Give your feedback on buyers/sellers

[Chopcat 3]

Top thumbs up to Trimix125 for looking after a newbie and getting my first strobes to me safe and sound.

 

I'm really looking forward to giving them a try very soon here with the TG5 and 3D printed trigger

 

cheers Wolfgang

 

and if anyone has an EM5 mkii housing going do drop me a message.

 

Trevor

 

 

Edited December 11, 2018 by Chopcat

[trimix125 73]

Hi Trevor,
thanks a lot for dealing with you! Quick payment, good communication, that makes it easy.
Was a pleasure!
All the best for your next under water sessions.

Kind regards,
Wolfgang

[Architeuthis 192]

I have purchased a Nauticam NA-EM1II housing from AForns and can only recommend this seller. 100% positive...

 

Wolfgang

[trimix125 73]

Hi,
got the bought snoot from PHOTEC yesterday.
Well packed and a personally signed book written from him as ad on!
Thanks a lot!
Kind regards,
Wolfgang

[HCIdiver 1]

Big thanks to fatky90 for a smooth transaction. The housing was perfect, exactly as described and im delighted.

Good comms throughout! Thanks

[fatky90 4]

Yes, HCIdiver was easy to sell too, glad housing went to a good home!

[Quinn 7]

Purchased a 80D Nauticam housing from Underwaterguy/ Steve. Item came well packed, exactly as described, good communication. All in all very smooth transaction.Would recommend, this seller. 100%

[raphaelgatti 6]

I would like to thank Nikolas, @niko1967 for the smooth transaction on a Aquatica 9.25" dome

https://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?/topic/57880-new-aquatica-mega-dome-925/&tab=comments#comment-374478

[Tom_Kline 143]

I bought a Seacam Pro VF from Ian Marsh from this ad:

This was an excellent transaction. Great communication. The VF arrived very promptly and well packed. I would buy from Ian again.

Thank you Ian!

Tom

[Cerianthus 55]

Bought an uwcamerastuff mini dome (for ikelite) from String. Everything went smoothly. I dont even think the scratches were as bad as mentioned.

 

Edited September 6, 2019 by Cerianthus

[hyp 115]

Bought a 77mm Nauticam Flip adapter from Tursiops. Very smooth transaction and very quick shipping.

[Drwatson 3]

I purchased a snoot from Kevin57 and he was awesome to work with!! I have the snoot, and now am waiting on new batteries to try it out!! Fabulous communication and fast shipping!

Thank you!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lowjack8 0]

I Bought a Nauticam D850 housing from Mr. Grouper. Housing shipped by the Canadian shipper: Purolator. Had to pay unexpected $150 brokerage fee to receive package. 
 

On receipt, box was tattered and torn and barely fit around the housing. Right Housing handle snapped and left handle bracket bent. There were a few Token peanuts inside but no room between housing and box for sufficient padding. 

I contacted mr. Grouper and he offered a “too bad, so sad” response. I am now working through Purolator to make it right, without help from Mr. Grouper. 

The  packaging was inadequate and slopped together for such an intricate and expensive item. I would not buy again from Mr. Grouper.  
 

[Mr. Grouper 5]

18 hours ago, Lowjack8 said:

I Bought a Nauticam D850 housing from Mr. Grouper. Housing shipped by the Canadian shipper: Purolator. Had to pay unexpected $150 brokerage fee to receive package. 
 

On receipt, box was tattered and torn and barely fit around the housing. Right Housing handle snapped and left handle bracket bent. There were a few Token peanuts inside but no room between housing and box for sufficient padding. 

I contacted mr. Grouper and he offered a “too bad, so sad” response. I am now working through Purolator to make it right, without help from Mr. Grouper. 

The  packaging was inadequate and slopped together for such an intricate and expensive item. I would not buy again from Mr. Grouper.  
 

 Hi Lowjack8, considering that you have decided to use this section of the forum to discuss the outcome of our previous transaction, I wanted to point out to you that I never offered you a "too bad" response, and you can for yourself if you carefully read my replies to your messages, but I did state that I was sad to hear that you were disappointed about the outcome and I truly am.

 I consider it unfair that you have decided to blame me for extra charges on Brokerage fees. I thought you knew this was a possibility, as a matter of fact, I always  get charged for Customs and Border fees when I order products from another country. When you sent me the payment via Pay Pal you were short on the agreed upon amounted I didn't make a fuss about it, I hope it helped a bit to cover your Broker Fees.

 After you asked me for a shipping estimate I visited a few of the Carrier Companies in my area. Canada Post didn't offer the option to insure the housing for the full amount, that's why I decided to use Purolator in order to protect the both of us and you explicitly agreed to this decision. 

