A story about a can arriving from overseas that was all dented

Energy Drinks Delivered from Overseas Arrived in a Horrible Condition

Recently, a package containing rare cans only arrived, re-packaged by the international postal office. The moment I held the box, I could feel the cans moving around inside, and I was certain that this was going to be a disaster.

When I opened the repackaged cardboard box, I found that inside, a thin USPS briefcase-like box was wet, and it contained more than 10 cans. At this point, I knew it was over.

One of the Wingslide cans inside was completely crushed, and its contents spilled out. It seems that the pressure from the cans clashing together or something heavy being placed on top caused the Wingslide—being weaker than a pull tab—to break.

Other cans were severely dented, and it left me feeling really disappointed, though I had suspected this might happen from the start.

The Issue Was Apparent from the Beginning

This time, it wasn't a typical exchange between friends, but rather a purchase from someone I happened to find.

Even though I clearly told the seller to wrap each can in bubble wrap and securely pack the rest for safety, it arrived exposed. After receiving it, the seller claimed, "I put a towel in there, so it should have been fine; I packed it safely." However, the towel emitted an awful odor, and I had to soak and clean all the cans with disinfectant (ヽ´ω`).

During our earlier communication, I had mentioned things that a serious collector would know, but it didn’t seem to get through. At that moment, I began to worry, thinking, "This might be a mistake." While the terminology may not be widely known in Japan, anyone who owns rare cans overseas should know these things...

When I asked about pricing, the seller, who claimed to be a collector, set overpriced prices for regular cans and mispriced the rare cans too (^_^;). It became clear that they weren't actually a collector but just someone collecting things.

"I’m a collector, so I’m confident in my pricing! It’s definitely accurate!" they claimed, but the prices were all over the place.

Paypal and Japan Post's Interaction

I didn’t pay thousands of yen to buy damaged goods, so I started a refund process. However, the seller insisted they weren’t at fault, and it became impossible to resolve, so I had to escalate to Paypal. At the same time, I contacted the post office regarding the damage, and the procedure for dealing with the breakage was completed.

Afterward, I received multiple unjustified charges from the seller via Paypal, along with racist remarks and other emails... I really ended up dealing with one of those crazies (ヽ´ω`).

Paypal, which was trying to mediate, seemed to be bewildered by the seller's irrational response and is now considering imposing some penalties to prevent future issues for others.

The product was damaged due to poor packaging, and I don't think USPS, the freight carriers, or Japan Post were at fault. I conveyed this to both Paypal and Japan Post. For international shipments, it’s crucial to package items properly, and the sender must take responsibility for ensuring that the contents are delivered safely.

Sending Items Abroad Is Completely Different from Domestic Mail

By the way, for items like cans, using cardboard or envelopes is strictly forbidden when sending overseas.

If you're dealing with a reasonable person, they’d typically fill a box with a lot of foam packing peanuts, then securely wrap the cans in bubble wrap and bury them inside, or use air cushions to fill the gaps between cans and the box. When Drin-kun sends items, I even add extra cardboard inside the box in a grid pattern (like bottle packaging) to reinforce the box and ensure it doesn’t collapse under pressure. Sometimes, I know friends who use hard foam boxes inside cardboard boxes to prevent destruction while keeping the weight down. That level of care is becoming the standard in the collector’s world. (It’s common courtesy, so no one should charge a packing fee for this kind of thorough packing.)

I understand that shipping costs vary by weight, and people may want to save on postage, but everyone—whether they’re collectors or not—wants to receive their items in perfect condition. Even if the shipping costs more, it’s worth it to ensure the recipient gets the item in great condition.

In this case, however, there was no consideration for that, which made the whole situation worse.

Things Escalated to Threats and Stalking

Unfortunately, the seller, while trying to avoid responsibility, resorted to harassment, unjustified charges, and even threats, making it a truly exhausting experience for me. This was the first time I’ve dealt with someone like this (；´∀｀).

I doubt many people behave like this, though. Just a heads-up.

In any case, it’s clear that personal transactions should be avoided whenever possible, especially when dealing with someone who doesn't know how to handle international shipping or the condition of cans.

Know the Risks When Buying Overseas

In general, Drin-kun doesn't buy from random friends in America. It’s hard to bring up damage issues if something arrives broken, and I also feel bad asking someone to package items carefully.

Even with tracking numbers, items can still get lost, and shipping can sometimes take over a month, so it’s important to be aware of that too.

Normally, I don’t make purchases like this from random people, but this time I happened to find some rare cans and decided to take a gamble—and unfortunately, I lost that bet (^_^;).