# Do you return CDs you bought online if they have damaged cases?



## Selby

The title says it all.

Out of curiosity, do you return CDs you bough online if they have damaged cases?

The jewel case has a hairline fracture. The box a dent. Do you return them?

Am I crazy for expecting a "new" product to come undamaged?


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## brotagonist

I _always_ express my dissatisfaction, when a disc is not in the advertised condition, as _I_ would rate it (like new, very good being the only two I ever consider, and only if genuinely new is significantly more, hence out of my reach), and I demand either an exchange or a refund, if it is deficient.

However, considering that I do go to great pains to seek out the lowest seller, I have never complained about a cracked or broken case. Some of it is the fault of the post. I have quite a stack of spare 1-, 2- and 4-CD jewel cases that I long ago bought in advance, just in case they should become scarce some day. I suppose that, if I began to notice that a large number of purchases from one seller always arrived with damaged cases, then I might ask them about it.

A jewel case can easily be swapped; a box cannot. If the box has more than a little dent, I would likely consider it to be damaged and ask for a replacement. A little nick that occurs in transit is regrettable, but likely not worth raising hell over.

Now, if I had paid Amazon's price, I might feel differently  They typically charge 50-100% more than the sellers and they don't use the mail, but a parcel service.

I guess I'm saying that it all depends on the circumstance and severity.


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## ptr

I always let the seller know, most offer/send new jewel cases if broken and / or replacement if the disc is damaged. A customer should never be the victim to shoddy packaging, if the seller don't fess up I don't buy from them again!

Buying second hand I almost always ask the seller to disregard the jewel case when sending them to me!

/ptr


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## manyene

I can remember the complaints made when CDs first came out that manufacturers have opted for such fragile packaging, in comparison with DVDs. Like most things of course nothing happened. I have quite a supply of CD cases, single, double et cetera, and it doesn't require very much skill to replace a cracked case. I certainly wouldn't bother sending a CD back merely because the case was cracked-life is simply just too short.


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## Selby

manyene said:


> I can remember the complaints made when CDs first came out that manufacturers have opted for such fragile packaging, in comparison with DVDs. Like most things of course nothing happened. I have quite a supply of CD cases, single, double et cetera, and it doesn't require very much skill to replace a cracked case. I certainly wouldn't bother sending a CD back merely because the case was cracked-life is simply just too short.


To a great extant I agree with this, which I think is increasing my frustration. Amazon seller's clearly profit from shipping costs. I think they have come to rely on people not complaining or not wanting to be bothered with a return due to the case, because it is a huge inconvenience (printing, re-packaging, trip to the post); the skeptic in me believes that they do not care about sending damaged packages because the majority of people will not ask for a refund. So knowingly advertising and sending items not in "new" condition simply becomes "smart business": Either way they make money off of shipping and, say, 4 of 5 consumers won't complain. So frustrating.


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## manyene

Selby,
Customers always have one recourse of action against Amazon sellers who supply substandard items, and that is to give them an unfavourable review. Retailers don't like that sort of negative publicity, and I think in most cases this helps to keep them honest.


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## Vaneyes

Whether new or used at Amazon Marketplace, unless the damage is spelled out in the seller's initial description of the product, I feel they are responsible for any jewel case crack that happens in transit. The solution for those mishaps is for the seller to pack their product better. Most of them "get it".

I occasionally get a cracked jewel case, but not as many as I once did. On each of these occasions, I contact the seller and ask that they credit a dollar or pound on my account. I usually find that's acceptable to them.

When I do not receive a positive response, in Seller Feedback I give them the lowest one-star rating, and add that I will not be doing business with them again.

I can only assume that a similar stance by other buyers has helped transactions, because I find packing to be improved greatly from just a few years ago. It's eliminated a lot of the selling bozos. Once they get a low 90 percentile rating, their chances of selling drop considerably. The marketplace is just too competitive to allow uncaring practices.

Overall, I've found Amazon Marketplace to be an enjoyable experience. I might add, that I don't think I've ever received a cracked jewel case from exclusively new sellers like MDT, Presto, Crotchet, or exclusively close-out sellers like Berkshire Record Outlet. :tiphat:


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## brotagonist

Good point, Vaneyes. Perhaps I should also ask for a dollar for every damaged case. It really is their fault for not adequately packaging the order.



ptr said:


> I always let the seller know, most offer/send new jewel cases if broken and / or replacement if the disc is damaged. A customer should never be the victim to shoddy packaging, if the seller don't fess up I don't buy from them again!