 I took the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the housing,  I carefully wrapped it several times with a thick heavy  bubble wrap and added a generous amount of wrapping peanuts  covering all sides and surrounding the housing in a box large enough to accommodate the housing. Several days after the housing was shipped I received a call from the Customs Office and I was told that they had attempted to reach you several times over the phone  without success in order to get some information they needed from you in order to continue with the shipment. That was when I had to contact you directly to let you know that the housing was being held at the Customs office. You also complained in the e-mail you sent me about the shipping taking longer that what you expected, well, that's your answer right there, and it would be unfair to put that blame on me. It may be the case that the package was open while being withheld at the Custom office and that it wasn't  packed back as carefully as I did and it is also unfair to be blame for that as well.  I am notoriously meticulous in my packaging of items.

 WetPixel is a platform that has given me the opportunity to learn, interact and be part of the underwater photographers community and I'm very thankful for it, I conduct myself with respect and integrity, and I'm always transparent and very diligent when involved in a transaction with another member. I always felt that this site is full of members willing to help each other in every aspect involving underwater photography and I'm deeply hurt by the fact that you believe I intended to be dishonest, or that my goal was to take advantage of you. It truly was not.

 

 

 

 

[mwalker_mw 4]

Some random background that might be helpful (since I deal with this for my business from time to time):

- Avoid Purolator unless you're actively seeking an insurance claim.  (Yes, I had stuff on that truck)

- Purolator is often the cheapest quote in Canada and is somewhat infamous for terrible service and unreliable delivery.  Drivers fraudulently signing for undelivered packages, deliveries to wrong addresses and delivery of only part of multi-box shipments are all par for the course.  I know of a number of organizations that have dumped Purolator realizing the cost savings were not worth the risk.

(Fedex, UPS, DHL aren't perfect - but their error rates are way lower in my experience.  And that of every other business I talk to.)

- Purolator to the US is also a particularly bad idea as they don't operate in the US.  I believe it gets handed off to UPS for delivery.

- Purolator is owned by Canada Post and and performance is about what one can expect from a government owned and heavily unionized organization.  Employee accountability = 0.

If you are selling or buying from Canada I strongly recommend specifying in the agreement: no Purolator. 

 

That being said, sounds like there was insurance so not sure what buyer is complaining about.  

Similarly, brokerage/duties/taxes are a matter of course for any cross border transaction and, unless agreed otherwise, are typically the responsibility of the importer.  Seems like research was not done by the buyer. 

For small, high-value items it is sometimes cheaper to do expedited shipping with the prep fees included when operating as an individual (i.e. you don't have your own broker).  This also can expedite the clearance process.  However it is critical that the shipper makes sure all the paperwork is filled correctly (especially the commercial invoice) - for a $3000 housing with a declared value (for insurance) they are almost certainly going to be curious.  I like Fedex's website as it guides you through all this fairly well and I seem to have minimal issues.

(the fees going into the US are substantially less draconian than those for buying into Canada from the US as the exemption into Canada is much lower than the exemption into the US)

Anyways, some random bits of info that might be helpful to someone in the future....

Edited October 26, 2019 by mwalker_mw

[Mr. Grouper 5]

37 minutes ago, mwalker_mw said:

Some random background that might be helpful (since I deal with this for my business from time to time):

- Avoid Purolator unless you're actively seeking an insurance claim.  (Yes, I had stuff on that truck)

- Purolator is often the cheapest quote in Canada and is somewhat infamous for terrible service and unreliable delivery.  Drivers fraudulently signing for undelivered packages, deliveries to wrong addresses and delivery of only part of multi-box shipments are all par for the course.  I know of a number of organizations that have dumped Purolator realizing the cost savings were not worth the risk.

(Fedex, UPS, DHL aren't perfect - but their error rates are way lower in my experience.  And that of every other business I talk to.)

- Purolator to the US is also a particularly bad idea as they don't operate in the US.  I believe it gets handed off to UPS for delivery.

- Purolator is owned by Canada Post and and performance is about what one can expect from a government owned and heavily unionized organization.  Employee accountability = 0.

If you are selling or buying from Canada I strongly recommend specifying in the agreement: no Purolator. 

 

That being said, sounds like there was insurance so not sure what buyer is complaining about.  

Similarly, brokerage/duties/taxes are a matter of course for any cross border transaction and, unless agreed otherwise, are typically the responsibility of the importer.  Seems like research was not done by the buyer. 

For small, high-value items it is sometimes cheaper to do expedited shipping with the prep fees included when operating as an individual (i.e. you don't have your own broker).  This also can expedite the clearance process.  However it is critical that the shipper makes sure all the paperwork is filled correctly (especially the commercial invoice) - for a $3000 housing with a declared value (for insurance) they are almost certainly going to be curious.  I like Fedex's website as it guides you through all this fairly well and I seem to have minimal issues.

