Risk of ordering rods online

[J Francho]

28 minutes ago, Travis Gasper said:

What they should have done is sent me a replacement one free of charge and told me to keep them both. 

Can you imagine how a dishonest person might abuse this, and why most don't do this?

Anyway, if you have no shipping facilities nearby, online purchase may not be your best option, though if UPS dropped it off, they can pick it up, too. You just have to call to set up a pick up.  You're probably better off buying from a brick and mortar.

I've had a couple rods shipped from the manufacturer that arrived broken.  It happens.  They generally send me a new one, with the return label included with the new rod, or in a separate letter. 

[Jeff H]

11 hours ago, kickerfish1 said:

Don't get me wrong, I cringe a bit every time I have a rod on its way or ship one out. It is even worse when the rod being shipped is a custom. Should something happen it is not something that can be re-ordered and had in a week. You have to start the build process again while salvaging whatever components from the broken rod can be used.

I just don't like the rods that the local BPS and Cabelas carry to buy them local...

Well, that is exactly my way around this problem.  I buy from Cabela's, order online, shipped to store (pay no shipping costs).  I can inspect it right there before I take it home.  If it doesn't satisfy, I get another the same way.  So, this way you can avoid the issue Scott mentioned of customers abusing shelf rods and any shipping damage is going to be obvious, plus no shipping cost..  Works for me and keeps me happy.  I know not everybody has this method/option available to them but if you do it's reasonably foolproof and should use it.

[WIGuide]

I've ordered a few online. One on ebay and another from TW. Both came in cardboard tubes in good condition. The one from tw was missing a guide insert, but it wasn't in the package it just wasn't notice by whoever packed it. They emailed me a return label and I shipped mine back. Had the new rod in a few days and it was a done deal. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. 

[faygo1979]

Other than the packing I guess I can’t see an issue with how they handled the situation.  They shipped you out a new rod to swap out the old one with.  Even when you did not want that they issued you a 15$ credit for the hassle.  I have not found any company that will give me a percentage back because of shipping issues.  They will just correct the issue or issue you a refund if you return the item.  

 

Most of my orders have come in PVC with some  a hard cardboard tube.

[WPCfishing]

I've never had a problem.. If your Rod is scratched up send it back and have the seller replace it. Anyone of those scratches could lead to breakage.

[blckshirt98]

Where are all you buying rods that ship in PVC tubes lol, I've probably bought close to two dozen rods online and have never received one in a PVC tube.

[J Francho]

I've received two in PVC, one from a custom builder, another direct from a manufacturer.  In both cases, it was the somewhat less brittle black stuff that doesn't shatter when dropped.  The rest came in heavy duty cardboard that would take some serious effort to crush or bend.

[BassThumb]

I wish we had a tutorial on the site on how to properly package rods and gear that are bought/sold in the Flea Market. For instance, even packing both ends of the rod tube with plastic shopping bags make a huge difference. 

I've made numerous purchases and sales on here, and only one hit a snag. That was when I picked up a used rod that retailed for nearly $300, maybe 6 years back. It came in an appropriate retail-style cardboard tube but included no packing material whatsoever. The ends were taped shut, and the rod was left to roll around and slide back and forth inside the tube, which was a good foot longer than the rod. Needless to say, the rod arrived broken with the tape torn on both ends and about 8" of smashed and bent rod-tip poking out. It was shipped UPS and the seller declined to insure it to save a few bucks.

The seller obviously wasn't the most sensible individual, but he was thankfully willing to refund part of my money to pay for about 2/3 of the warranty replacement cost to replace the rod. I had to cover the rest of the cost.

[fvogel67]

I have ordered rods from St Croix and Tackle Warehouse.Both arrived expertly packed in thick a** cardboard tubes.

[Yudo1]

Years ago gander mountain sent a rod in its plastic bag inside of a cardboard tube.  Needless to say the tip was broken.  The replacement was sent the same way and again with a broken tip.  I called them and told them they are probably losing lots of money on broken rods because of the way they send rods.  The next replacement I had sent to the store and I picked it up.  I wonder if they still ship them that way.