I guess the reason I have been lax, even though it really does bug me, is because I buy from the lowest seller. It is quite likely that the price is so low because the case is smashed. Still, the seller should "fess up" and state that beforehand.


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## bigshot

Jewel cases suck. One of the worst design innovations of the modern age. I don't care at all about them. I usually throw them out and put my CDs in books.


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## StlukesguildOhio

bigshot said:


> Jewel cases suck. One of the worst design innovations of the modern age. I don't care at all about them. I usually throw them out and put my CDs in books.


I wholly agree. I far prefer the CDs that are packaged like old LPs. I'm slowly trying to package all my CDs in books or cases cross-referenced to my computer in order to easily find a given recording.


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## elgar's ghost

If I order a CD from a place many miles away I think there's always a sporting chance that the jewel case is going to get damaged in transit, especially if it's being dispatched from overseas where the package is likely to pass through more pairs of hands, but I can hardly blame the seller if he/she/they stated that the jewel case was undamaged to begin with and the item packed well enough (I'm even further disinclined to complain if the item cost relatively little, which is usually the case with my purchases). 

Taking into account how many discs I buy mail order over the course of a year I find the casualty rate is still reasonably low, and the evidence suggests to me that it's rarely the seller's fault.

I don't mind cracks in the case too much but it's bloody irritating when it's the little lugs that connect the two outer parts of the tray or the 'rose petals' which hold the disc(s) that get broken. Luckily I have quite a few spares left over from when I repackaged all of my rock CDs into thin plastic sleeves for storage reasons.


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## brotagonist

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I'm slowly trying to package all my CDs in books or cases cross-referenced to my computer in order to easily find a given recording.


I would like to know more about that. Are you using some sort of plastic sleeve that is designed for holding the cover art, booklet and disc(s)? How do you deal with albums that have numerous discs? I have read that plastic can damage discs, when used for storage, so only polypropylene sleeves should be used.

What's your system?


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## opus55

I bought some spare cases for those arrive with cosmetic issues - small cracks. I had a few cases where they were just shattered making the case not functional. I complained and they sent me new replacement cases - gave positive reviews for making it right! Buying used CDs online I cannot be picky. In the end I save too much money to complain for minor issues.


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## elgar's ghost

brotagonist said:


> I would like to know more about that. Are you using some sort of plastic sleeve that is designed for holding the cover art, booklet and disc(s)? How do you deal with albums that have numerous discs? I have read that plastic can damage discs, when used for storage, so only polypropylene sleeves should be used.
> 
> What's your system?


I'd certainly be interested to know of a slimmer alternative which could contain voluminous sleeve notes such as opera libretti - I just can't picture anything in my mind's eye, so maybe the thicker booklets in St. Luke's collection are simply kept somewhere separate to the discs themselves (unless he scanned them onto a PC file, possibly?).

When forced to repackage most of my rock CDs I retained the front inner and the rear liner and tucked the CD(s) in between them before pushing the whole thing into a plastic sleeve so that the discs themselves are only in contact with paper or thin card - obviously this means that the original spine can't be read so even when stacked alphabetically on shelves there's still a certain amount of fumbling around that has to be done in order to find the one I want. Saved me a heck of a lot of shelf space, though, so it's worth this minor irritation.


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## Guest

Most of the time it's the post office's fault that the case is cracked, so requesting a new one is no guarantee that it too won't be damaged. I'm an Amazon seller, and I always note small cracks in the jewel case in the Condition section. Sometimes I'll swap a new front jewel case but not the back or an SACD--both are too hard to work with! I'm often puzzled that the "teeth" that hold the CD in place are broken when there is no obvious damage to the case. Cardboard box sets are not immune to damage, either. A few days ago I received a 10-disc set. The mailing envelope was torn open and a large chunk of the box's front edge was torn off. Still, I didn't blame the seller. Oh, I suppose Import CDs could use more rugged mailers than their standard corrugated envelopes, but it's still not truly their fault.


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## brotagonist

Kontrapunctus said:


> A few days ago I received a 10-disc set. The mailing envelope was torn open and a large chunk of the box's front edge was torn off.


I tend to agree with many that, since one pays such great prices, it is not worth being too difficult about a little defect such as a minor dent or crack in the plastic; and I also agree that perhaps I should be more assertive when orders are damaged in transit, due to inadequate packaging, but... that is more than I would stand for.


