Saturday, August 10, 2013

A Moment of Silence

Corningware is tough as nails, but it's still not impervious to misuse or mishandling.

It all started on eBay.....

Normally, I do not buy Corningware pieces on eBay.  They tend to be heavy, so the shipping cost becomes a big factor.  I could not resist the 4 quart Saucepan (P-84-B) in Wheat for only 7 dollars, however.  Even though the shipping was a little bit on the steep side, I still couldn't help myself...  I kind of loose my head when Wheat is involved. 

I was doing research for a piece that *I* was listing....  A 1 Quart Saucemaker in the Wheat pattern, that was when I saw it.  A beautiful 4 quart P(W) series Saucepot (fairly uncommon to begin with) and in my favorite pattern...   It was SO inexpensive that I didn't even care that it came with an "A" series lid (which is totally wrong). Usually the prices on Wheat pieces are insanely high, to the point of stupidity...   Wheat is fairly Uncommon, but not Rare enough to warrant some of the pricing I see on pieces.  It's not like it's Renaissance, Nature's Bounty, Avocado Medallion or Platinum Filigree.  Sheesh!

Anyway, I placed the low bid, because I just could not pass up a 7 dollar bargain when other pieces, like the 4 quart Dutch oven, are being listed for 59 bucks (which is a perfect example of stupid expensive).  I was sure that I was going to be outbid, in fact, I expected to be outbid, but I had to place a bid on it anyway, just to see if the piece would slip through unnoticed by any other Wheat lovers.

Well, I ended up winning it.  I was so excited I could hardly contain myself... The anticipation was KILLING me!

It arrived today.......
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(The following pictures are extremely graphic, viewer discretion is advised)

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 1 sheet of bubble wrap, WAY to big of a box and only a small scattering of Styrofoam peanuts...

With the lid simply laid on top.  I would not even call it "Packed", just sort of haphazardly tossed in a box with a mailing label.  I do not know what this person was thinking.  NOTHING would remain in one piece when packed like this.  As strong as Corningware is, it cannot survive being bounced, jostled and smacked around inside a large box with NO padding, experiencing continued impacts with a lid and survive.

Sadly, this Wheat piece's life was cut WAY too short by Criminal Negligence.  I mean, this is 2nd degree Corningware-ocide!

And though it may sound a little weird, (I have been called worse things over the years) I went ahead and cleaned up all the pieces, removing the gray marks and brown stains....   so it looked pristine a beautiful,

before laying it to rest.  That way the Angels will have a clean piece of Corningware to use.  :-(



(sigh)  I would like to take a moment of silence at this point.



































Please do not let this W-84-B's tragic demise be in vain.  PLEASE, pack your Corning Ware well before shipping.  Bubble wrap around the piece and Styrofoam peanuts to fill the box...  A well padded box is a happy box and a safe piece of Corning Ware.  When things move around unrestrained during shipping, they get broke.  It's simple physics.  And let's face it, neither the Post Office nor UPS are known for their gentle handling of packages.  Even if marked as Fragile....  I'm just sayin'

That's two pieces broken for me now. (I lost a 10 inch Gourmet Skillet back in 2008 - I received a box of glass shards, because it had no padding) In both cases, the Sellers were more than willing to refund the money, which is always a satisfactory outcome in these situations, but I will probably never find another 4 quart Sauce pot in Wheat for THAT price ever again.  Total bummer.  (I have never found another 10 inch Gourmet Skillet either)

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me... I will NEVER buy another piece on eBay again.

Where is your Corning Ware?? (This piece is in Heaven)
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5 comments:

  1. Oh Shane, what a disappointment. I hope you are able to know the joys of finding this piece (in one piece) at a great price again.

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  2. I see this all the time with the Pyrex blogs I follow. I don't get it - what are people thinking when they ship like this? Anytime I ship something out I wrap and package obsessively. It's just common sense...

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  3. Oh Shane, it hurts my heart to see Corning Ware meet such a sad demise. Poor packaging is such a shame. I ordered something from craigslist once and I was so thankful that the seller was considerate enough to wrap and wrap and wrap again.

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  4. I do sell Corning Ware on eBay, and I have never had anything get broken on the way to it's intended destination. My secret is a technique I like to call 'box-in-a-box'. I bubble wrap the lid, place it upside down on the pan, bubble wrap the whole thing, and then tape around the whole thing so that the pieces cannot move in relation to one another. Then they go in a box with about 1" space on each side. The box is lined on the bottom with crumpled newspaper, then the piece goes in, then packed around the sides and over the top, before the box is closed and taped. Then I get a larger box, line the bottom with crumpled newspaper, place the first box in the middle, and then pad with crumpled newspaper around sides and top. I use enough newspaper that nothing can move or shift, and I make sure that the lid and pan cannot move in relation to each other. If the outer box is breached or impacted, the inner box is at least 1" away from it on all sides, and the impact has to be quite significant to breach the inner box. I haven't had a piece break yet (cross your fingers!).

    Heather

    Still don't know how to post as anyone other than 'Anonymous'. Can anyone help bring me into the modern age?

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  5. You could have easily glued it back together with gorilla glue and used it as a decorative piece and even as an outdoor flowerpot for your porch or patio. You could still enjoy it, and then use the refund you got from the broken one to buy another. A win win situation. IDK why you would just stupidly throw it away.

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