Decline or accept upon receipt of damaged gear


I'd appreciate the forum's opinion...

I recently purchased a used amplifier from an online seller.  Payment was sent and the amplifier was shipped via common carrier.  Upon arrival, the package and amplifier inside was visibly damaged.  An inspection through the holes in the damaged box found no packing materials.  After taking photographs, was it more appropriate to decline or to accept the shipment before working with the seller for resolution?

allison2

 dweller

The best thing to do, while negotiating the sale, is to specify what will happen if package arrives obviously damaged.

Oh no, that's a terrible approach. It's the shipper's obligation to deliver the goods in the condition described in the terms of sale. If the goods arrived damaged, the shipment should be refused and all burden rests between the shipper and the carrier.

If the amplifier arrived in the original manufacturer’s shipping boxes (as advertised in the posting), I’d have accepted the delivery.