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## SixFootScowl

I will contact the seller and frequently will get some compensation, a couple dollars put back on my PayPal, or something like that. In one case the wrong CD was send and the seller gave me a full refund and said to dispose of the CD in whatever way I would like. I sold it to the local music store for $3.


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## Vaneyes

I like jewel cases. It adds protection for the CD. As well, it makes the spine easy to read for selecting off the shelf. It's a win-win AFAIC.


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## SixFootScowl

Vaneyes said:


> I like jewel cases. It adds protection for the CD. As well, it makes the spine easy to read for selecting off the shelf. It's a win-win AFAIC.


Yes jewel cases stack and store conveniently, but they are cheesy in that they are so fragile. And since I come from the days of vinyl, I always loved the big cardboard covers. So I therefore find the cardboard CD packaging, such as Digipak and others, nicer. And for multi-CD sets I do love the boxes with individually sleeved discs inside, just like the multi-LP sets of the old days. If only they could make better jewel cases--polycarbonate perhaps? Nah, too expensive.


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## padraic

As long as the actual CD has no issues, the condition of the jewel case is of no importance to me, as it just gets tossed eventually and the CD ends up in a sleeve, after getting ripped and stored on the music server.


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## techniquest

> ...And for multi-CD sets I do love the boxes with individually sleeved discs inside, just like the multi-LP sets of the old days....


I've been looking for blank boxes that I can use to store CD's in individual sleeves as quoted above, but the only thing I can find are 'gift boxes' which are designed for packaging CD's in the jewel cases and are usually of gaudy design. Anyone know where I can get plain blank CD boxes of the type that is used for CD box sets?


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## KenOC

I bought my last pack of half-height plain blank CD jewel cases at Staples.


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## SixFootScowl

techniquest said:


> I've been looking for blank boxes that I can use to store CD's in individual sleeves as quoted above, but the only thing I can find are 'gift boxes' which are designed for packaging CD's in the jewel cases and are usually of gaudy design. Anyone know where I can get plain blank CD boxes of the type that is used for CD box sets?


Yes, if anyone knows where one can get cardboard boxes to hold CDS (such as some CD sets come in) I also would like to buy some.


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## Boothvoice

Kontrapunctus said:


> Most of the time it's the post office's fault that the case is cracked, so requesting a new one is no guarantee that it too won't be damaged. I'm an Amazon seller, and I always note small cracks in the jewel case in the Condition section. Sometimes I'll swap a new front jewel case but not the back or an SACD--both are too hard to work with! I'm often puzzled that the "teeth" that hold the CD in place are broken when there is no obvious damage to the case. Cardboard box sets are not immune to damage, either. A few days ago I received a 10-disc set. The mailing envelope was torn open and a large chunk of the box's front edge was torn off. Still, I didn't blame the seller. Oh, I suppose Import CDs could use more rugged mailers than their standard corrugated envelopes, but it's still not truly their fault.


Almost all the CDs I've ordered from import CDs have arrived with cracked cases.


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## Guest

I have much the same experience but when a cd is damaged I contact the seller and I get a refund .Sometimes the labelside is damaged by foam .I do not like it but if it is nog too bad I accept it.


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## Triplets

I burn new CDs to hard drive and then dispose of them, so a few cracks in the Jewell case are tolerable, unless it is an SACD.


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## Pugg

As long it's only the Jewel case I am not very bothered.
I only had once a scratched CD, suppose to be new, they refund it an I could throw it away.
Bought another one , problem solved .:tiphat:


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## billeames

I get bothered when an expensive cd set ($250) arrives damaged, albeit only in a corner. CD's and booklets undamaged. I suppose that should not be a big deal, its just that it cost a lot, and the cardboard box is specific to that set. thanks.


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## SixFootScowl

I can picture a CD in a jewel case, with reasonable packaging, bubble wrap envelope, being smashed by a large box that is tossed on top of it. I picture all kinds of such abuses happening in the postal sorting and transport.


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## Pugg

billeames said:


> I get bothered when an expensive cd set ($250) arrives damaged, albeit only in a corner. CD's and booklets undamaged. I suppose that should not be a big deal, its just that it cost a lot, and the cardboard box is specific to that set. thanks.


Send it back they send you another one, if not a very bad supplier , welcome by the way:tiphat:


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## SixFootScowl

I bought two complete Mahler symphony sets last year (one for me and one for my son). In both cases, they were not as described and I complained. The one seller gave me a full refund and let me keep the set. The other seller gave me a $20 refund even though the cost shipped was only $16 and then, get this, they never even bothered to collect the original payment of $16 off of Paypal so after so long (month or two, can't remember) that reverted back to me also. Essentially I was paid $20 to take the set and got the other set for free.

