You had bought something from an online marketplace. You eagerly waited for delivery. And then when everything finally arrived… you noticed that the outside of the package is damaged.

At first, it didn’t seem like much. So, you went on to unbox everything. The next thing that seemed weird was the packing tape — it was peeled off already. As if someone had already unboxed it before you.

Ohh no! You have a bad gut feeling about this. The last thing you need is missing items. You keep digging through the package and what do you find? You find that your order has arrived incomplete. Some items from the parcel you were expecting are missing.

You are disappointed and do not know what to think. You ask yourself questions: ‘’What happened?, Who did this?, Why me?!’’ At this point, you just want to find answers and understand what to do next.

Well, lucky for you, this will be exactly what we’re going to talk about in this article.

Take Pictures Before Unboxing

I wouldn’t have done it a couple of years ago… but nowadays, today? I take a photo of every package I receive. Especially, before I start the unboxing process. I go around the box and I take shots at different angles. If there is any damage to the box, I zoom in on it with the camera and take a photo.

Anything that is unusual or weird is captured. This article may be useful to you, it tells you more about how to take pictures.

Before you say it’s weird or paranoid… remember that should you have a problem with the product’s inside, you’ll have facts to prove and win your case.

Unbox Your New Equipment

How long are you going to look at the box? You want to see what’s inside of it. Let’s get down to business and open it up.

To do it right you’ll need a paper-knife or a pair of scissors. Use it to cut the packaging tape that’s around the box. And just make sure you don’t make unnecessary cuts anywhere. This can not only ruin the look of the box but also damage the items inside.

The package has finally been opened.

Now you can take everything out of the box and put it in a prominent place. It could be anywhere safe, a desk, or lay it out on the floor. Just so you can see everything you’ve bought and check that everything that was supposed to arrive has arrived.

If you notice that something is missing, the first thing you need to do is contact the merchant.

Explain the situation; tell him or her that you’ve just received the equipment or whatever it is you have bought and that the kit is incomplete — the items that were supposed to be inside the box are NOT inside.

Know that It’s not uncommon for people to forget to add all the necessary things. There are various reasons for that, a good one is that perhaps they needed to process a lot of orders that day. And they overlooked yours in a hurry. It’s not a problem, it can easily be solved.

All you have to do is contact the seller.

Test Equipment

Alright, we’ve gotten somewhere. The pictures are taken, the goods are unpacked. The next thing to do is check that everything works as it should.

So, take the equipment, assemble it together and start using it on any of your projects. What you’re trying to find out is if the equipment has any problems. Don’t rush, take time for this step… sometimes the real problems reveal themselves after you have used the equipment for a while… and have put it under a load.

If you have done it and there are no problems — you’re in luck! On the other hand, if you have discovered a technical or visual problem or imperfection then you want to do something about it.

Again, there’s probably no better way to solve it than call the seller and explain the situation. Sure, it might take a while for you to get it fixed, but do you really have any other option?

It depends — maybe the problem isn’t that bad and you can fix it yourself. Simple things like cosmetic imperfections can be easily concealed. Some things can be glued together… but the solution (if there is any) depends on the problem itself.

Return Items Back To Where You Bought Them

If the problem can’t be solved from your end, you need to return the package. This means that everything needs to be packed back in the box, unfortunately.

And if the item was purchased from an online store, you should follow their rules on how to properly pack everything together and ship it out. Therefore I recommend reading their return policies.

This looks completely different if you’ve purchased the product from a private seller on the marketplace. As you can imagine, there are no such rules, policies, or guidelines in place that tell you what to do step-by-step. In most cases, return means you need to get in your car and meet with a seller to find a solution — replacement or refund — those are probably your two most likely options.

Conclusion

Who’s to blame in the end? Is it the salesman who has done something wrong… or… is it the courier who damaged the goods by accident? After all, someone should be responsible for what has happened. You need to find out who will it be!

With that said, I hope this article helps you understand what to do next time you receive a damaged package.