postal system, *any* parcel can ostensibly be subjected for examination, including opening. I had a similar experience with a parcel mailed from overseas. It arrived open, with all of its contents missing except for an empty deck box. It was not insured either, but reported it anyway to the postal authorities on the chance that they would be alerted to such incidents occurring as the route the parcel took could be noted. I was very fortunate that the sender is an exceptional person. He was horrified at what befell & went out of his way to replace the contents. That meant an additional expense for him by way of the contents & the postage. I suggest that ye consider only dealing with those who are willing to insure their items or offer to pay extra for insurance. The additional cost is based on the value of the contents & can be very nominal. Certainly worth the peace of mind. Btw: I have this deck & I absolutely love it!! I bought it based on its artwork. Though I have not seen all the Egyptian-themed decks available, it remains my favourite.

ScarabFlight	18 May 2004
Thanks MeeWah, A lesson well learned. Always buy from those that offer insurance! I was just so excited to finally find the deck and know that it was the book AND the cards. Sigh. I talked to the postal inspector and they said sometimes packages open in transit. Where did the tp come from? That's the shady bit. I'm glad you got a replacement! That is excellent. :) I'm really wary about buying things that need to be shipped now. I wonder if I would have the same problems with Amazon? Man, it wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't looking forward to getting this deck so much. lol

MeeWah	18 May 2004
ScarabFlight: Whilst true sometimes poorly wrapped or sealed parcels open in transit, the fact that the content was *substituted* indicates a deliberate act & an attempt to conceal it. Especially whence one considers who would have access to one's mail & the opportunity to tamper with same. If ye have not already left feedback for the seller, just for the record consider mentioning non-receipt of item & why; also see if eBay can also be notified for the same reasons. Amazon has an excellent record of customer service. In purchasing decks via Amazon, if ye access via deck links at Aeclectic Tarot's deck directory, the purchases benefit Aeclectic Tarot & help support the website. Tarot Garden is also an excellent reputable source of decks including the hard-to-find varieties. It offers personalized customer service.

ScarabFlight	18 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by MeeWah ScarabFlight: Whilst true sometimes poorly wrapped or sealed parcels open in transit, the fact that the content was *substituted* indicates a deliberate act & an attempt to conceal it. Especially whence one considers who would have access to one's mail & the opportunity to tamper with same. If ye have not already left feedback for the seller, just for the record consider mentioning non-receipt of item & why; also see if eBay can also be notified for the same reasons. Amazon has an excellent record of customer service. In purchasing decks via Amazon, if ye access via deck links at Aeclectic Tarot's deck directory, the purchases benefit Aeclectic Tarot & help support the website. Tarot Garden is also an excellent reputable source of decks including the hard-to-find varieties. It offers personalized customer service. Thank you! :)

ScarabFlight	19 May 2004
Everything is resoved. I still don't have the deck but at least my faith in ebay, if not the postal service, is restored.

firemaiden	19 May 2004
Why is everything resolved? We want details!

Jewel	19 May 2004
Sorry to hear this happened to you!!! The Ancient Egyptian is a beautiful deck. If you have a chance to get another copy do get it. If you end up with two, you can always sell or trade one here at Aeclectic. It is a pretty popular deck.

ScarabFlight	19 May 2004
Quote: Why is everything resolved? We want details! < > : Nothing all that exciting actually. She offered me money back since I couldn't enjoy the deck. It was actually very, very nice of her to do that for me. I guess I'll have to go out and get myself a copy of this deck. Uh, one that I don't have to have shipped. Maybe I'll just pay myself insurance so I get it home ok. lol

MeeWah	19 May 2004
ScarabFlight: Thanks for the update. So glad your experience has a most happy ending. & kudos to the seller!! The gesture of goodwill speaks volumes for the person.

Phoenix Rising	20 May 2004
Hi Scarab, my initial thought when I read your post was "to laugh" Something about the toilet paper and waah. I would of said sorry too like the others, but I still thought it was funny. But now that Ive read that she's giving your money back, well it wasn't that bad after all, you haven't really lost. Unusual that you couldn't have that deck. I know of a couple of people who had the "cartouche" Egyptian cards. One got burnt from the cards, and another woman saw something in the cards that scared her, and she didn't want to use them anymore. Only a handful seem to be able to use them. I had a set too once, but just couldn't connect.

ScarabFlight	20 May 2004
Thanks Phoenix, I'm glad someone found it amusing. I mean I did get a roll of toilet paper in the mail! Of course being in the tarot mind set I went through several possible meanings. None of them comforting. lol I'm still trying to get my hands on this deck. ;)

The A Bit Frustrated! thread was originally posted on 18 May 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.