I just got $5.40 (20%) refund on the "very good" Levine Ring I just bought because the clamshell box was partly crushed and had creased on the hinge and on one of the side flaps.


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## Klassik

I'm not too picky if the jewel cases just have a minor crack in them. The CDs I order from Barnes & Noble generally arrive without damage. I did order some CDs from somewhere else some months back where the retailer contracted with Alliance Entertainment to distribute the CDs. I don't know why, but they mailed each CD in a cardboard type envelope and pretty much every CD arrived with jewel case damage. I probably won't order from them again, but I did not exchange the CDs.

The oddest form of damage is when the clear parts of the jewel case are in fine shape, but the teeth on the spindle hub where the disc lies has the teeth broken off. Again, I wouldn't really complain about that as long as the disc still fits on the hub tightly enough not to cause damage to the disc. Jewel cases are cheap enough that I can always get a new jewel case for the CDs. That said, regular size jewel cases are starting to become hard to find and I'm leery of ordering them online as I hear that they often arrive damaged even more so than music CDs. Do any chain B&M stores in the US still sell empty jewel cases?


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## SixFootScowl

Klassik said:


> *The oddest form of damage is when the clear parts of the jewel case are in fine shape, but the teeth on the spindle hub where the disc lies has the teeth broken off.* Again, I wouldn't really complain about that as long as the disc still fits on the hub tightly enough not to cause damage to the disc. Jewel cases are cheap enough that I can always get a new jewel case for the CDs. That said, regular size jewel cases are starting to become hard to find and I'm leery of ordering them online as I hear that they often arrive damaged even more so than music CDs. Do any chain B&M stores in the US still sell empty jewel cases?


I have received sets with the inner hub teeth broken off and have wondered if a edgewise impact could have done that, but would think it would also have had to crack the jewel case, which sometimes also is the case.

I can get empty jewel cases of many sizes and capacities at Dearborn Music, and so am able to inspect them on the spot before buying them. I also get a lot of single disk jewel cases when people clean out there work space at the office and toss handfulls of old data CDs and old program CDs etc.


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## NorthernHarrier

Selby said:


> The title says it all.
> 
> Out of curiosity, do you return CDs you bough online if they have damaged cases?
> 
> The jewel case has a hairline fracture. The box a dent. Do you return them?
> 
> Am I crazy for expecting a "new" product to come undamaged?


No, you are NOT crazy to expect a new product to arrive in new condition. This is a problem I've dealt with for as long as I can remember with Amazon. I have usually returned the disc, but occasionally I keep a disc if the crack in the case is small and I don't have the time or energy to go through the return process.

I recently ordered a bunch of CD's at once from Amazon, to try to force them to put the CD's in a box, rather than just a padded envelope. My reasoning was than, if the order was large enough, they would need to put the CD's in a box. I don't know if the strategy worked, because the package is late in arriving. I will have to call Amazon now and demand a refund of my shipping cost, as I paid for delivery within 3-5 work days. I am sick of items arriving damaged, and also sick of paying for shipping services I do not get.


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## TurnaboutVox

My main source of new CD is Presto, whose deliveries come well bubble-wrapped inside a strong cardboard box. I've never had any damaged cases or discs from this source.

Second hand discs on the other hand not infrequently come with cracked jewel cases or teeth missing from the disc tray spindle. I guess that's acceptable - and cases are easily enough replaced - but I also wish that sellers would state damage up front.

The worst service I received was from a major UK charity CD shop where the disc was unplayable due to bronzing and the initial response was - not our responsibility. A quick email to point out the provisions of the UK Sale of Goods act sorted that out. Needless to say I haven't been back.


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## premont

Out of curiosity, do you return CDs you bough online if they have damaged cases?

No, if this is the case I put them into another case.


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## JAS

Jewel cases can be replaced, and I have made a point to purchase spares of various sizes. But a good number of CDs now come in specialty cases that cannot be replaced. (For one such CD, where no replacement of the CD or case could be found, I cut up the cardboard and made it work for a standard jewel case.)


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## premont

JAS said:


> Jewel cases can be replaced, and I have made a point to purchase spares of various sizes. But a good number of CDs now come in specialty cases that cannot be replaced. (For one such CD, where no replacement of the CD or case could be found, I cut up the cardboard and made it work for a standard jewel case.)


This is what I also do.


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