Tragedy!!

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  • #798193
    ForestDragon
    Participant

      😥
      I bought a LARGE white wizard with the dragon on his shoulder (an ’86 model) from Ebay for a very good price. He arrived in PIECES! 😥

      Is there any hope to try and repair him? I just got it and I just emailed the seller (I did ask that the seller pack it very well). It was wrapped in bubble wrap and the rest of the box was filled with balled up newspaper. ARGH!! Sorry, I just need to vent. I am sooooo disappointed. 😥

      #499915
      ForestDragon
      Participant

        #798194
        laphon1
        Participant

          I’m so sorry.

          Both drag0nfeathers and Kyrin do excellent repair work. Drag0nfeathers is in Mass. and Kyrin is in Idaho.

          But you need to get a full or, at the very least, a partial refund from the seller. Or have them pay for the repairs. Why will sellers not pack correctly?! 🙄

          And welcome to the Forum!

          #798195

          I was very lucky when I got my large wizards off ebay. The black one came wrapped loosely in brown paper. He had minimal damage which I was able to repair. My blue one came with a styrofoam form fitting box, so did my white wizard. My emerald I got in a store and he has the form fitting insert cardboard box. I need to get a peacock one some day and I’d have them all. Just what I need!!! No more room as is! 😮 😮 😕

          #798196
          Zelda
          Participant

            Aww, sorry to hear about your smashed wizard ForestDragon! I fixed up an OLD large wizard a few years back, one of the ones with the rose and blue colored robe. Matching the paint on sculpts that don’t have metallic colors, like the dragons, is pretty easy compared to the figures with more complex paint jobs. I do repairs as well as Kyrin and Drag0nfeathers (they do great work though!) and I’m in South Dakota. If you’d like some help fixing the big guy let me know!

            Forever seeking: Blackwatch the raffle Old Warrior, Jennifer Miller's pieces, and GB Baby unis!

            #798197
            ForestDragon
            Participant

              His arm is broken off, staff is in at least two pieces, there are large and small chips from the base and other areas, and there are many additional loose pieces. I haven’t completely opened the bubble wrap. I live in NY. Despite his damage I can’t bear to throw him out yet. He is my first big piece. I only have three right now (baby unicorn, and gargoyle egg with claws and egg with eyes). I have been dreaming for Windstones since I first saw them in a gift shop when I was in elementary school (the brown dragons!). I have always loved the realistic look and amazing quality of the Windstone sculptures.

              The seller insured the box but didn’t mark the package fragile…
              Still waiting for a response from her.

              Thanks for all the kind words. I may take up someone in the repair option in the future.

              #798198

              There are alot of us who have repaired or do repairs.
              Here is one I took on. Maplecarver had gotten two of these guys. Drag0nfeathers and I bought them from her. I will try to hunt up Drag0n’s thread too, but here is mine.






              The circled areas in red are where I actually got to glue the bigger chunks together and all the smaller pieces are in those areas (But mostly I had to fill it in). I don’t have an overall pic, as he is for me, and a project to be done when I had time. I can snap a complete pic of where I am at now if you’d like. (I’ve been busy with trades and commissions so, he has to sit on the back burner until I get those done.)
              Anyway, if you do send him out for repairs…As much as it may hurt you to open him up all the way, I suggest you do what Maplecarver did. She took apart all the bigger pieces and bubble wrapped them seperately from each other (even the bigger broken shards. For example the 2 pieces of arm, and staff etc). They she put all the tiniest of flakes into a baggie. I have NEVER gotten a whole Windstone wrapped better than the pieces of the Guardian Dragon Gargoyle I bought from her. I have been collecting over 20 years. It took me over half an hour to unpack that big guys bits n pieces, but it was well worth it. I got him because I wanted a matched set for the top of my entertainment center. One day he will be whole and carved and painted again and able to join his brother! He is whole now, but not finished.
              So take heart! This is my first major repair and Drag0nfeathers and Kyrin have done many more than I! 😀