(the fees going into the US are substantially less draconian than those for buying into Canada from the US as the exemption into Canada is much lower than the exemption into the US)

Anyways, some random bits of info that might be helpful to someone in the future....

Thanks for this valuable information walker_mw, I had previously  used  Canada Post and never had any trouble with them, but they don't offer insurance cover for amounts over $500 CAD unless you hold a small business account which I don't, that being the reason why I used Purolator, they offered full insurance for the total value of the housing and at the time that seemed to be the safest way to go for the two parties involved in the transaction. I will take your advise and avoid the services of Purolator in the future.

Cheers!

 

[ianmarsh 38]

So, my 2 cents worth

I purchased some of Mr Grouper's gear. Straightforward, honest, no problemo. 

Package arrived 5 days later via Canada Post, well packaged, with absolutely no issues. The rear cap for the port had been overlooked, and he happily sent this out at his expense.

Nothing but positives with respect to this seller.

I feel for Lowjack 8, but there is always some risk with shipping, especially when it crosses borders. It really sucks to have to pay taxes and brokerage fees, especially on used items, but that is the reality.

ian

[Lowjack8 0]

Regarding the Nauticam D850 sent from Mr. Grouper.  I've had several trouble free transactions on Wetpixel, including receiving a WACP from Australia.  There is no universe where this box (pictured) is adequate packaging for such an intricate and complex piece of equipment.  Everyone has a bad day but I won't tolerate being gaslighted.

 

[mwalker_mw 4]

My view/experience is packing peanuts in general are only useful for protecting boxes from other boxes and should never be used directly on an item.  That being said, I get all sorts of electronics factory packaged with nothing more than a box and a wrap or two of thin bubble wrap or foam and generally no issues.  With the right balance of mass and density it is amazing what works for packaging.  That box should have been (barely) enough with the right materials, though, perhaps on the small side of what would be a 'good idea'. 

I think it's safe to say that nothing is going to protect something from that level of abuse.  Fork lift fork penetrations punching thorough multiple boxes, $100,000 pallets of electronics rolled off the back of a trailer - that is normal for the shipping industry.  That's what the insurance is for (and why it is priced as ridiculously as it is). 

It does look like the core bits are in recoverable shape.  Chase the full amount from the insurance claim, get it fully serviced by Nauticam and hopefully come out well ahead on costs for your troubles.

You got screwed - but it was 90% by the shipping industry and the ridiculous liability limitations they are allowed to enjoy.  Go after them aggressively and I hope you can come out ahead in the end.  You might find shipper needs to do some of the legwork to get the claim processed.  

 

 

Edited October 26, 2019 by mwalker_mw

[Mr. Grouper 5]

On 10/26/2019 at 5:55 PM, Lowjack8 said:

Regarding the Nauticam D850 sent from Mr. Grouper.  I've had several trouble free transactions on Wetpixel, including receiving a WACP from Australia.  There is no universe where this box (pictured) is adequate packaging for such an intricate and complex piece of equipment.  Everyone has a bad day but I won't tolerate being gaslighted.

 

Yup..That looks really bad, you definitely need a new Nauticam right handle. In my opinion you have already made your point , you are obviously not at fault for what happened. This is the  way I see it, you can either keep acting like I don't care about this whole fiasco or we can work together and find a solution in a civilized way. You have my personal information and I'd rather don't use this section of the forum for any further communication.

Peace..

[Samir.singh 0]

BIG Thanks to @mjmoreno. I would rate him as an awesome seller. Purchased a pair of INON strobes some time back. Items were as described and packed very well for transportation. Seller responded diligently to each of the questions with more than adequate information. All requests were obliged  and he even made me a video HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.  

 

[Tutup 0]

I wanted to thank JMartel for a very smooth transaction (Sea&Sea YS D2J). Item was described accurately and very good communication. The items were packed very well for transportation and he even put some extras in the box. I would buy from him without hesitation again. Excellent seller - highly recommended. 

Thanks and thumbs up!

[GWNDWN 1]

I purchased a Nikkor 16-35mm lens from Mr. Grouper.   Transaction was smooth and shipping was quick.   Package arrived a day early and lens was well packed.  I would purchase from again as well as recommend Mr. Grouper.

Thanks Again

[Humu797 21]

Reef aka Jay and I just completed a perfectly seamless sale of two M43 housings, two camera bodies, three ports and bits. I paid the PayPal fee and we split shipping. 

[sharky1145 0]

I bought a housing for my Olympus from Mr Longimanus1975.

We had good communication, he. After he received the money, he send quickly the housing.

It was very well packed, and in good condition as he showed me in a video before sending the package.

Thanks you Longimanus1975.


Alex

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