This will not help OP's case but if anyone reading this ever come across a case of damage, and especially in cases of concealed damage (e.g., box looks fine but contents is damaged), your first step is to call the delivering terminal immediately and ask to speak with someone in OS&D (short for Overages, Shortages & Damages). Their primary job is to take notes of your case and, if needed, advise you on what to do next. The faster you notify OS&D, the stronger your case will be when filing a claim. Get the person's name, email address (to send pics, verify things in writing, etc.), and keep notes of when you spoke to him or her.

Although this action is not nearly as good as signing the POD (proof of delivery or delivery receipt) with noted damages, notifying OS&D as soon as you can is truly the next best thing.

And never be afraid to sign the POD noting even the slightest scratches. These drivers are used to it. Some warehouses we work with will do just that to protect themselves from liability.

What drivers do hate is when you take too much of their time. But don't let that bother you and it's their problem, not yours. It's your money and your machine, so look over it carefully. Just don't go too crazy. For a small shipment like this, they normally allot around 20 minutes of free time. Plenty of time for you to inspect the packaging for forklift holes, any sign that the box was dropped, etc.

Lol so true. OT: Worst case for me is someone shipping 3 crates described as exhibition goods. So I'm thinking it's booth materials, pamphlets, swags, etc. Shipped them with a common LTL trucker. Delivered with forklift holes in 2 of the 3 crates (so common).

While gathering documents to file a claim on our client's behalf, I get a commercial invoice for $6,000,000 described as unique artwork!!! Unique artwork are considered prohibited goods by most common carriers. Claim denied completely for shipping prohibited goods and mis-declared freight.

There are specialized carriers for this type of stuff. Someone was just trying to save a few bucks.

Concealed damage is always a nightmare. If there's no outside sign of damage, the burden of proof is on us to demonstrate that the damage was caused due to mishandling by the carrier. Otherwise, they're going to deny the claim. The most common reasons I see are:

- Improper packaging suitable for transport.
- Insufficient packaging suitable for transport.

There is an inherent risk shipping a used pin because of all the mechanical parts. As long as the carrier did not outright drop the pin, put a forklift fork through it, or crush it by stacking something heavy on top, the carrier will deny liability for things that come loose or breaks in transit. More leeway is given to shipments from a known manufacturer shipped in original packaging, but not to one time shippers.

Cargo insurance is pretty much the same...is has to be established that damage was caused due to mishandling, and not through the normal course of transportation.

Personally, I would not ship a pin with a common carrier on standard service. No forklift is going anywhere near my pin. I'll pay the extra $ for white glove service with a trucker that will load/unload by hand. Otherwise, I'll buy locally.

Wow that is outstanding service!! If/when I decide to purchase an NIB, I'm going to reach out to you.

Hopefully you can get Estes to ship the damaged pin back to you under free astray. You can then inspect the damages and come up with a repair cost. A mitigated claim for the repairs is more likely to get paid than a claim for the full value. You won't be able to sell it as new but it's sure better than nothing.