              #798199

              If you paid for this disaster by paypal and you don’t get a response from the seller, I urge you to file a dispute with paypal and get them to investigate the claim. They have been amazingly helpful to me when I have gotten smushed up Windstones ( which are really heartbreakers!!) (I got a large peacock wizard wrapped in a teeshirt (!) and 4 small pieces of hard styrofoam in a little box. It also had the staff and arm broken off from top to base, the small dragon broken off and lots of chips. The seller insisted I put in an insurance claim at the PO because it was insured, the PO just laughed at me and said it was not their fault it was so badly packed. So I filed a dispute and then a claim because the seller wanted to fight with me, the PO, ebay and paypal. Paypal took him on and I won the dispute, so PP paid the first $200 and then pulled the rest out of his account. I have filed at least 8 very legitimate disputes and claims and paypal has come through every time. Some times the seller wants the piece back and then if I want it a lot, I negotiate a reduced refund or the cost of the repairs with them and they usually agree because they don’t want the broken piece back. Often, they just refund the money and let me keep the piece.
              Anyway, it all depends on whether you paid by paypal or not. If you didn’t, you can still file a complaint with ebay. They have a reputation to protect and they are generally good to their buyers. Otherwise, there is always the threat of negative feedback which is important to sellers.
              Above all, don’t get discouraged about buying Windstones. I have 365+ Windstones and many if not most of them have been purchased through ebay, the forum, or the factory. AND! we are lucky enough to have forum people who are very very good at mending broken Windstones and they take loving care of the rest of us who don’t know a glue pot from a paint pot!!! 😕 (I say hats off, kudos, and salutes to those talented menders of Windstones!!)
              So hang in there, all is not lost! We have your back!!! 😀

              #798200
              LadyFirebird
              Participant

                So sorry that your wizard arrived in pieces! I know how heartbreaking that is. We do have people on this forum who are excellent in repairing shattered Windstones. Hopefully, more of them will see this and can offer advice.

                Welcome to the forum and it’s good to have you! 😀

                #798201

                Boy,does Mom know this feeling…It really is a tragedy to lose any of them 😥

                #798202
                drag0nfeathers
                Participant

                  There are a few of us that can help you with your wizard repair. I’m buried in repairs at the moment and I know Kyrin is even more buried then I am, but if your willing to wait about a month, I’m sure I could get to it. 🙂 I have actually done (something that sounds exactly the same) to a wizard for drgnlvr last year. I think I have pictures in my photobucket somewhere. I’ll have to look.

                  WC is pretty amazing herself though! 🙂

                  The circumstances really suck though, I’m sorry to hear a seller screwed you over like this. It happens FAR too often. 👿

                  Got a busted Windstone?
                  drag0nfeathersdesign@gmail.com
                  *OPEN for repairs*

                  *SEEKING GRAILS*
                  Arc-en-ciel Emperor
                  Siphlophis Male Dragon
                  Calypso Hatching Empress
                  Ivory Moss Sitting Baby Kirin
                  Tattoo Mother Kirin
                  Emerald Tabby Male Griffin
                  Tie Dye + Orion Hatching Royalty
                  Indigo Rockfish + Flame Tabby Little Rock Dragons
                  Dragon Quail + Obsidian Frost Old Warriors
                  Betta Sun Dragon + Male Dragon
                  Dreamscape, Orion, Poison Dart, Fireberry, Spangler + Tigerberry Dragons

                  #798203
                  ForestDragon
                  Participant

                    Well… The seller was excellent in response and gave me a full refund. I didn’t need to prod or poke. She did look into UPS claims but said it would be too much of a hassle to deal with them. Soooooo….

                    Now I have this shattered wizard in need of repair. I can wait. Um… repair peoples. What do you charge? If you need to email me privately please do. I don’t want you guys to start fighting 😀 . I will begin to dissect the box and wizard pieces when I get back from visiting with friends in NH. I will keep you all updated.

                    #798204

                    Good for you!! I’m so glad you got a good responsible seller that was willing to give you a full refund without a hassle. I’ve had some really good responsible and responsive sellers and some really really bad irresponsible sellers. Most of them have been good overall. Now you have a chance of getting this one repaired like it was never broken. Both Kyrin and drag0nfeathers do really good work and I know there are other talented people on the forum that can help you out. It will take a while, but in the end, you will have a wonderful wizard. I wish I knew how to post pictures, I would be pleased to post a picture of the wizards I have. Maybe someday soon! drgnlvr

                    #798205

                    I have all but the large Peacock Wizard and the Peacock Wind Wizard. I have the original non pearl white Wizard too. I sent you a PM about your Wizard. 🙂

                    #798206
                    ForestDragon
                    Participant

                      Well, I took photos of the damage. I just need to resize the pics to post. Soon to come…

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