[1250ships]

Late last week found on Ebay two hard to get Corgi bombers, the Coastal Command B-17 and the Strawberry Bitch B-24. Seller was fairly local and the models shipped on Friday and arrived today.

Now you know the reputation of these two aircraft. The B-17 was considered extremely tough. The B-24 lacked something in that department. And this seems to have carried over to the world of diecast. I opened the Strawberry Bitch box first and found this:




A quick check revealed the following damage:

1. Vertical stabilizer knocked off
2. Horizontal tailplane cracked
3. Props broken off on two engines
4. Props bent on other two engines
5. Forward guns bent or broken off
6. Pitot tubes bent, almost broken off

This does not look like the seller's fault. The package was properly packed. The plane seems to have shifted forward inside the Corgi box. I already have talked to the seller and they are arranging to have it picked up and my money returned. I asked if they had another one to send me but this was their last one. I'm willing to deal with minor problems but the tail is a major problem and she will never look right so back she goes.

With trepidation I opened the Coastal Command B-17 box. This was the model I really wanted and it is probably harder to come by. Much like its real world counterpart the plane had survived.






Perhaps I'll use the money I get back to pick up a Halifax. Or that Coastal Command Catalina which would look sharp next to the Fortress.....

[Hurriup!]

Too bad you got "bitch slapped" but at least you are being reimbursed for it though, makes me appreciate the fact mine arrived AOK but that is a beautiful B-17 you got there my friend and I am sure another Bitch will lurking around the corner

[smartd]

That is ugly. Good to hear you are getting money back.

[Shawn 507]

That sucks! I guess you could've turned it into the "Lady Be Good" in that condition. Sorry for the luck. NIce B-17, though not of interest to me.

[Kaptin_Kirk]

Sorry to hear that 1250ships that is very unfortunate.

[stalag8611]

Another reason to avoid E-Bay and the" I won" mentality that prevaids that site. Win what? Purchase a ticket at the local 7-11, and whammo, zammo, you've just WON!! No, you just just overbid on an item, have to deal with an unknown seller, and with any luck you won't get screwed over. I have only one regret: That I don't own a million shares in this Ponzi scheme. Caviat emptor.
\

[Cardinal]

Originally Posted by stalag8611

Another reason to avoid E-Bay and the" I won" mentality that prevaids that site. Win what? Purchase a ticket at the local 7-11, and whammo, zammo, you've just WON!! No, you just just overbid on an item, have to deal with an unknown seller, and with any luck you won't get screwed over. I have only one regret: That I don't own a million shares in this Ponzi scheme. Caviat emptor.
\

That's a little unfair Stalag8611 as I think that the general majority of eBay vendors are reputable - I've encountered a number who've showed a high level of integrity and are not out there to 'rip one off' but are just ordinary folk trying to make an honest living ...

(Stunning B17 1250ships . Congratulations on finding one!)

[Hornchurch]

Originally Posted by Cardinal

That's a little unfair Stalag8611 as I think that the general majority of eBay vendors are reputable - I've encountered a number who've showed a high level of integrity and are not out there to 'rip one off' but are just ordinary folk trying to make an honest living ...

(Stunning B17 1250ships . Congratulations on finding one!)

Totally in agreement with your remarks, Cardy

The bulk of my 'collection' came off of E-bay, including my Coastal-Command B.17

Must've had around 30-40 via E-bay, with NOT ONE COMPLAINT (thanks, Guardian Angel )
Bargains, one & all !!!!!!!!!!!!


1250, You've managed to make your '17 look even better than mine (mine's great, but the 'plastic' White-nose doesn't quite match the metal-body, in White-SHADE, the way your's does !!!!!!!)
Your pictures (as usual) are OUTSTANDING - thanks for sharing.......

So sorry to hear about your bad experience with that B.24 - great that the vendor is 'addressing' the problem

[dilligafocau]

Originally Posted by Cardinal

That's a little unfair Stalag8611 as I think that the general majority of eBay vendors are reputable - I've encountered a number who've showed a high level of integrity and are not out there to 'rip one off' but are just ordinary folk trying to make an honest living ...

(Stunning B17 1250ships . Congratulations on finding one!)

Agree 100% Cardinal, being 'downunder' 95% of my diecast purchases are made long distance 80% of these (probably 130 + models) were bought off of the bay. Ive had 4 packages go missing in the post, the seller in each case refunded or replaced the item.

The B24 1250ships received looks like the post office had drop kicked it 50 yards to cause that much damage, would have ended up in the same condition no matter where it was purchased

[1250ships]

Thanks for all the support. I can see why everyone likes Strawberry Bitch. Eventually I'll track another one down. The seller has been great and I'm sure I'll be taken care of here.

As for Ebay I think it has its place. If stalag8611 can point me to a good dealer with Strawberry Bitch in stock at a price near what I paid for this one I'm all ears. The problem is that both of these models are long out of stock here in the US except at Perry's. They want over $160 for Strawberry. I don't have a problem with them asking that price, rare model and all, but I also don't want to pay that much either!

I've got some great deals on Ebay this year and other than this bomber have had no problems with any of them. On the other hand a bought a Bucaneer from a well known online shop and it came with out some of the landing gear bits. Not their fault as it was clearly new in the box- Corgi screwed it up. But that is hardly a reason to stop shopping online.

The ideal solution is to buy from a local shop. I'd love to have a good shop near me. The only place with Corgis other than Tuesday Morning is a hobby shop who have a very stale selection at full retail prices. The next closest place is House of Hobbies in Burbank but that is 45 minutes away provided the traffic is friendly. I end up mail ordering from them as it saves me 2-3 hours of my day and is cheaper than what I'd spend on gas to get there.